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mixcoatl
Mike Venegas
United States, CA, East Los Angeles

Words: 399
Access: Public
Comments: 3

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Peaches

He was told he was going to die, soon.

I got wind of the story from my wife, she's a nurse. She told me there was this child, no matter how gloom the situation always had a good out look on life. His name was Kevin.

Kevin, unfortunately, had rare blood disorder, for a good part of his eight-year life it had him living in a hospital.

I had a deadline and I needed a story, so I interviewed him. I talked with him more than interviewed; he was lying in bed the whole time, though he was barely able to move he still had a smile that could make the rain clouds go away.

It was three hours until I needed to turn in a story and I still couldn't figure out how to tell the story. I called my Editor, Luis, told him about Kevin, everything, how he wanted to grow up and be a baseball player for the Yanks, how he felt sorry for putting his parents through his pain, and how every time he was able to leave the hospital he'd eat a fresh peach. After I stopped talking, there was a long pause then Luis said, 'Get him his peaches.'

At first I was confused, then he said it again, hung up and I called around for fresh peaches. Every place I called was closed. It was near midnight, when I called back Luis. I told him the stores wouldn't sell me the peaches.

Luis was the type of guy that everyone knew, literally. He told me to start driving across town to a certain corner shop. 'When you get there, tell 'em I sent you. You'll get the peaches.'

I rushed there and back. Made it to the hospital just before Kevin went to sleep.

I had ten minutes until deadline, and still had no story. A chunk of the paper was going to be blank. I called Luis, told him I wouldn't have a story for him. Then he said, 'I told you get him his peaches, not the story.'

Soon after, later that night, I realized I am not defined by how powerful my words might be, rather I am defined by the little things I do in life. Kevin, was born on a Monday and loved his peaches, unfortunately he died, on a Wednesday.

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Comments  
TendoQueen Comment by: TendoQueen - 2007-06-24 01:59
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Wow...you were able to squeeze so much into only 400 words. And from so long back...I like it!
Koinonia Comment by: Koinonia - 2007-02-28 06:12
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I haven't read anything like this before and I'm glad I found it! It's got the character development and everything, and it's so touching.
mixcoatl Comment by: mixcoatl - 2006-11-21 22:33
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I, initially, had done this story some years back, four maybe five years, and bumped into it recently while clearing out a file cabinet. When I wrote it, I had a feeling that I had seen something like it somewhere but I couldn't place where. If you happen to know please tell me cause it's bothering the heck out of me again.

But I remember it came about as an extra credit challenge during a Creative Writing class. We were to write a "short short" and had to tell a whole story with conflict, character descriptions and character development. All in 400 words title included.
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