PHOTO PROMPT© Jan Wayne Fields
What had started as a tiny whisper, barely heard among the unrelenting hustle and bustle of his thoughts and aspirations had slowly grown—so slowly that he hadn’t even noticed, save for the occasional headache. As it’d grown, so had the whisper, eventually turning into a thunderous, agonizing roar. Michael could feel the awful thing camped out inside his head, at the base of his skull. Terminal, his doctor had called it.
He fled to the forest when the thing inside started stealing control of his motor functions. There in his tent, he left the world on his own terms.
—
Monsters come in all shapes and sizes. Some even sneak up on you and make your body their cozy, little den. I wrote a story last week too, but never got around to posting it. Not the first time. Probably won’t be the last either.
Written for Friday Fictioneers.
Click here to read stories from the other Fictioneers.
Adam Ickes 
August 23rd, 2017 at 4:33 PM
Made me think of an episode of Star Trek, The Next Generation…
August 24th, 2017 at 1:33 PM
I was never a fan myself. Just never could get into it for some reason.
August 24th, 2017 at 1:40 PM
Diff’rent strokes and all that 😊
We can’t all be the fans of everything!
August 24th, 2017 at 1:44 PM
Absolutely. I’ve tried to watch it several times. It just never lit that fire in me like other things have.
August 24th, 2017 at 1:47 PM
I had a boyfriend who adored it, so I got sucked in. Next thing you know, I’M loving it! 😁
August 23rd, 2017 at 6:38 PM
I hope that the story you did not post will come in for another prompt, for I enjoyed how you crafted this story.
August 24th, 2017 at 1:35 PM
Odds are it’ll end up in the next (and probably final) volume of 100 Tiny Tales of Terror. Either that or it’ll be deemed not good enough to make the cut.
August 24th, 2017 at 2:43 AM
Well written and deserves an award. Powerful story.
August 24th, 2017 at 1:35 PM
Thanks, Mike. I appreciate the kind words. Glad you enjoyed it.
August 24th, 2017 at 3:59 AM
Very graphic. Well done.
August 24th, 2017 at 1:36 PM
Thank you, Sandra.
August 24th, 2017 at 4:42 AM
You almost sink in sadness but the powerful words keep you afloat .
August 24th, 2017 at 1:39 PM
Even in darkness there is light.
August 24th, 2017 at 5:31 AM
Terrifying, to feel that growing inside your head, slowly eating away at your brain. Very powerful, great ending.
August 24th, 2017 at 1:42 PM
Thanks. I imagine it would be an awful way to go, though I don’t have first hand experience so maybe I’m wrong. Maybe it’s all sunshine and rainbows.
August 24th, 2017 at 8:35 AM
Such a sadly poignant story. It is hard to imagine what that must be like, but you portrayed it so very well. Among many Native American tribes it is customary when one feels one is going to die to ‘take the long walk’ out into the desert/forest and to meet your Creator for the last time. Sometimes, family/friends come with so the person does not die alone.
August 24th, 2017 at 1:46 PM
Very interesting. Thanks for the lesson.
August 24th, 2017 at 9:08 PM
Very scary. I’m glad he still had the sense to remove himself from other people.
August 25th, 2017 at 6:05 AM
Dear Adam,
A lot of story layered between the lines. Sad, poignant and powerful.
Shalom,
Rochelle
August 25th, 2017 at 11:44 AM
I keep finding myself wondering about those thoughts and aspirations at the beginning and how much they must have been altered for him by the end.
August 25th, 2017 at 1:49 PM
Oh, wonderful, to have the monster cancer camp inside his head, turning the camping upside down. And a good end despite the sadness. Great writing..
August 25th, 2017 at 5:17 PM
Certainly not the kind of camping I’d enjoy. Glad you enjoyed my little tale of one man’s misery.
August 25th, 2017 at 2:37 PM
So lonely an end. I suppose he met death on his own terms but it still seems sadly tragic.
August 25th, 2017 at 5:18 PM
Indeed it does, but such is life sometimes.
August 27th, 2017 at 7:51 PM
Sad story brilliantly written.