Bio:  Joshua Paech once began writing a novel about a bank employee who pretends to be a pirate. It was so bad that since then he has only written short stories. He lives in Brisbane, Australia with his gorgeous wife, where he wastes far too much time surfing the web instead of writing. He thinks his stories are quite good, and so is surprised that no-one seems to want to publish them and give him a lot of money.

One Man's Struggle

by Joshua Paech

I am confused. My mind is muddled, a murky stupor. I shiver. How long have I been lying here like this?

Groping around in the dark, my hand falls upon something. It is warm to my touch, and I recognise its shape and texture. I grasp it and pull, but there is no give. It is trapped.

A deep breath. I cannot give up. My hands are weak, my fingers feel like thin, dry twigs. I slowly tense my arm, feel the blood begin to flow, and flex my hand.

I take a stronger grip, and pull. My stomach muscles tense.

This time there is something. A slight shift, a few inches of movement. I feel my mind begin to clear, and tug again.

A low grunt from beside me and suddenly it comes free! I sigh with relief and pull it over me.

Every damn night, I think, readjusting the blanket around me. We need separate beds.

©Joshua Paech