The last shot - Story

The last shot


She got up early in the morning to be on top of the mountain before dawn. Antonietta rode her bike and made sure to take her state-of-the-art cell phone and a bottle of water. The faint light of the sun's rays that had just come out produced a sublime picture with warm colors. She started taking pictures of the Guasimilla Valley and the ones she liked best were sent to her contacts.


The green landscape of the mountain and the sea in the background were the best colors for someone who had accepted to die, "she thought". She made a selfie and sent it to Piero. She turned off her cell phone and remained ecstatic, enjoying the magnificent landscape.

She got on her bike and rode down the mountain to her little house. She felt weak. Not because of the long bike ride but because her health was very poor. She entered her house and with determination went to the kitchen to heat water in the kettle. She made herself a cup of chamomile tea and added half a teaspoon of sugar. She returned to the porch of the house where she had left her bicycle and sat down in a rocking chair.

She drank her tea slowly while looking at the mountain she had climbed. With her last sip, she took a pill and fell asleep with the aromas of the morning air, as she always wanted it to be.

5 weeks earlier

Antonietta was disenchanted. She was feeling that the therapies were not helping her to get better. She no longer rode her bike to the park as she used to. She was also not meeting friends and had distanced herself from her family.


She lived in a downtown apartment. She always loved the bustle of people in the stores during the day and the soothing silence after 4 p.m.

She liked to be diluted in the city. To be part of everything but in anonymity. Her job was to take urban photographs for a local newspaper. The images she captured were given to two journalists for their articles.

She was a totally free artist to do her framing and compositions, except when requested to do a particular job.

At the beginning of the therapies, she continued to work for the newspaper but gradually became weaker. So she applied for a permit to stop working for a while.

Life became routine - from the apartment to the hospital, from the hospital to the apartment. She was in denial about her body. Her refrigerator was a home pharmacy and she barely had any fresh groceries as she had always liked.

One day she smashed her dishes as if to take out all her frustration with every plate she threw on the floor. The neighbors were frightened by the loud noise coming from that apartment and called the fire department.

When they opened the door, with the key she had left with the janitor, the firemen found her sitting on the couch, looking at a landscape photograph between her hands.

The floor was covered with broken glass everywhere. All the neighbors helped clean up the mess and Antonietta apologized for the episode.

She was feeling lonely and was alone. She had moved away from her friends and family, and Piero was not yet back from his research work

After that emotional breakdown, she decided to move to the mountain. She sold her three photographic cameras and all the valuables she had except for her bicycle. She gave up the apartment and bought a train ticket to Guasimilla.

3 months earlier

Antonietta won the award for the best photographer of the year. The newspaper where she worked organized a reception for this great event. The happiness was almost total for her. All she needed was for Piero to take the step to propose to her.


Piero had been the love of her life but he was a shy man. On the day of the reception, he was out of town. He was doing a special report, at Microbiology Institute, about new advances in stem cell microtechnology for the regeneration of damaged tissue.

Antonietta and Piero spoke several times on the phone that night. Their excitement was undeniable.

Piero would be out of town for several weeks, in different cities, because he was writing his doctoral thesis and wanted to do several interviews.

During that time Antonietta was dedicated to making many urban photographs with a great artistic sense. She was at the peak of her creativity and was preparing an exhibition for an Art Gallery.

The bike rides to the park were inspiring. The fresh air in the middle of the city was motivated to combine colors through the lens of her camera.

On a Thursday morning, she left the newspaper after handing in his usual photographs. She headed to the hospital to get the results of his last medical checkup. On the way back, without opening the yellow envelope, she stopped at a café. She ate a salad with toast and a piece of lemon pie.

Then, on a park bench, she called Piero to check on him. They talked in detail about his progress in the interviews. The date of his return was still vague but only two interviews were left.

The situation of being separated had made Antonietta think about what she wanted to say for a long time. Finally, before hanging up she said -"I love you, you are my great love!"

Piero, moved, hearing Antonietta's tone of sincerity, answered -"I love you more!"

Antonietta was at the peak of her life. She opened the envelope of the medical report and began to read quickly. However, she was paralyzed when she read "malignant cells"/ "vague" life span/ chemotherapy suggested.

Source: Photo by Jona Friedri on Unsplash

With this text I make my return to writing fiction stories. I hope that when reading it you will have the feeling of surprise, denial and acceptance (not in that order) of this story against cancer. I also included love. Not a love story. Rather, the time lost by couples due to lack of communication.

Thanks for reading.
Welcome your comments
Infinite greetings!

Story @marcybetancourt
© Oct 2020, Marcy Betancourt. All rights reserved

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6 comments
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Beautifully written! I feel for your character, Antonietta. If only circumstances were different...

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The interesant thing is that it is a fictional story! If we think about it... it could be the beginning of a movie! hahaha
Thanks for your kind comment @iamraincrystal

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A great story. I liked the way you presented it. Well done, Marcy!

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Thanks @zeleiracordero for your comment. I've been "stuck" with several stories. I dusted off this story and managed to finish it with the change of narrative structure. Great greetings!

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