Tag Archives: #newshortiction

Room 19 (an erotic short story)

Room19 image

The only sounds in Room 19 were the steady bleep of the monitors and the slow breathing of the patient in the bed. Until a few days before, he had been in ICU on life support following surgery. Since his transfer into Room 19, the doctors had kept him heavily sedated and under half-hourly observation.

 

The nurse had transferred to the department the same day the day the patient in Room 19 arrived on the ward and been assigned to care for him with strict instruction to report any changes in his condition to the charge nurse immediately.

For four days she had divided her time evenly among the four patients assigned to her. The other three were conscious and healing well so took less of her time as they focussed on recovering sufficiently well to leave as soon as the doctor signed their discharge papers. All three of them were elderly; the patient in Room 19 was young, well considerably younger than them.

For four days she checked on him every thirty minutes of her twelve-hour shift and noted no changes, no signs of improvement. He just lay there pale and still, the leads on his chest bare for all to see, the oxygen tube hooked into the nostrils of his fine straight nose, the IV linked to a canula in his right arm.

Occasionally, she noticed the smallest of flickers at his eyelids but nothing else. She wondered if he was dreaming. She wondered what colour those eyes were under the lids.

 

In his isolated dream state existence, nothing was making any sense. There were gaping black holes in his memory. Instinctively he knew something had happened to him and it hadn’t been something good. There was no pain to help identify what that “something” was. He couldn’t muster the energy to open his eyes. His world wasn’t all dark though. There were hints of colours. There were differences between light and dark. Day and night, he deduced. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t make his limbs move. They felt unnaturally heavy, almost as if they were glued to the bed he lay in. He could hear the sounds of machines in the room, the noises from outside the room. Visitors…. he had no memory of anyone visiting him. Was he somewhere far away from home? Were visitors not allowed into the room? If only he could remember……

There was one voice he was aware of. He presumed it was his nurse. She was there every once in a while. Once in a day? Once in an hour? He had no idea but when she came into the room, she spoke to him as though he were fully awake and conversant. Hearing her voice warmed his heart. Human contact. Sometimes she spoke about the folk in the other rooms; sometimes she spoke about things that had happened out with the hospital. Once she had come in complaining her car had broken down and that she’d got drenched walking the last mile to work. He could almost smell the rain off her…. summer rain. He could just about make out her shadowy silhouette as she went about her duties. She wore an unusual perfume. It reminded him of summer and suntan cream mixed with the scent of clean pure soapy shower gel. She reminded him of sunshine.

 

Then she was gone for what felt like a long time.

 

The patient in Room 19 had been on her mind while she was off duty for three whole days. Part of her felt relieved to hear that he was still there when she returned to the ward; part of her felt sad that there had been no noticeable improvement in his condition.

She visited his room first, breezing in wishing him “good morning” and muttering about the traffic on the journey into work. Methodically, she completed all her checks, updating his notes as she went. Just as she was about to leave, there was a minor disturbance in the steady bleep from the monitor. She stepped closer to check everything was ok. As she was about to turn to leave, satisfied that everything was alright, she felt a movement to her right. His hand reached out to her.

“Hey, it’s ok,” she said softly, taking his hand in hers. “You’re going to be just fine.”

She felt the gentle squeeze of his fingers against her small hand.

“Can you hear me?”

Another squeeze.

“I’ll be right back.”

 

At the nurse’s station, she reported into the charge nurse that the man in Room 19 had moved and held her hand. Her report was dismissed as “highly unlikely it was cognitive. More likely a reflex reaction. Have you seen the drugs he’s on?” The nurse nodded and returned to her duties, although in her heart she was convinced the charge nurse was wrong.

 

In his hazy world, he smiled. He’d communicated with her! She’d understood his hand movement. He’d held her hand. It was warm and smooth, not much bigger than a child’s. A stray thought meandered through as he wondered if she was any good at massage. Despite the black holes in his memory, he felt pretty sure that he enjoyed a good massage and a little “personal” attention. The dark haze closed in on him, swallowing up that delicious thought.

 

“OK, mister,” he heard her say some time later. “Bath time.”

 

Ordinarily, she didn’t enjoy bathing patients. All that old, wrinkly, smelly flesh but the patient in Room 19 was different. For a start he was far from old! Carefully, she tied the plastic apron round her waist. She had set the basin of hot water on the trolley beside the bottle of shower gel that she had begged from one of the male nurses. Slowly, she peeled back the sheet and blue waffle blanket that covered the patient. Much to her surprise, she discovered he was naked. With a smile, she lifted the warm wet flannel from the basin, added a squirt of shower gel, lathered it up then began to wash him gently. Taking care not to hurt him, she started with his neck and shoulders, smoothing the washcloth over his lightly tanned skin. As she washed his arms, she traced her finger over the outline a Celtic tattoo on his shoulder. As she rinsed out the cloth and added more shower gel, she wondered why he’d chosen that design.

Taking care not to get the leads on his chest wet, she slowly washed his torso. Noting the yellow fading bruises on his ribs, she was extra gentle as she bathed that area. She felt him quiver. Ticklish, she thought with a mischievous giggle.

 

In his hazy dream-like state, he suddenly felt warm and mellow. He was wholly aware of the nurse washing his upper body with a soapy cloth. The scent of the soap was familiar. His mind began to wander……

 

As she washed each of his feet in turn, she gently massaged them. Starting with his toes, she massaged each one firmly then, using both hands, manipulated the balls of his feet before working her thumbs in circles over the arches of his feet and round to his Achilles tendon. The feeling was exquisite, leaving him totally relaxed, putty in her hands. With more soap on the cloth, she washed his legs, running her hand wrapped the cloth up the front of his shins over his knees then over the sensitive skin of his inner thighs. With an awkward smile, she noted his physical reaction to her touch.

“Hmm, perhaps not as out of it as the doctor thinks, mister,” she observed with a giggle.

 

The touch of her hands in his inner thighs sent bolts of electricity sparking through him. Muzzy as his mind was, he was instinctively aware that he was hard. Under any other circumstances he might have felt embarrassed; in the current circumstances he prayed that she wouldn’t stop. As she lavished more attention on him, he wondered, not for the first time, what she looked like. He allowed his imagination to stray as he felt her lay the warm damp flannel over his balls.

 

As she cleaned his most intimate areas, the nurse noted the small smile forming on the man’s lips.

 

He could picture her clearly in his mind’s eye. Her white uniform low cut, showing off the curve of her breasts. As she bent forward over him, he could see she was wearing a white satin plunge bra. Oh, what he wouldn’t give to nestle his dick between those beauties. He could easily imagine gliding up and down as those full breasts caressed his cock.

 

The washcloth appeared to have been discarded. He felt soapy hands fondling his tight full balls. If this is heaven then I’ve died and gone to the right place, he thought to himself. He could feel his blood pulsing through him. As her small hand clasped his erect manhood, he let out a long low moan of ecstasy. It had been a long time….too long….

She stroked his length slowly sensually, the scented bubbles adding to the smoothness of her ministrations…

He was eager to indulge in his release; he wanted this moment of intimacy to last for eternity.

He felt her playfully add some stray soapy bubbles to his sensitive exposed tip then was blissfully aware of a soft gentle cool breath wafting over him as she blew the bubbles away. Release was imminent. If only she would lean over further, lose the tunic and the bra and allow him to feel her breasts brush against his skin.

 

In his own inner fantasy, the uniform had long since been discarded and his mystery nurse was wearing only her white satin bra and matching skimpy panties. Would it be wrong to ask her to remove those and massage his erection with them? This was his fantasy. He could visualise whatever he desired….

 

Alone in the private room, she paused. It was obvious what her patient wanted/needed. Should she? His eyelids were flickering, and she was sure he was fantasising about the same thing she was thinking. Should she? It could… no would…cost her her job if she got caught or if he filed a complaint…. The door was closed. The blinds were closed. It was tempting….

 

He felt her hand adjust its hold on him then felt her slowly work him. Up and down with a gradually increasing rhythm. The scented soapy lubricant was enhancing the moment. He was close…so close. He couldn’t hold back much longer. Inwardly he groaned as her left hand traced a line across his hip bone from his groin to his waist then slid under his butt cheek. Her right hand had increased its tempo. He could almost feel those breasts touching his skin…. almost…

 

His orgasm came hard and fast, cum spurting over her hand and his own dark pubic hair. Seventh heaven didn’t come close. If only those breasts had been bare and wrapped around him……

 

Her cheeks flushed, the nurse gently wiped down his stomach then tossed the cloth into the basin.

Carefully, she drew the sheet and blanket across him, worried that he would feel cold despite the heat in the small room.

Again, his hand moved to take hers.

The patient held her hand for a few moments.

“I know what you’re thinking, mister. Not a word,” she said as she removed her hand from his grasp. “Not a word.”

 

Tossing the discarded plastic apron into the bin, the nurse prayed that the damp stains on the front of her tunic would dry before her charge nurse commented. Picking up the basin, she turned and left the room.

 

The only sounds in Room 19 were the steady bleep of the monitors and the slow breathing of the patient in the bed, a hint of a smile playing on his lips.

 

(image sourced via Google – credits to the owner)

 

 

 

Silently Watching on the Blessing Moon

dark angel

 

Midgies were swarming in thick black clouds as he ran back along his trail route towards the road. A warm, damp July evening was the perfect breeding ground for these tiny, vicious, bloodsucking creatures. Focusing on the music playing through his earbuds and on the uneven path in front of him, he did his best to ignore the myriad of miniscule flies that his sweat was attracting. 

In the shade of a tall oak tree that grew on the corner where the trail met the single-track farm road, the dark angel stood waiting and listening. From a distance she had watched him set off on his run and now she was patiently awaiting his return.

It was time to get her answer.

Four months had passed since she had offered him his choice and she had deliberately given him time and space to consider his options. Twice, when she had watched him pounding the forestry trails from a discrete distance, she had almost approached him but her will power had remained steadfast.

However, time was running out and, if he were to choose transformation, the ideal opportunity was a mere seven days away.

The steady rhythm of his feet on the stony path and the rattle of that infernal noise that he called music brought her attention back to the present.

As she breathed in her nostrils were filled with the tantalisingly arousing aroma of his blood and sweat.

 With the oak tree in sight, he picked up his pace, promising himself a hard, fast last mile home. A sharp pain in his tooth and a throbbing at his neck caused him to miss and almost stumble.

She was close.

He hadn’t seen or sensed the dark angel since their meeting on Easter Monday when she had offered him his choice of future. Over the months, he had thought long and hard about the options, weighing up the pros and cons. He had found himself lying awake in the wee small hours contemplating how life would look if he decided to take up her offer. During his all too brief lunch breaks at work and while out pounding the trails, he had worked out various ways to kills her. He’d wasted hours Googling “how to kill a vampire”.

As the tree grew closer, he realised he’d never once tried Googling “how to live as a vampire.”

When he next looked up, he wasn’t surprise to see her silhouette before him.

“Hey,” he greeted her somewhat breathlessly.

With a nod of her head, she smiled then said, “Well met, son of Perran.”

“I guess.”

“Turn off that noise,” she instructed sharply. “It pains me.”

Laughing quietly to himself, he paused his rock playlist and flicked the earbuds out of his ears, allowing them to rest over his slender shoulders.

“I need your answer.”

“Now?”

“Now,” she repeated. “Depending on your final choice, there are preparations to be made and time is short.”

He could feel her green eyes boring into his very soul as she stood facing him in the fading, dusky sunlight. Gently, her wings rustling softly, she took a step towards him.

“Well, what’s it to be, son of Perran?”

“Can I ask something before I give you my answer?” He was stalling for time and they both knew it.

“If you must,” she replied with a sigh then, indicating a small path no wider than a sheep trail, she said, “Walk with me.”

Without argument, he followed her, marvelling at how gracefully she moved. Once they were out of sight of the farm road, she turned and said, “Ask what you must?”

“If I let you change me…. let you make me like you….. how will I be able to live as normal? Won’t I need to kill things and drink blood?”

The words tumbled out and he suddenly felt that his questions where childish and idiotic.

“It’s all about balance, son of Perran,” she began, her tone that of a school teacher. “Your transformation can be partially done at first. If you choose that path then you will need some blood to thrive but I will be here to provide for you, to teach you and assist you until you learn how to care for yourself. If you drink your blood rations then you won’t need to kill. I promise you will only need to kill for survival if you change your mind and opt to be fully transformed. As you have a young family, I’d advise against full transformation for several years. A child’s blood is so tempting and you won’t have learned the skills to resist.”

“I’d want to kill my own kids?”

“You might,” she replied calmly.

Her words sent icy shivers down his spine. Picturing his three children, he couldn’t even begin to contemplate hurting one of them never mind killing them and drinking their blood!

“And if I choose to kill you, how will I do it?”

“I don’t believe that’s the option you will choose,” she replied sounding calmly confident.

Silence hung in the air as they stared at each other.

 Watching the vein at his neck pulsing, the angel tried to read his mind. Her instincts were screaming at her that he was about to choose transformation but his facial expression was giving nothing away. Gazing into his dark brown eyes and wishing that they weren’t blood related, she waited on him reaching a decision.

“Will transformation hurt?” he asked quietly.

“No,” she replied. “Not the way I have planned. You may suffer a mild stomach ache but nothing worse than that.”

“What differences will I notice in myself?”

“Many. Too many to explain and they are impossible to predict. To everyone around you though you will still be the same man.”

A horsefly landed on his arm and bit him before he could swat it away.

One tiny drop of blood oozed up. He noticed the dark angel twitch as she fought to resist the delectable drop of poison.

“I need your answer,” she said keeping her eyes locked on his.

Biting his lower lip, he paused then said, “Transformation.”

“Partial transformation?”

He nodded, not trusting himself to speak.

“An agreeable choice,” she acknowledged with a smile.

“Now what happens?”

“You finish your run and go home,” replied the angel. “Meet me one week from now in the graveyard. It must be after the moon has risen so around midnight.”

“What’s the moon got to do with it?” he asked curiously.

“Your transformation will be blessed under the full moon,” she replied. “July’s full moon has two names. Some call it the Meadow Moon. Others prefer its ancient name of Blessing Moon.”

“Ah……”

“Till next week, son of Perran.”

With one strong beat of her wings, she was gone.

 

Alone once more, he gazed around him wondering where she had disappeared to. The pain in his tooth was gone. His neck was no longer throbbing. Gently, he reached up and touched the spot where the angel’s fang tip was embedded. His fingertips were instantly coated in fresh blood.

As he turned for home, he wondered for the first time if he had made a wise choice.

 

Alone in the mausoleum, the dark angel began the detailed preparations for the runner’s transformation. Since learning his decision, she had scoured the areas for the items she needed to ensure the ceremony went smoothly and painlessly. Sourcing some of the items had been easy. Others had proved more difficult. Three specific crystals were also needed and finding those had proved to be the greatest challenge. Late on the day before the full moon, the dark angel ventured further afield. Her instincts led her to a small New Age shop in a village some twenty miles from her home. Biding her time, she had waited until the owner, a young woman with long, thick red hair had moved to shut the shop. As she had reached to turn the “open” sign to “closed”, the dark angel had swooped in. The shopkeeper’s death was swift and painless; her blood had proved to be surprisingly refreshing. To the dark angel, it had tasted clean and clear and pure. A virgin’s blood. A rare, very rare treat indeed.

The shop proved to be a treasure-trove of valuable objects. Lifting a large canvas tote bag from a hook on the wall she took her time filling it with crystals and other items that she could put to use. Behind the counter, she found some small velvet drawstring bags. Selecting a few of differing colours, she added them to the tote. Almost as an after thought, the angel lifted some incense and candles then left the shop.

 

As the sun set on the day of the full moon, the dark angel laid out the items she needed for the transformation along one of the stone benches. Anticipating how the evening would pan out, she lit two fragranced candles to improve the aroma in the confined space.

 

Standing in his back garden with a mug of coffee, the runner watched the sky turn gold to red, blood red, as the sun set. Despite the summer warmth, a chill rattled down his spine. There were less than three hours to go until he was scheduled to meet the angel. Much to his own surprise, he felt calm about the impending appointment. Since giving her his decision, he had on occasion pondered if he’d made the right choice. Not being of an angry or aggressive nature, he couldn’t contemplate killing her. There had really only ever been one choice.

 

An owl hooted in the trees to his right as he walked down the single-track road to the graveyard. Behind him, he’d left his family sleeping, oblivious to the fact that he had slipped out into the night. Only the family cat had watched him walk off down the hill.

It only took him a few short minutes to reach the cemetery. As he walked along the narrow gravel path between the graves, he scanned about searching for the angel in the shadows. A subtle movement of the air and the softest scrunch of gravel caught his attention.

“Good evening, son of Perran.”

The angel’s voice spoke from behind him. Slowly, he turned round to face her, his heart pounding in his chest as adrenaline kicked in.

“Come,” she commanded, stepping toward him.

Before he could utter a sound, her majestic wings wrapped around him like a cloak and the world went black.

 

Flickering flames and a delicate perfume were the first things he sensed as he felt the angel’s wings unfold from around him. Glancing about, he deduced he was in some sort of stone temple or mausoleum.

“Where are we?” he asked, keeping his voice quiet for fear of it echoing round.

“My home,” she replied, her own tone soft and warm. “Not as far away as you might think but well-hidden from prying eyes.”

His eyes landed on the black velvet cloth draped along the bench and scanned over the various objects lying there.

“Sit,” instructed the angel, indicating the space beside the cloth. “I’ll explain.”

“Explain?”

“Yes. I’ll tell you about what is going to happen to you. Explain what is involved and why I’ve included it,” she replied, resuming her school teacher tone. “I’ve given this careful consideration, son of Perran.”

From a nook in the wall, the dark angel lifted down an ornate pewter goblet.

Silently, he watches as she poured some clear liquid from a small glass vial.

“Holy water,” she said, pressing the stopper back into the thin tube. “Keeps this pure.”

“I thought this would involve blood,” he commented nervously.

“It will but I want to make sure this transformation is partial so I need to include some preventative ingredients.”

“Whose blood will this involve?”

“Ours,” she answered as she added a pinch of silvery powder. “That was the dust of a moonstone. It signifies that two species are to be intermingled.”

She added a pinch of white powder.

“White agate to signify new life and to nurture your transformation.”

He watched as the angel added a third pinch of powder. This time it was pearlescent.

“Opal dust. Perhaps the most important. It will ensure any subtle changes, physical changes, remain invisible. It will also assist you to be more understanding of yourself. Adds a little self-compassion.”

“Some oak,” she continued, adding what looked like a pinch of sawdust to the goblet. “And some mugwort.”

“Some what?”

With a smile, she said, “It prevents your wings from developing. You will need to drink a tincture of it daily. Just a few drops.”

“And where will I get that from?” he asked a little sharper than he had intended. “I’ve not seen it in Tesco for sale.”

“Sarcasm does not become you, son of Perran,” she chastised. “I will prepare it for you to begin with. I’ll teach you how to make it then it is up to you. If you stop drinking it daily, your wings will bud and develop. Consider yourself warned.”

“Sorry,” he apologised. “This all seems so complicated.”

“It’s preventative and for your own good,” she replied. “And for the safety of your friends and family, especially your children.”

She reached into her cloak’s deep inner pocket and produced an ornate dagger. Unsheathing it, the angel handed it to him.

“I need to add your blood to this first.”

“Mine?”

“Yes. Yours. It will bind these ingredients to you and protect you. Just a few drops are all that is needed. I’ll allow you to choose where you make the cut.”

Swallowing hard, he accepted the knife from her outstretched hand. Holding it in his left hand, he flicked the tip of the blade along the inside of his right wrist. The cut was about an inch long and deep enough to immediately bleed freely. On the angel’s instruction, he held his wrist over the goblet until nineteen drops of blood had been added to the concoction.

“Bind it with this,” she said, passing him a strip of white cloth.

“Once you drink the contents of the goblet, it will heal over almost instantly. There will be a distinctive silver scar left though to remind you of this rebirth.”

Bandaging his wrist tightly, he nodded.

“It’s time,” declared the angel. “Follow me.”

Taking the knife and the goblet with her, the angel led him from her mausoleum home and into the night. She took a narrow path to the left and followed it until she came to a small clearing in the trees. Setting the knife and the goblet on a nearby flat rock, she removed her cloak and spread it on the ground.

“Sit,” she suggested softly.

Above them, through the gap in the tree canopy, they could both see the full Blessing Moon. In the distance, the owl was still hooting.

“Now what?” he asked a little nervously.

“I fill the goblet with my blood and you drain it dry,” she said simply as if it were the most natural thing in the world to do.

Understanding that they had gone far beyond the point of no return, he nodded. Wide eyed, he watched as the angel took the dagger in her left hand and made a deep cut in her own right wrist, allowing the blood to flow into the goblet.

When the pewter cup was full, she murmured a short incantation and the flow of blood stopped instantly.

Passing him the goblet, she said simply, “Drink.”

With a trembling hand, he accepted the cup and put it to his lips.

He was prepared for the liquid to taste warm and metallic and vile. True, it was warm but the taste was mellow, slightly sweet with no hint of the true nature of the contents.

“Every last drop, son of Perran,” instructed the angel.

Feeling the liquid coursing through him, he handed the empty goblet back to her.

“You did well,” she complimented warmly. “Did it taste so bad?”

“No,” he admitted. “It tasted alright. Sweet.”

“Good. It tastes different to each of us.”

“So, now what?”

“You go home. It’s late. You need sleep.”

“Sleep? You expect me to sleep after this?”

The angel nodded. “You’ll sleep soundly. Dreamlessly. When you waken, your transformation will be done. If there are to be any changes, physical changes, you will notice them over the coming days. I’ll see you safely home.”

“That’s it? I go home and go to bed? Act like nothing’s changed?”

“Precisely,” stated the angel. “Come.”

He got to his feet and watched as she lifted her cloak, shook the leaves and moss from it, then fastened it securely. With a smile, she beckoned him to step closer, then, once again, her wings enveloped him.

 

Seconds later, he felt his feet touch down on soft grass. When he looked around, they were standing in his back garden. Reaching into the pocket of her cloak, the angel withdrew two items – a small glass jar and one of the velvet drawstring bags from the shop, a green one.

“Drink five drops of this each morning. It’s the mugwort. Do not forget. Drink it at the same time each and every day,” advised the angel as she handed him the jar. “Carry this with you at all times,” she continued, passing him the small, green, velvet bag. “It contains the three gemstones I used in the drink. The dust was taken from each of them. They must go everywhere with you. Do not lose them. Do not let anyone else handle them. They are for you and you alone.”

Accepting the small bag, he nodded.

“Meet me one week from tonight in the graveyard. We will talk then.”

“If I need to ask anything before then? If I need any help?” he gushed, a wave of panic beginning to rise inside him.

“Relax,” she soothed warmly. “Place a white pebble on the bench we shared in the graveyard. I’ll find you when I see it there.”

“Thanks.”

“You need rest. Sleep,” she said softly. “Good night, son of Perran.”

He watched as she spread her majestic wings then disappeared into the night.

 

Before heading indoors, he removed the bandage from his right wrist, hoping that the angel had been correct and that the cut was healed.  He gazed down at the smooth skin in wonder. The wound was healed, fully healed, and in its place was a silver scar in the shape of a crescent moon.  Stuffing the bloodied piece of cloth deep into the wheelie bin, he reflected back, sure he had made a straight cut with the blade.

  

A few hours later, as the sun rose, the dark angel sat on the roof of the church, her favourite vantage point. The transformation had gone smoother that she had dared to hope it would.  It truly had been blessed by the lunar energies in the air. Running her tongue over her fangs, she smiled. The tip of her broken fang had regenerated.