I cried because I knew that was what I was supposed to do, but not because I felt anything.
When someone you know dies, the grief can affect you in a number of ways. For some, the pain and the loss is so overwhelming that you are unable to think or sleep or eat. The emotions carry them like a rollercoaster from shock through to anger, as they ride the highs and lows of grief. For others, the enormity of the situation can be too much, like the following story, Unlucky Thirteen, written by Melbourne writer Elise Hassett, about when she learnt that her mother died.
Unlucky Thirteen by Elise Hassett
‘Unlucky thirteen’ tells of how and when I learned my mother had died. She had been diagnosed with cancer only eight months prior and her health declined rapidly in those final weeks, catching everyone off guard. Barely a teenager, I found myself unable to deal with the enormity of the situation unravelling before me.
Elise Hassett is a Melbourne-based creative who divides her time between words and pictures. Her work has appeared in the Hunter Writers Centre Grieve anthology, and Visible Ink 27 Petrichor.
You can find her on Twitter, Instagram and her website.
Acknowledgements:
Memoria is written, produced and presented by Nat V.
Unlucky Thirteen is written by Elise Hassett. Performance is by Petra Glieson. Sound editing and sound design by Jen Farrow.
Music in this episode is by Mon Plaisir and Mole, “Into Toast Squares“.
Illustrations by Peta Manning. Her book, See Me Doodle, is out now.
Sound effects used in this episode by:
Nofeedbak
gynation
Sagetyrtle
InspectorJ
Sgcardinal
Amholma
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Accepting submissions until 30 July 2017 (Extended)
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