Weary souls felt a hopeful thrill at the first knock. Night was endless, no one and nothing familiar. No worth, only sin and error.
So many hours waiting for a new morning. Where had he been? They had been waiting so long.
But he pointed to the floor and said only,
Fall on your knees.
Angel voices were everywhere, talking nonsense, crafting fear.
He pulled up the blinds, everything outside the window was still dark.
One angel’s voice was steady.
Be not afraid.
They trembled. But the angel said,
That was not Him.
They waited on the earth for dawn.
###
This is an exactly 100-word flash fiction piece for a tradition of writing ghost stories on Christmas Eve. We acknowledge a sinful and hopeless world, and welcome the dawn in full awareness that Christmas day brings us light.
Advent Ghosts 100 Word Storytelling is put on by Loren Eaton at I Saw Lightning Fall. Read the 2022 stories there all day.
Esse Diem 
Oh … oh, no. Who was it, then?
I liked how this one turned out because that question can just haunt; but this story is inspired by my parents’s suffering with falls, dementia, and countless physical ailments at the end of their lives. As brutal as it was and as each hope of things improving was dashed, they never really gave up. They were people of deep faith, and I believe they’ve seen dawn. And Him.
Well done. I really liked this. And your comment above adds even more depth.
Thank you so much! I appreciate you reading and taking the time to comment.
I do like the ambiguity in this one. It feels as in sync with today as with a time long ago.
Thank you, when I write these I try to get in that writer’s mode of shared human emotional terrain. I’m so pleased it worked in that “these are not time-bound fears and feelings” space.
Well done. I’m reminded of a friend’s observation, that in the time of the prophets there were likely baby false prophets. Love that steadfast angel amid the noise.
“baby false prophets” — Now there’s a line! Thank you for reading and for your comment. This time of year is always so complicated for me. This flash fiction tradition helps.