Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: PRIDE (inflated opinion of one’s self) (02/19/15)
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TITLE: A Mother's Deadly Sin | Previous Challenge Entry
By lynn gipson
02/24/15 -
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Dabney and Colin had been going steady for a year now, and three months ago he had finally talked her into an intimate relationship. Now, Dabney was pregnant. She couldn’t let anyone know, as her mother would be ashamed of her, and her father was a much admired minister. She had told Colin, and he was furious with her, telling her if she didn’t have any more sense than to allow herself to get pregnant, he didn’t want anything to do with her.
“How could you be so stupid?” Colin yelled.
“I’m sorry, Colin. I just didn’t think this would happen. I told you to use protection, but you refused.”
“We’re over, Dabney. Don’t you dare tell anyone about this. Get rid of it!”
Dabney was at a loss, she was this year’s homecoming queen and valedictorian of her senior class, and she wondered how this all could be. Things like this just didn’t happen to girls like her, did it,?
Dabney left the stadium and went driving around. She tried to think of someone she could talk to, but she couldn’t tell her mother or father. They would be heartbroken to know that their perfect daughter had sinned against God. Her girlfriends would be of no use, as she knew they were all secretly jealous of her. After all, she was the girl most likely to succeed, wasn’t she? What would they think, now?
As time went on, and Dabney’s pregnancy was beginning to show, she wore loose fitting clothing to hide her shame. She went about her daily routine, but inside she was dying a little each day. No one knew her secret. Her mother was convinced Dabney had an eating disorder, and her father was too busy with his ministry to notice his daughter’s lethargy.
One night, Dabney went into premature labor and miscarried her baby in her own bathroom. She began bleeding profusely and called out to her mother, who came running immediately. Her mother saw at once what had happened and was mortified.
Katherine Chandler was a proud woman and could not believe what was happening. “Dabney! How could you let this happen? We mustn’t tell anyone about this, as your father would be ridiculed beyond words.”
Katherine took the body of the perfectly formed baby girl, wrapped her in a blanket, and later buried her in the backyard. She was determined that no one know about Dabney’s pregnancy.
Dabney needed medical care, but her mother refused to take her to the hospital, as she feared word would get out about her sinful daughter. As Dabney’s bleeding stopped, her mother simply told her to go to bed and pray for forgiveness.
Dabney became pale and wan. One of her teachers noticed that she appeared sick and called her mother. “Dabney is not herself. She has lost a lot of weight and is very introverted. Not like her usual self, at all.”
Katherine felt embarrassed, but sounded unconcerned. “Oh, she’s just getting over the flu. She’ll be okay, soon.”
As days passed, Dabney developed an infection and became deathly ill. She thought God was punishing her for her sins and tried to accept her fate. However, after dragging herself to school one day, she passed out and was rushed to the hospital. The doctor there examined her and called her mother.
“Your daughter is in intensive care, with a major infection in her uterus. Did you know she has lost a baby? Some of the tissue is still in there, and she must have surgery at once! ”
Katherine began to cry and admitted she knew her daughter had lost her baby. She also confessed the truth to a friend from church. When she told her husband, he was furious with her for not telling him about the entire situation and yelled, “We could have taken her to a doctor in another town!”
Sadly, it was too late. Dabney hemorrhaged to death during the surgery. The news spread like wildfire, and soon the whole town knew Katherine’s deadly secret. When word got out that Dabney had been pregnant and was not treated for following complications, her parents were ridiculed, not for Dabney’s so called sin, but rather their own.
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This was a profound commentary on what could happen, and has happened so many times, especially in the past, within a community. The proud family who have an image to uphold, and usually have skeletons in their own closets.
A very sad, yet human element story that will gain serious attention.
I thought it was a gutsy move and a powerful story you told my friend!
Powerfully delivered! WOW!
The ending was magnificent and gave me chills!!!!
EXCELLENT message!
God BLess~
It is well written and strongly deserves consideration for a top 5 spot.
God Bless!