June 2024 Flash Lit 9.1 - Cherry

Beth’s chest felt like it was stuffed with fluff.  She promised never to pretend to be a stuffed animal again if the feeling would go away.  She looked at Hopsy next to her in the bed with new respect, maintaining his slight smile all the time when it was so hard to breathe.

Her mom appeared at the cracked-open door.  “You’re awake!  How are you feeling?”

 

Beth’s voice came out thick and slow and croaky.  “Yucky.”

 

“I know, honey.  But I brought you some cough syrup.  It should help,” her mom said.

 

Beth made a face at the closed curtains.  The curtains were never closed in the day time except when Beth was sick.  They made the room not dark, but blurry and dim.

 

“Here you go,” said her mom, handing her the little plastic cup with its measured dose of medicine.

 

Beth drank the dark liquid and then sputtered.  “It’s cherry!” she croaked.  “Yucky!”

 

Her mom brought her a drink of water from the bathroom.  It was not very cold and smelled faintly of toothpaste, but it was better than the thick taste of the cough syrup.

 

“I hate cherries,” Beth told Hopsy as she feel back to sleep.