A Lively Death

“Do not cry when I call you to me. Come joyfully. Let the staff look on with disgust at your exuberance for my end.”
            “Mama, you’re not dying.”
            Kathrin glowered at her restrained leg. Her puffy purple-ing foot blazed irritatingly against the stiff white gauze.
“Mama.” An exasperated sigh sounded from the hospital phone. The outdated device laid stodgily between crappily drawn ‘Get Well’ cards and grocery-store-bought mixed bouquets. The dyed daises matched her foot.        
“Death is for the living. Burn my body, drown my flesh, bury my bones. Mourn excitedly. Do not cry in my last moments. I’ll be damned if the last thing I see is your red, puffy face.” 
“Mama, assisted living is not equal to death. If anything you may live a little, you know there’s chair yoga, collaging, making friends your own age.” Kathrin could hear the eye-roll dancing with the voice’s tone.
Her glare deepened.
“Fire the nurses who coo softly in my ear. I will not go quietly. I want a lively death. Make me laugh, mock my passing; I want my death to be known as a ‘real hoot!’”
“Mama I’m picking you up tomorrow morning. We’ll stop by the house to grab any sentimentals. Maybe a photo of dad?” The speakerphone buzzed like an incessant fly.
“Make my monument spectacular and gaudy! Bring out the hidden satire in visitors. I want my own plot; no reminders of that geezer.” Having hobbled, unadvisedly, to the third story window Kathrin resorted to shouting over her shoulder rather than face her work-busy, never-there-when-it-really-matters child on the line. 
She unlocked the windows. The breeze caressed her face and greeted her happily.
“In the end I want to make a wild impression on people.”
Her final moment took weeks of scrubbing from the concrete. 

***

Ava Galbraith is fascinated by unexpected turns in stories, particularly the reveal of villains. She dives deep into characters’ psyches and uses stream of consciousness to tell stories. Her work has been published in thirteen different literary magazines, including San Joaquin Review, Voyage, and Down in the Dirt (web and print). When not developing intriguing flash fiction, she competes in equestrian show jumping and enjoys emerging herself in foreign cultures. Ava lives in Tucson, Arizona.