Entry: Flash Fiction July 16-27

The Test

by Amy Barkman

Two minutes.

Karen rehearsed the phone call in her mind. “Sweetheart, I have wonderful news!” That rehearsal had been happening for seven years without opportunity for performance. Dan no longer wanted to know if she was going to take a pregnancy test. He wouldn’t even discuss children. Too many disappointments.

One minute.

Please, please be positive! No, she couldn’t let herself get upset. She had years to go before it would be too late to have a baby.

Thirty seconds.

The nursery is there, waiting, wanting to be decorated.

Time.

Don’t be afraid. Look.

“Sweetheart, I have wonderful news!”

Submitted by
Amy Barkman