Out Of Her Misery

I felt I had to add to the plaudits you've already received for this piece, because I was pleasantly surprised by this piece. This is fairly hackneyed subject matter in fiction - a fact you cleverly allude to in the story (it's not like in the films) - but nonetheless you've tackled it with poignancy, honesty and sincerity. Your characters read like genuine people rather than vehicles for addressing an important issue. I appreciated some of the imagery you used - 'fingers like spiders' springs to mind. What I liked most of all was that you didn't shy away from the conflicted emotions felt by the carer. I liked the line about the ego of the new carer. I also liked the fact that you acknowledged that he still had to work - life still goes on. The ending was extremely well handled. Overall an interesting interpretation of the competition theme. Good luck with it!