The Operation

A late night knock at a door starts a ‘Kafkaesque’ tale of confusion and frustration in this latest 4,000 word short story from British writer Colin Marks.

This story came to me when I was at the bedside of my girlfriend who had just had a hip replacement only hours earlier. She explained she hadn’t been nervous before the operation as the doctor had come 'out of the blue' and told her they were ready for her. It was hours before she was expecting the operation to take place so she hadn’t had time for the anxiety to build! I’m sure the story is influenced by Dino Buzzati Traverso’s 'Seven Floors' or Franz Kafka’s 'The Trial', both of which I’d read a decade before, and are highly recommended. If you enjoyed this story, please try my others. And for those who are interested, the new hips are doing great!