Linger
Word Count: 100
The Waiting Place

"As far as we can discern, the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light in the darkness of mere being."
-Carl Jung

…

There's a boy in the hospital ward who's taken to visiting her.

She thinks he's probably crazy. He talks about pirates and make-believe. He's covered in bruises, and he has a row of stitches under one eye that pulls tightly when he grins.

She doesn't talk to him, but he keeps coming back.

After a while, some other boys follow him. One of them fawns over her, but for the most part, the others are silent.

Still, unintentionally, she grows accustomed to the warmth of their presence.

One day he comes in and she tells him her name.

He smiles.