Riposte: Soten-ni-zaze's "Revealed"
I wrote this as a riposte (but not in the angry way in the least) to Soten-ni-zaze’s drabble, because for some reason it just hit a tiny writing-shaped chord in my head, and besides, I wanted to. And because I-want-to is always the best ever reason to start writing.
This riposte is exactly 100 words.
He had a brain tumour.
He was going to die.
He wasn’t unconscious anymore, nor was he sleeping. They thought he was; and for once he wasn’t inclined to disabuse them. It explained a lot: it excused a lot: yet suddenly Eli was sorry?
Under his back, an alien couch. The hum of an Ancient ship in his ears. He had felt a thousand years of unique knowledge under his hands.
“Why didn’t you tell anyone? You had to have known.”
I’m not sorry, thought Rush, fiercely, his face outwardly a senseless mask. I couldn’t be sorry if I tried.