The sun began to sink lower and lower. Birds screeched and darted off, as if trying to escape the inevitable coming of night. An elderly man of at least seventy, silently surveyed the landscape bathed in the final minutes of light. He just stood before the lake, as it progressed to a sparkled crimson, lost in his problems.
1) he breathed a heavy sigh as the last moments of the summer day had slipped away. Everything faded to a steel grey and the old man, weak in his age, decided to look for a place to rest. He found a log to sit on and wondered to himself why night had to come and why such beautiful days couldn’t last forever. He just couldn’t understand why God had decided that days this perfect had to end. he sat and mused, alone, in the pale wilderness.
The darkness had crept up behind him engulfing him in nothingness so thick and dense, in which no light, sound, or warmth could exist. The only thing that existed was the man and his thoughts, his problem.
“do you want to take your wife off life support or not, Mr. Burns?” asked the doctor.
“isn’t there anything else the hospital can do? Aren’t there any other doctors that can be called in?!”
“Calm down. Maybe you should take some time to meditate on your decision.”
“Why would I want to kill my wife?!”
“Mr. Burns, calm down. I’m just giving you the option of taking her off life support. With your current income it will be very troubling. And her brain is past the point where any mental processes can occur. Please take some time to think over your decision and get back to me later.”
Even now, the conversation still resounded in his ears drowning out the silence. Surely, this is what death would be like. Emptiness. He couldn’t do that to his wife. For years it was just Mr. and Mrs. Burns. He loved her. She was his reason for waking up in the morning. He couldn’t do it. For the rest of the night he sat at the log wrestling with his problem, alone.
A new day had begun. The sun leaped over the hillside, and smiled upon the lake, which smiled back. Legs firmly planted, hands crossed, and head bowed, Mr. Burns made his decision. He slowly rose up, his body stiff from the cold night, bones and joints groaning from old age. He shook off his age, and left the lake, determined to relay his decision. He could never pull the plug.
Mr. Burns rushed through the hospital corridors, dodging nurses and patients, as he eagerly searched for the doctor. The doctor was nowhere to be seen, so he headed towards his wife’s room.
The bed was empty. The lifeless machines waited alongside the vacant bed. Mr. Burns more confused than he had ever been, stepping into the room. The curtains had been closed, leaving the room dimly lit. He peered around thinking maybe she was moved to the other bed. It was also empty. A hand gently came down on his shoulder. He spun around and was face to face with the doctor, who for the first time, was not wearing his usual blank emotionless face.
“I’m sorry,” the doctor quietly whispered.
“Where is she?!”
“She passed away around midnight. We don’t know how it happened. The machines were working perfectly and she was under constant watch…”
“this wasn’t supposed to happen,” sobbed Mr. Burns.
“We did everything we could. I’m sorry.”
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