The big, flat screen flickered into life.
As the cup-shaped thing probed into the depths of her body, she watched the whirls of black and grey solidify on the screen. Her eyes traced the outline of a tiny form, resting in its crib, curled up under blankets of muscle and fluid.
Not a girl, God, don't let it be a girl. Please.
'It's a girl,” the doctor said quietly.
She shifted her gaze to her husband, with one last futile plea for mercy. But his pitch-black eyes said it all: the death sentence for her child had just been signed.
As the cup-shaped thing probed into the depths of her body, she watched the whirls of black and grey solidify on the screen. Her eyes traced the outline of a tiny form, resting in its crib, curled up under blankets of muscle and fluid.
Not a girl, God, don't let it be a girl. Please.
'It's a girl,” the doctor said quietly.
She shifted her gaze to her husband, with one last futile plea for mercy. But his pitch-black eyes said it all: the death sentence for her child had just been signed.
The A-Z Challenge introduced me to a lot of lovely people, including Natasha at Coffee Rings Everywhere. I was inspired by her beautiful drabbles - stories told in exactly 100 words - to write this one.
A note to non-Indian readers: prenatal sex determination is illegal in India in order to prevent sex-selective abortion, which has its roots in the strong influence of patriarchy in our social framework.
#AtoZChallenge2013 #CatchingUp
