Edition #130
21.05.24
~
Newsflash⚡ writes fictional stories inspired by what is going on.
This story imagines the stories of two different people involved in the UK blood scandal, in which the NHS bought fatally contaminated blood from private health companies in the United States.
It also strays away from the regular newsflash style of focusing on just one headline, so we'll call it a “feature piece”, to sound fancy.
Estimated read time: 1.9 minutes.
LINK: the story behind this story. (BBC News)⚡
“What is the infected blood scandal and will victims get compensation?”
By Jim Reed @ BBC News - 20.05.24. (A good general overview of the scandal and the people involved.)
-
Lake Tahoe, Nevada, USA.
___
DON WOKE WITH A VIEW OF A WORLD THAT WAS ALREADY WIDE AWAKE. He hated it. The whole way the thing moved; the birds that flickered in the trees, the winds that scattered needles on the shore. Come to think of it, he hated living here. He hated the place he had retired to. He rolled himself upright, on top of the forty-six inches of his waist, and coughed twice into his elbow. The wisps of white hair on his back shook with each convulsion. He did not recognise himself; he hated that, too. His intentions had been fulfilled – the porch by the lakeside, the Baccarat crystal decanter, the Enfield, and the Mossberg, side by side on the wall. And yet, being honest with himself, he was too old to handle the recoil on either. He checked his phone. Seven missed calls.
Good morning!!🥰🥰 Just wondering why it hasn’t gone through 💕💕 love you daddy😘😘
HERMES IFT - Transactions Notification Mail.: Sell 5,135 Vanguard FTSE All-World UCITS ETF USD Acc @ 86.89. Confirmed 17:01.
Still wondering why!! Supposed to be meeting with Iggy later so please reply. Thank you daddy x
[Missed Call: 2]
Don – can you message Jenna for me please? She’s getting herself really on edge. Where even are you?? CALL HER!! Xx
[Missed Call: 1]
[Missed Call: 2]
dad, it’s four. we’re going to the dealership now. please don’t do this again. please send it through or I won’t be able to get in. thank you.
[Missed Call: 1]
And then another call from his doctor. He was trying to begin the day with some kind of youthful spirit, but it was almost seven o’clock in the evening. Shadows of gulls cut like black slits across the orange water; the sun was setting. He did not feel especially like getting up. He reached for his teeth, placed them gently in his mouth, and dealt with the metallic taste until he could shuffle his way to the bath-room. He took a long gulp from his cup at the sink - a cup marked by stains and old sweat. Out of place, among all of this luxury - as though it had slipped through his preparations. It was already evening; Jenna would long be unreachable. Sophie would be furious with him, too. Clearly, the sale had gone through late. He would have to set the transfer orders up again. So, that was how he was going to spend this evening! At the computer. He stared out of the window; a leaf was being cut through by the sunlight, almost bleeding. It should have been wonderful, but instead, it twisted at the man. A leaf that is caught in the sun is so temporary. He had no sympathy for it - no sympathy for anything that shone, for anything so beautiful, in a world of fading light. Just beyond the parlor doors, the porch stretched out towards an alpine ocean; the air was heavy with the promise of rains and summer and purity. But he began to drag himself upstairs, towards the study at the rear. Passing the decanter in the hallway, he picked it up – there was a glass he had left in the room from the previous night. The world was awake, and he would have to catch up.
-
Maltby, South Yorkshire, United Kingdom.
___
DELL WOKE UP, ON THAT MONDAY, A LITTLE LATER than she might otherwise have done. There was no hurry to get up, or to confront today, especially, considering it had been seventeen years. On days like these, she liked to stay in her bed; this time, she could allow herself to drift back - to the outline of his shape next to hers, to the days they had spent in retirement. To the time before any of... this. To the outline of a world half forgotten. What was the reason, for getting up? Lying still in this way, half-awake, she could almost pretend he was still here. Sometimes, he was. By the time their conversations ended, she could welcome herself back into the world with the thought that he was only out of the room, just along the corridor, preparing a tray of tea, on that old, warped olive board of his. She propped herself upright. Her bedframe creaked beneath the pillows. It was old wood, now. Through her window, a couple of dog-walkers were strolling absent-mindedly along the pavement, and a cyclist with no handlebars on his bicycle shot through the junction without slowing his speed. She had slept with the curtains open again. Ah, well. She was convinced that, even at seventy-eight, she was ferocious anyway. Especially on mornings like this, when the British skies became a forgettable white, and the birds sung with excited agitation, there were few things important enough to bother her. She stood upright, and with a swift movement of her forearm, positioned both of the curtains, tied them back. Flecks of rain marked the edges of her window. She turned to walk through to her kitchen, on this occasion leaving the bed unmade. Seventeen years. She put the kettle on. Still there, on top of the microwave: that battered, old, olive-wood tray. It was quiet. She reached out, and in the grey light, ran her fingers over its surface. Hard, twisted, split. A softness that had seen its day. A smile came to her lips, which suggested some kind of feeling, but appeared to be more of a testament – an acknowledgement of two lives tangled up in each other, forming each other, as temporary and all-encompassing as clouds. She fetched herself a mug from the cupboard, poured herself her tea, waited for it to brew. Steam rose against her window, against which fresh drops of rain were beginning to appear. The peonies were finally in blossom. In the gusts of wind, pink and white petals were pressed into the pane, folding back against the glass. Slowly, she finished making her tea, took a sip, and smiled - no, no, he was not here. But not a bad reason, she thought, for getting up.
-
Newsflash’s first 500 subscribers get paid access, for free.⚡
Current subscriber count: 205.
Just make sure to select “free” out of the membership options. Once you’re on the list, your membership will be comped within twenty-four hours.
how to help:
- like for the algorithm
- re-stack this post:)
both are great, thanks!! :)
Also, hit me up in the comments, whether you're a news person or just into stories.
disclaimer:
This is fiction. The views expressed in this publication do not reflect the views of the author. The stories themselves are based on imagined events. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is fictitious and should not be taken as representative.
Read the full disclaimer.
Excellent writing ✍️.
THALIDOMIDE---BLOOD SCANDAL---COVID SCAM all heavily marked with the SATANIC PHARMA STAMP. No doubt with tentacles from Satan Gates/WEF/WHO etc all linked!