A Warm Sunny Day in Oregon

By Sarah Kirkpatrick

It's a warm, sunny day in Oregon.

     She taps the ashes off of her cigarette while he looks on worriedly. The hitched breath before she coughs could drive anyone to despair, she shudders and closes her eyes in pain.

     He tells her that he's worried about her.

     The soft aroma of smoke cascades from her breath as she tells him that she's okay. She slips further into her disease at each puff she inhales. She wants to be fully consumed by the monster inside her, so the pain will cease. She puts the cigarette in the ash tray next to her bed, along with the butts of the seven she finished earlier, and lies back, staring up at the ceiling.

      He brings her a glass of water, which she graciously accepts, as she sputters out a 'thank you'.

     The doctor walks in, and asks her if she's ready to begin. She sternly nods her head yes, and holds out her arm, facing upward. He is looking on with a waterfall of tears running down his cheeks.The doctor sticks the needle in her arm and tells her that that's the worst of it, and injects her with the toxic fluids, one after one.

     He grabs her hand, kisses it and says goodbye.

     She slowly sinks, slowly falls out of focus.

     It's a warm sunny day in Oregon.