"They had nothing to say to each other."



Today, I needed some inspiration, so I went to a site that I used when I was teaching.  I chose prompt #161: Write a mini-story (100 to 250 words) that begins with: "They had nothing to say to each other."

         They had nothing to say to each other.
         They stood, arms crossed, eyes averted.  His body angled slightly away from hers; her head tilted back and to the side.
         She cleared her throat.
         He sniffed.
         "Let's just get this over with," he said.
         "Fine," she said.
         He stood and looked at her.  "It'll be fast.  You know we have to do it."
         "I know."
         They walked a few steps further, turned, and looked through the glass at their grown son, lifeless and colorless on the table.
         "That's him," he said.
         "Yeah, it is," she said, and then turned and walked down the hallway, her hair swaying slightly back and forth, her hands opening and closing, her shoulders tense.
         He looked one last time and then followed her, walking slightly faster to catch up, and took her hand in his. She turned and collapsed into him, her arms clasping him tightly, her body heaving.
         "Shh, shh.  It'll be okay.  It'll be okay."

Word Count: 161