Pieces of Hope: A Collection

Do You Promise?

Description:  A flash fiction Christian story about hope and faith. But if you're not a Christian, go ahead and read it. Who knows, you might enjoy it, and I'll try not to preach at you ;)

This flash fiction piece is dedicated to @EzekielSebentien who's flash fiction pieces inspired me to write my own, and who's continued support means so much to me.  

Davion curled into a ball and moaned. He was on his bed, retching into a coffee can lined with a plastic bag. His body trembled with weakness. Nothing was right. He'd been heaving since four in the morning. More than anything he wanted a drink of water. But he knew it would just come back up, so he resisted.

Throughout this horror of a day, a song had been playing on his phone that was his lifeline. He needed something to keep his mind off the churning, the anticipation of the retching, and his weakness.

As his stomach roiled, the words echoed in his ears. Oh I try to fix your heart, but I leave with broken parts, like a criminal would.

I try to cover you with love, but the damage has been done. Will I ever be enough? If I could take us far from here, make the trouble disappear, you know that I would. If I could make the burden light, put the stars back in your eyes... I wish that I could.

Yes, I wish that I could, he thought as he rolled over, closer to the coffee can.

Tell me, it's gonna get better. It's gonna get better. It's gonna get better. Is it gonna get better?

Will it?

Tell me it's gonna get better. Tell me it's gonna get better. It's gonna get better. Cause it's gotta get better.

He retched, heaving his guts into the coffee can. Not that he had much of them left. With the taste of bile in his mouth, he listened to the next words.

Will it always be this hard, like we're driving through the fog, waiting for the sun?

It feels like it's always gonna be.

One day we'll watch it burn away, we'll be amazed we chose to stay. I pray that we would!

Tell me it's gonna get better. It's gonna get better. It's gonna get better. Is it gonna get better? Tell me it's gonna get better. Tell me it's gonna get better. It's gonna get better. It's gotta get better!

It's gotta. Please, it's gotta. He leaned back up against the bed. It's gotta.

It may never be easy. But it gets better believe me.

I know it may never be easy. So tell me now, You'll never leave me.

Don't leave me. Don't leave me. He lifted his eyes up to the ceiling, then he closed them.

It's gonna get better. It's gonna get better. It's gonna get better.

Tell me, it's gonna better. It's gonna get better. It's gonna get better. Is it gonna get better? Tell me, it's gonna get better. It's gonna get better. It's gonna get better. It's gotta get better!

He flinched, hearing the sound of retching in another room. Probably one of the twins. There was another sound of retching. He flinched again. Probably both twins.

He took a trembling breath in. His stomach was quiet for now. Another breath.

Depression and sickness lurked over the household. Everybody was tense and tired. It rubbed them like a wrong fitting piece of clothing. More than anything they just wanted something to go right, but it seemed like nothing could. This whole week had been bad, from his sister leaving for college, to the car repair bill the parents argued over, to the twins fighting about a video game.