Word of the Day Writing Prompt: Scintilla

Because this blog is so dead, I'm going to dump all my personal challenges here knowing that nobody would check it out although I really should be doing this on my official website but I really don't think I have the time to keep this up daily on top of my crazy schedule.

Here goes nothing!

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It wasn't anything serious, just something that happened occasionally. However, one day, everything collapsed. 

Lying in the hospital, David questioned how he ended up losing feeling in both his legs. Just yesterday, he was taking part in a marathon competition that he trained for. Today, he woke up without any sensation from waist down. The details were vague as the doctors hooked him up on some very strong painkillers. Both his limbs were still there so David took solace in that.

"I see that you're awake," the nurse with a clipboard entered the room in a timely manner. "How are you feeling?"

The runner couldn't say he was in the mood for talking a lot as the nurse checked on his legs and ran some small reflex tests.

"Will I be able to run again?" David asked. For the longest time, he feared that this day would come. long before, he was warned that running too much would put him in a wheelchair. With his muscles shrinking by the day thanks to a rare genetic disease, David told his doctor he would continue to run until his legs couldn't take another step.

The nurse hummed. "The reflex is still there. You'd be fine but don't push it. The medical records aren't the best and this isn't the first time it happened. You should reconsider the running competitions if you still want to walk a little longer."

The first thing that David felt wasn't despair. It was a scintilla of hope that he might still be able to stand up again after some rest. Too bad, he wasn't able to complete the marathon.