Thanks as always to Rochelle for Friday Fictioneers. Sorry I’m late; this time I have a real excuse 😉 .
PHOTO PROMPT © J Hardy Carroll
Footing
“What happened?”
I shake my head, shrug, wince.
Truthfully, she did that thing we never believe anyone is capable of: she changed. Not overnight, during a year, seemingly unnoticeable. Like days after the summer solstice, her light gradually dwindled.
“Snap out of it,” I’d said. I got impatient. This moping wasn’t her. “Snap out of it.”
Annoyed, I ignored the way she crawled into herself, as if she’d lost her footing. I ignored how she seemed invisible at home. I had work. I was busy. If she couldn’t make the effort, why should I?
So I left her alone.
end
Sascha Darlington 7/9/2018
Categories: Flash Fiction, FRIDAY FICTIONEERS
A shame she gave up, maybe that is what is needed to make her snap out of it.
Thanks, Iain! 🙂
Dear Sascha,
It sounds like depression. Oh that one could snap out of it. At any rate, it does change a person. Well done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
Thanks, Rochelle, I know of many who wish they could snap out of it. I appreciate your comment! 🙂
I had work. I was busy. If she couldn’t make the effort, why should I? ~ Left me feeling sad.
Then So I left her alone ~ made me want to cry. Kudos
Thank you so much, Alicia! 🙂
Slipping slowly into depression is an invisible process, at first, when the signs appear people don’t recognise them. Even the afflicted can’t tell until they lose control – look in the mirror, do you trust the person you see, after all they are all you’ve got. Self esteem grows with self respect.
Well! that’s what I got from your story, perhaps I am being too involved and over thinking, still it was an enlightening read, provoking thoughtful reflection.
Nope. I think you got it right on the money, James, as usual. You are a very discerning/thoughtful reader.
Thank you so much! 🙂
The last line is heart breaking. Depression is a stealthy danger. Great take on losing the footing. I admit that my reaction to depression, many, many years ago, was similar. Snap out of it. It’s good that there is a lot more information now (although not yet enough) and it’s recognized as a disease, not a mood. Help is needed, not looking away.
Yes, I agree totally with you. Thanks to research and modern medicine we now know a lot more about what the body and mind are doing. And, yes, it is stealthy. A shift in body chemistry and a normally cheerful person can change.
Thanks for reading and providing such a wonderful comment!