She Tumbled Down... a short story

New Year’s Eve. It's late, well past the midnight hour. A woman looking for respite from noise, champagne, and tensions with her boyfriend steps out to clear her head. She calls out that she’ll be back shortly and heads down the quiet neighborhood street... to never comes back.

A man who's had too much to drink, driving too fast a car, roars by on that same darkened road and, in a flash of motion and impact, is stunned to see the face of a startled woman smash into his windshield. When the car stops he shakes in silence, waiting for... something. But when no one approaches, no cars go by and no inquiring lights flicker on, fear and panic take over and he makes the unfathomable decision to drive away... and never look back.

“She Tumbled Down,” a short story by longtime Huffington Post contributor and acclaimed author of novels After The Sucker Punch and Hysterical Love, Lorraine Devon Wilke, follows the ripple effects of this tragic hit-and-run, attempting to answer that unanswerable question, “Who could do such a thing?" From that first fateful moment through the months and years that follow, the narrative weaves through the lives of seemingly disparate characters, threading the initial event into another story, a love story, that ultimately links to the tragedy in unexpected ways.

Cover photograph and design by Lorraine Devon Wilke
www.lorrainedevonwilke.com

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"This short story of just 7300 words is more than a little sinister as Lorraine Devon Wilke weaves two storylines together to a conclusion which leaves real moral connotations in its wake. A moment's lapse in judgment can be life changing when self preservation kicks in and fear of the consequences matter above all else. Alongside a soul mate love story, this is a tragedy indeed. Although this short story gave me a chill, it is something many people can relate to - making that split decision which changes your future forever and from which you may never recover. Haunting and vital." A Woman's Wisdom Book Blog

"This is powerful stuff. I'm not normally a fan of short stories and rarely read them but I picked this up because I have previously enjoyed Ms Wilke's writing style. It makes for uncomfortable reading, partly because of the subject matter, partly because of the way it is treated. And yet, uncomfortable or not, I found myself completely drawn in and unable to leave it alone. The writing is precise yet eloquent and the story cleverly plotted giving you barely a chance to blink. Thought-provoking and emotive. Highly recommended." – Kathy Shuker, author

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