The Birth of the End
My entry into the "Beginning-Endings" Unofficial Writing Challenge by Gabriel Huizenga.
Lili woke to a dull ache low in her back. It was 3:oo a.m. exactly so the room was still dark and her eyes heavy. She waited, unsure, then felt it again but stronger this time, tight around her stomach.
She sat up, heart pounding. This is it.
She could not get back to sleep and by the time the sun came out, the pain had grown into regular contractions. Lili moved slowly through the house, pausing to breathe deeply through each wave before decided it is time to leave.
At the hospital, she was 4 centimeters dilated. The nurse’s were kind and tended to her every whim, but Lili barely noticed. The contractions where coming harder now and she could already feel them taking its toll on her body. She gripped the bedrails, her breath shallow, sweat dampening her forehead. The nurse's words of encouragement falling on deaf ears.
Hours passed.
She moaned through each contraction, low and strained as the pressure inside her started to become unbearable.
“You’re doing amazing,” someone said, but she couldn’t bring herself to answer.
When the nurse announced she was at 10 centimeters, relief and dread collided at the same time.
The urge to push came like a reflex. Her muscles bore down and pain flooded through her with every breath. She screamed and she made it loud. There was no more caring about her image, there was only one focus and she would let everything out to achieve it.
Each push tore through her and the room disappeared.
Then within a split second, the pressure shifted. The nurse called out, "The head is crowning!" Lili felt the burning sensation and then the release.
Her body sunk into the bed as every muscle seemed to relax all at once.
The baby was placed onto her chest, slick and warm and impossibly real. Her body trembled but soon relaxed as she stared into his eyes.
She didn't notice the fact that he hadn't cried. She didn't notice the stillness of the doctor or the nurses lying on the floor with blood coming out of their ears. It was just her and her baby boy. And he stared back at her, with his bright red eyes and a smile on his face.
--- The End
Word Count: 377
I hope you enjoyed this submission to the fantastic "Beginning-Endings" Unofficial Writing Challenge by Gabriel Huizenga. The link is below to the original challenge so please check it out and enter.
@copyright Daniel Millington 2025
About the Creator
Daniel Millington
A professional oxymoron apprentice whose mind is polluted with either bubbly grimdark romances or level headed chaos. Connect on:
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https://substack.com/@danielmillington1
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Comments (10)
Story of all women who have go through pregnancy and motherhood.
Nice History
Ogh. I envisioned a happy ending of joy and babyhood. Guess i need to read the challenge. Good read. best of luck.
love the contrast with regular childbirth then it reaches a dark unexpected conclusion, what a great read!
very beautiful
You describe labor and birth shockingly well. It was such a great journey until the dark ending. So creepy. It made me think of the times as a new mother when I'd look at my sweet baby while reading history books about Hitler and wonder when his mother knew he was a monster, if she ever realized at all.
Back to say congratulations on your Top Story! 🎉💖🎊🎉💖🎊
This story really takes you through the intensity of childbirth. The description of Lili's experience, from the initial ache to the full-on contractions, is pretty vivid. It makes you feel like you're right there with her. I remember when my wife was in labor with our first daughter. The waiting was tough, just like it was for Lili. And those contractions, they really do take a toll on your body. It's amazing how focused you become on that one goal of getting the baby out. I wonder how Lili will react when she finally realizes what's going on around her. Will she be shocked? And what about the baby not crying right away? That's bound to add a whole new layer of worry. It makes you think about all the things that can go wrong during childbirth, even when it seems like it's all going according to plan up until that point.
That ending was eerie and unexpected. Definitely gave me goosebumps.
Oooo, are they all dead? That baby is creepy hahahahahahaha. Loved your story!