Celestial Spat

By Sudha Balagopal

There’s an uproar in the sky.

“I’m the firmament’s favored son,” arrogant Sun preens.

Upset, Wind—the sensitive brother—holds his breath.

Earth heats up, suffocates.

Wind’s cousins, the Clouds, worry he’ll implode, beg, “Exhale, we’re with you.” Wind weeps with the Clouds, releases a deluge.

Earth drowns.

Sun glows hotter, refuses to be outdone.

Dying Earth gasps, sends up a collective plea: could you please leave us out of your family feud?

They gang up and retort, “Hey, don’t blame us for what’s killing you.”

     
Sudha Balagopal’s short fiction appears in Necessary Fiction, Jellyfish Review, New World Writing, and New Flash Fiction Review among other journals. She is the author of a novel, A New Dawn, and two short story collections.