He Wept in His Sleep

Flash Fiction 


The moon outside let a few dim rays fall through the curtains into the bedroom where he lay asleep. In his waking life, he was not a man to cry. He was tough and had a tough past. He regarded himself as reformed now, and he was. But still the secrets of his past haunted him, sometimes. There was one secret in particular he could never tell anyone. But just because the past is a secret, doesn’t mean it goes away or vanishes. Sometimes it crops up in the most unlikely places.

The breeze blew the curtains a little into the room where he lay sleeping alone. It was mid autumn and the nights were getting cool, but still he had the curtains open. It was shortly after midnight. Aaron had forgotten her for many years, though he had loved her very much at one time, or thought he did. She had died about this time of year, many years ago, forever young. He had regretted her death, but it had to be a secret. Otherwise, he might no longer be a free man.

Aaron had not seen Beth’s face for years. Not since he had dumped her body along an interstate hundreds of miles from where he killed her. It had been an accident, they had been fighting and he hadn’t meant to hit her that hard. But he was strong and after the blow to the head, she crumpled to the ground. He did not call any help, but just let her lay there, hoping she’d wake up. He did not want to get in trouble. Of course, he had beaten her up even before the blow to the head, but he hadn’t meant to kill her, this time or anytime. Later on, he realized she’d never wake up.

Her face appeared to him on this night though, many years later. Of course, it was just a dream, but it seemed so real. It seemed so real to him when he saw her with her long blonde hair and blue eyes looking at him with an expression of sadness, that he wept in his sleep, unaware of what he was even doing. He cried for what he had done, something he would never have done had he been awake. 

Reviews

[SEO]

This is beautiful and haunting. I really love very short stories because it's such a challenge to capture all you need to say in minimal but that's what it makes so great when you do! I would suggest maybe editing it a little more to give it an even cleaner, crisp feel. For example, the second to last line in the third paragraph could ne cut in my opinion because you pretty much already state that it was an accident but he was hitting her so that line over explains it. But overall great read, thank you for sharing!

[Quickbeam]

So sad, so much regret, but deservedly so, forever being haunted by memories.