Her Watchers was first published in Darker Times Collection: Volume Two in March 2014, after winning Darker Times Fiction's June 2013 Flash Fiction competition. It was then republished in Black Hare Press' Lockdown Phantom #3 in December 2020.
Her Watchers
They had always been there...the three of them. Whenever there was bad news to bring, they’d appear unannounced. She had first seen them aged four, when ‘Princess’ – her beloved pet gerbil – died. About an hour before little Princess fell victim to the Reaper, they were there. Three figures shrouded in cloaks with only their sunken eyes visible, just gazing listlessly at the little girl – Linda.
You would have thought that would strike fear into any little girl's heart, but no. She found them strangely comforting. As she grew older, she noticed the pattern of their appearance and even grew grateful to them – it gave her about an hour to work out who might be leaving the world and the time to be with them. Often that wasn't possible, but sometimes it was the ultimate blessing.
When her father had been in a coma, her cloaked harbingers bought her enough time to be with him in his final moments. Linda's two sisters were grateful, too, though she never did explain to them exactly how she knew – they put it down to her being the favourite, and youngest daughter's intuition.
Today was different; she'd seen them while doing her washing. Staring at her though the window, warning her wordlessly of someone's impending doom.
Her mobile started ringing.
"Linda? It's Jill... Lucie, it's about Lucie. Don't be frightened, darling, but... Just get to the Shore Hospital as soon as you can, okay? No, no... Well, yes, it is serious; they think she may have had a stroke. Please, Linda, just get here as quickly as you can. I love you."
The call was abruptly ended.
Linda raced to grab her keys and practically leapt into her car, quickly catching sight of her loyal messengers in the interior mirror. With the ignition started, she drove as quickly as she could, running red lights wherever possible. The hospital was almost an hour away, going at a legal speed, but if she sped all the way she could do it in fifty minutes and be with her sister for those last precious moments.
Just as she was mere minutes away from her destination, her phone started ringing. As she looked down to answer it – tears mystifying her eyes – she swerved and crashed full force into an oncoming vehicle.
In her haste, she never thought to put her seatbelt on.
A click, then the sound of her own voice: "You've reached Linda, but sorry I can't get to the phone. Please leave your message and I’ll get right back!"
"Linda, it's Jill. I've great news, darling – she's going to be all right! The doctors say she's going to be okay! It was a misdiagnosis, the tests came back clear. She'll be in here for a while but there's no reason to rush now, so drive safe, please?"
Her sister's voice continued to fill Linda's ears as her world grew ever-darker – enveloping and soothing her like a blanket – as she unwillingly moved on to whatever world came next...
You would have thought that would strike fear into any little girl's heart, but no. She found them strangely comforting. As she grew older, she noticed the pattern of their appearance and even grew grateful to them – it gave her about an hour to work out who might be leaving the world and the time to be with them. Often that wasn't possible, but sometimes it was the ultimate blessing.
When her father had been in a coma, her cloaked harbingers bought her enough time to be with him in his final moments. Linda's two sisters were grateful, too, though she never did explain to them exactly how she knew – they put it down to her being the favourite, and youngest daughter's intuition.
Today was different; she'd seen them while doing her washing. Staring at her though the window, warning her wordlessly of someone's impending doom.
Her mobile started ringing.
"Linda? It's Jill... Lucie, it's about Lucie. Don't be frightened, darling, but... Just get to the Shore Hospital as soon as you can, okay? No, no... Well, yes, it is serious; they think she may have had a stroke. Please, Linda, just get here as quickly as you can. I love you."
The call was abruptly ended.
Linda raced to grab her keys and practically leapt into her car, quickly catching sight of her loyal messengers in the interior mirror. With the ignition started, she drove as quickly as she could, running red lights wherever possible. The hospital was almost an hour away, going at a legal speed, but if she sped all the way she could do it in fifty minutes and be with her sister for those last precious moments.
Just as she was mere minutes away from her destination, her phone started ringing. As she looked down to answer it – tears mystifying her eyes – she swerved and crashed full force into an oncoming vehicle.
In her haste, she never thought to put her seatbelt on.
A click, then the sound of her own voice: "You've reached Linda, but sorry I can't get to the phone. Please leave your message and I’ll get right back!"
"Linda, it's Jill. I've great news, darling – she's going to be all right! The doctors say she's going to be okay! It was a misdiagnosis, the tests came back clear. She'll be in here for a while but there's no reason to rush now, so drive safe, please?"
Her sister's voice continued to fill Linda's ears as her world grew ever-darker – enveloping and soothing her like a blanket – as she unwillingly moved on to whatever world came next...
