Antihero
a microfiction
I hope they nabbed the boar’s head.
“Hold him, dammit!” Hawkner bellowed at the two limp squires. Blood soaked their courtly robes, turning them from a once striking royal yellow to something resembling the viscera covering the surgery floor.
To their credit, the squires held their liege lord down as Hawkner ripped open his doublet with no regard for the royal sigil.
The bore tusk threatened the heart but damaged little else. To the untrained eye, it would appear fatal. With quick intervention, Hawkner might staunch the bleeding. Difficult…but possible for the castle’s famed surgeon. Their lord would likely go on living for a few more decades.
“What happened?”
“We was tracking prisoners when we heard the boar squeal. Already packing several scalps, we advised him to ride home, but he would not heed. He rode hard down a trail, then we heard screams…”
Hawkner’s knife paused, thinking.
One heartbeat.
Another.
“Lads, he’s done,” Hawkner said solemnly. The pair stared at the surgeon as if he told them to slit the throats of their firstborns. Indeed, maybe Hawkner had. Below, the patient, consciousness long lost, seized again as more blood poured from where the tusk impaled below his heart. “The wound is too grievous. Only one thing to do–ease the passing.”
The squires nodded silently as Hawkner retrieved a bottle from his locked cabinet.
After, as the squires departed, Hawkner washed his hands until the water ran clear.
Yes…they better mount and worship the boar that finally killed the bastard.
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A/N:
In preparation for the next Writing Battle, I'm trying to do some 250-word microfiction practice. Enjoy!
If you've enjoyed this, please leave a like and an insight below. If you really enjoyed this, tips to fuel my coffee addiction are always appreciated. All formatting is designed for desktops. All my works can be found below:
About the Creator
Matthew J. Fromm
Full-time nerd, history enthusiast, and proprietor of arcane knowledge.
Here there be dragons, knights, castles, and quests (plus the occasional dose of absurdity).
I can be reached at [email protected]
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Comments (18)
Great piece!
Phenomenal writing here—congrats on a great top story!!
Congratulations on Top Story! 🥳 You have a gift! You write with a command of historic potential. I'm beyond awed at how you create scenes that read as though the moments are being documented as they happen, not decades or centuries later, and not from imagination, but from lived life. Simply profoundly written, Matthew.
Brilliant scene!! I love the change of context in the final line! Expertly done!! You put so much detail into this microfiction - bravo!!
You gave us such a intricate look into this gory scene, truly like a film you can imagine
This is so so well written! It’s very hard to catch such intense details and immediately tell the reader what’s going on in such a short story, but I followed it with ease and excitement! So good.
Congrats on your top story.
What a great short story, I enjoyed it a lot! Congrats on Top Story!!
Amazing piece
Great micro. I'm sure he musr have deserved it.
Great micro! A lot of story in a few words!
I wonder how many surgeons have been here.
As always, your writing is superb, Matthew! I have always found microfiction to be very challenging. You have provided a brilliant example here!
This micro is awesome, Matthew. Great twist at the end
How fitting to read as I'm currently cruising through a podcast called "Dr. Death" about surgeons who use their positions of authority to either defraud or even harm their patients.
Nice!!! Would also enjoy this in a longer format. I think I’m going to get my feet wet this time around for the battle. I have it saved on my desktop. Gonna check it out tonight.
There are certain politicians I would not complain if that happened to them , excellent work. Haven't a clue what a writing battle is 😹
Damn I keep missing these bloody battles!