Welcome to the Wakefield Doctrine (the theory of clarks, scotts and rogers)
Denise hosts the Six Sentence Story bloghop each and every week.
All interested are invited to write a story employing this word and keep the length at six and only six sentences.
Pretty simple, isn’t?
This week, the word is:
COAST
The exit signs glow quietly, inverted votive candles informing all that walk the corridors of the hospital that, in this place, there is as little need of a reminder of the position of the sun as a casino or a death row cell.
Settled in a field of white, the man’s face reflected the surrender of muscles, once stalwart allies, now as smooth as texture and tenor would permit.
The only light or sound in the room was courtesy of technology’s inability to conceive of mortality, as, with solid-state certainty, green-lit readouts insisted all was well with the only actually-living thing in the room; leaving nothing to chance, the equipment produced a metronomic beeping, the sound of a tin man’s heart.
If the man was awake, he gave no sign of disagreeing with the machinery that jealously maintained the continuation of life; in his mind, the one place he was alive and healthy enough, his attention was captivated by the sense of a threshold, a new point along the path he set out on a near-lifetime before.
Like the edge of the earth and the start of the sea, a threshold is all about where one is standing; whether rocky cliffs or softly flowing dunes, the coast that marks the end of land or edge of water is simply the point of transition, it is neither one nor the other, yet essential to both.
One floor up and a lifetime away, the maternity suite echoes the joyously-defiant sounds of life being brought from the quiet safety of the womb to a new shore, one of hard ground and sharp edges; the noise and the solidness of life is joined to darkness’s quiet embrace in a circle and by doing so, never ends.
About clarkscottroger
Oh my goodness! You truly went full circle with this one. Maybe I’d call this one of your best.
thank you, Lisa
Brilliant take!
ty, RS
Sentences 3 and 5. They are my favorite.
I read your 6 late last night, came back this a.m., darkness cloaking the world, to read again. Clicked “play” on the musical selection and was rewarded with an enhanced reading.
More than a little contemplative, good Six.
(yeah, fun how, if the right song slips itself into the mix, it somehow improves the words and such)
Top drawer stuff! 👍👍two thumbs UP!
Thanks, man
A lovely take on the circle of life.
Thank you.
Wow, fantastic six!
lol, yeah, was fun to complete.
The music, the pictures and the wonderful words – Gloria Patri…
Thank you.
you’re welcome
Clark, I continue to be amazed at the many styles of writing that you share in your SSS. This one touched me deeply, and I agree with Denise about the power of reading it again while the music is playing. Over the years I have known quite a few instances where families have said their farewells to a departing family member and on the same day or within a day or so either way have welcomed a new baby into the family.
Thank you so much for writing this and sharing it with all of us.
You’re quite welcome, Pat. Thanks for being part of this bloghop, its a well-known fact that while practice and experimentation is central to developing as a writing, doing so in the company of other, like-minded writers makes all the difference in the world. Thanks.
Wow. Philosophy as well put as i’ve ever heard it.
Thanks Mimi
Hey. Very cool. That is a liminal work. He’s on the strand and about to get his feet wet. Love how the nursery is right overhead. Excellent Six, Sir.
and I get to learn a new word… there’s much to enjoy participating in this here bloghop here.
Wow, Clark, That’s a terrific story! The circle of life.
Thank you, D