What He Left Behind
Content/trigger warnings:
This story contains topics surrounding death, terminal illness, medical trauma, mental health, homophobia, racism, etc.
Summary/Blurb:
This wasn't Cody Lim's first funeral.
Cody Lim never imagined having to bury his younger twenty-three-year-old brother, Clarence. He thought he was through with burying family members, but the universe had dealt him a shitty hand. This time, guilt plagued him more than he thought, knowing he had willingly walked away from his brother six years ago-a relationship he could no longer rekindle even if he wanted to.
When Ezra Davey had learned of his roommate Clarence's heart condition, he had begged him to reach out to his estranged brother before time ran out. Ezra had been lucky to have six great years with him, but he didn't expect he'd have to make the harrowing call that Clarence's heart had given out before either brother could reach out.
Death had been the guillotine of a relationship Cody could never rekindle, but it's what Clarence left behind that makes the journey of moving on a little easier.
This short story (novelette) is a participant in the Gen 3 contest.
What is the Gen 3 Contest?
The Gen 3 Contest is part of the Literary Lounge Discord server, which is designed for writers and readers to collaborate and socialize. The contest asks writers at any level to complete a novelette between 7.5k and 20k words using the following three keywords: Pink, Promise, and Pathetic.