Summary

The text describes a person's harrowing experience upon waking up to the taste of blood, signaling a dire situation amidst darkness and pain, leading to a realization of being in a life-threatening accident.

Abstract

Upon regaining consciousness, the protagonist is immediately confronted with the overwhelming taste of blood, indicating a serious injury. The sensation is so potent that it consumes their senses, preventing them from moving initially. As they come to grips with the gap in their teeth and the pain that follows, they realize that the taste of blood is a harbinger of a larger, more urgent crisis. The darkness around them is palpable, and their only companion is the taste of fear. The narrative progresses with the protagonist experiencing excruciating pain, blindness, and the smell of smoke, which intensifies their panic. Amidst the chaos, they are moved by rescuers, and the protagonist hears a voice similar to their own, slurring and lisping due to the loss of teeth. The story concludes with the realization that the taste of blood is all-encompassing, and the protagonist is lying on shattered tiles, hinting at the aftermath of an accident. This piece is a response to a writing prompt focused on the sense of taste and is the first part of a mini novella in flash.

Opinions

The author effectively uses the sense of taste as a narrative tool to convey the protagonist's physical and emotional state.
The repeated emphasis on the taste of blood serves to underscore the gravity of the protagonist's situation and the severity of their injuries.
The text conveys a sense of disorientation and confusion, reflecting the protagonist's struggle to comprehend the unfolding events.
The protagonist's inability to move or see heightens the sense of urgency and vulnerability in the story.
The mention of a voice similar to the protagonist's suggests a personal connection to the accident, possibly implying the presence of a close companion or an internal dialogue.
The narrative prompt to which this story responds is acknowledged, indicating the author's engagement with a broader writing community and challenge.
The story is designed to be serial, with the promise of future installments that will unravel the mystery of the protagonist's predicament.

There Was Only Blood

When I woke up, all I could taste was the blood in my mouth.

All I tasted was blood.

My mouth was thick and slow with the coppery taste of it.

The unsettling, skin-crawling flavour made me want to spit and gag. But I couldn’t move, my body didn’t respond.

My questing tongue prodded a gap in my teeth, I couldn’t leave it alone, shocked by the wrongness of it.

A piece of my drowsy mind strobed like a red LED.

on-off on-off

Warning me that the wrongness in my mouth was part of a larger far more urgent situation. In the formless darkness, only the flavour of my fear was known to me.

I couldn’t escape it. It clawed at my heart and strangled my throat.

The new space my tongue fit through leached more blood and saliva into the mix. One tentative thrust triggered a cascade of pain.

I felt every battered part of my body cry out at once.

Awake.

My eyes flickered at flames.

All I tasted was blood.

I shifted my weight, lightning flashes of pain threaded around my body, fat electric eels of pain. I felt myself roll, I spat, my mouth cleared.

Why can’t I see?

My fear surged with the smoke. I choked on it. The acrid burnt smell of hair and cheap polyester snagged by a flame on a careless arm. Lingering and thick, close like cheap cologne.

What was I wearing today?

The screaming tore me from my reverie, strong arms pulled me across uneven ground. Sharp shouts in my body fought this movement.

“No don’t..” murmured a voice like mine, not mine, but close.

A slurring and lisping mockery.

Lost my teeth.

“Stay calm — I’ll get help.”

Those words don’t work — I can’t stay calm. All I taste is blood while lying on shattered tiles.

All I saw was blood.

This story is a response to this Microcosm writing prompt on the sense of taste.

It’s part of a longer story, a Mini Novella in Flash. Each week I’ll add another piece until the final story reveals what has happened when the end is in sight.

Part 1 | ▶️ Next Part 2