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She Tumbled Down
New Year’s Eve night. It's late, well past the midnight hour. A woman looking for respite from noise, champagne, and tensions with her boyfriend steps out to clear her head. She calls out that she’ll be back shortly and heads down the quiet neighborhood street... and never comes back.
A man with too much to drink and too fast a car roars by on that same darkened street and, in a flash of motion and impact, is stunned to see the face of a startled woman smashing into his windshield. When the car stops, he shakes in silence, waiting for... something.
But no one approaches, no cars go by; no inquiring lights go on. The noise of distant parties continues uninterrupted, as if this surreal event hadn’t just happened. He peers out the shattered glass but sees no stirring in the darkness; he cannot even see her in the gully below. And in a moment of irrational fear and panic, he makes the unfathomable decision to drive away and never look back.
“She Tumbled Down,” a short story by longtime Huffington Post contributor and author (After The Sucker Punch) Lorraine Devon Wilke, follows the ripple effects of this tragic hit-and-run, attempting to answer that unanswerable question, “who could do such a thing?" From that first fateful moment through months and years that follow, the narrative weaves through the lives of seemingly disparate characters, threading that initial event into another story, a love story, that ultimately links to the tragedy in unexpected ways.
A man with too much to drink and too fast a car roars by on that same darkened street and, in a flash of motion and impact, is stunned to see the face of a startled woman smashing into his windshield. When the car stops, he shakes in silence, waiting for... something.
But no one approaches, no cars go by; no inquiring lights go on. The noise of distant parties continues uninterrupted, as if this surreal event hadn’t just happened. He peers out the shattered glass but sees no stirring in the darkness; he cannot even see her in the gully below. And in a moment of irrational fear and panic, he makes the unfathomable decision to drive away and never look back.
“She Tumbled Down,” a short story by longtime Huffington Post contributor and author (After The Sucker Punch) Lorraine Devon Wilke, follows the ripple effects of this tragic hit-and-run, attempting to answer that unanswerable question, “who could do such a thing?" From that first fateful moment through months and years that follow, the narrative weaves through the lives of seemingly disparate characters, threading that initial event into another story, a love story, that ultimately links to the tragedy in unexpected ways.
37 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 3, 2014
About the author
Lorraine Devon Wilke
8 books80 followersAN ACCOMPLISHED WRITER in several genres of the medium, Lorraine Devon Wilke, a Chicago native and one of eleven children, has built a library of expertly crafted work with a signature style that exudes intelligence and humor. Whether screenplay or stage play, article or editorial; short story or novel, her work captures the edge and emotion of real life, incorporating original plots, jump-off-the-page dialogue, and though-provoking themes.
In 2010 she launched her “arts & politics” blog, Rock+Paper+Music, from 2011 to 2018 was a popular contributor at HuffPost and other news and media sites; she publishes a column at Medium, and in 2024, launched her popular SUBSTACK, Musing of a Creative Loudmouth. Known for her “sass and sensibility,” her work has been reprinted and excerpted in academic tomes, non-fiction books, and literary journals; a catalogue of select articles can be found at Contently.com,
Both her award-wining novels, AFTER THE SUCKER PUNCH and HYSTERICAL LOVE are available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Her third novel, THE ALCHEMY OF NOISE (She Writes Press 2019) has garnered editorial accolades and several literary awards.
The inspiration for her fourth novel, CHICK SINGER (Sibylline Press, April 2025), evolved from a lifetime of singing, songwriting, and full-body immersion in world of rock & roll, which began in her teens and carries into current days. Its dive into the wild, creative culture of music — the art, the industry; the impact of its complex machinations on the characters involved — is one she knows well, allowing her to bring the narrative to vibrant, authentic life.
Her fifth novel, THE WEIGHT OF FABLES, is set for a Fall 2027 release by Sybilline Press.
She continues performing as a singer-songwriter, taking photographs, traveling, staying politically active, and enjoying family and friends.
Having left Illinois with a rock band heading west, Devon Wilke lives where she landed: in Los Angeles, with her husband, attorney/writer/producer, Pete Wilke; her son and other extended family nearby.
linktr.ee/lorrainedevonwilke
In 2010 she launched her “arts & politics” blog, Rock+Paper+Music, from 2011 to 2018 was a popular contributor at HuffPost and other news and media sites; she publishes a column at Medium, and in 2024, launched her popular SUBSTACK, Musing of a Creative Loudmouth. Known for her “sass and sensibility,” her work has been reprinted and excerpted in academic tomes, non-fiction books, and literary journals; a catalogue of select articles can be found at Contently.com,
Both her award-wining novels, AFTER THE SUCKER PUNCH and HYSTERICAL LOVE are available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Her third novel, THE ALCHEMY OF NOISE (She Writes Press 2019) has garnered editorial accolades and several literary awards.
The inspiration for her fourth novel, CHICK SINGER (Sibylline Press, April 2025), evolved from a lifetime of singing, songwriting, and full-body immersion in world of rock & roll, which began in her teens and carries into current days. Its dive into the wild, creative culture of music — the art, the industry; the impact of its complex machinations on the characters involved — is one she knows well, allowing her to bring the narrative to vibrant, authentic life.
Her fifth novel, THE WEIGHT OF FABLES, is set for a Fall 2027 release by Sybilline Press.
She continues performing as a singer-songwriter, taking photographs, traveling, staying politically active, and enjoying family and friends.
Having left Illinois with a rock band heading west, Devon Wilke lives where she landed: in Los Angeles, with her husband, attorney/writer/producer, Pete Wilke; her son and other extended family nearby.
linktr.ee/lorrainedevonwilke
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 30, 2025
When you love an author’s work, you want to read everything they have written. At least I do. This is how I feel about Lorraine Devon Wilke’s writing. One easy way to ensure you haven’t missed anything is to check out their Amazon Author page. I did that for Wilke and was delighted to find this short story: She Tumbled Down.
She Tumbled Down might be a short story, but it doesn’t read like one. The plotting works perfectly and, of course, the beautiful writing is tight, descriptive and keeps you on the edge of your seat from the first sentence.
I don’t want to give any spoilers, but this story is about an all too familiar type of accident that often goes unsolved. With heartbroken families, grief stricken and struggling to find a way forward without closure. However, She Tumbled Down, is not about those families it’s about those on the other side of such a crime, and it imagines how someone can do such a thing and the impact it then has on their life after as they try to live with themselves.
She Tumbled Down might be a short story, but it doesn’t read like one. The plotting works perfectly and, of course, the beautiful writing is tight, descriptive and keeps you on the edge of your seat from the first sentence.
I don’t want to give any spoilers, but this story is about an all too familiar type of accident that often goes unsolved. With heartbroken families, grief stricken and struggling to find a way forward without closure. However, She Tumbled Down, is not about those families it’s about those on the other side of such a crime, and it imagines how someone can do such a thing and the impact it then has on their life after as they try to live with themselves.
April 30, 2022
A 21-year-old woman leaves a New Year’s Eve party after a spat with her boyfriend.
At about the same time and very inebriated man leaves another party to head home. The two of them meet on a dark street, she while walking in a crosswalk, he while driving a speeding luxury autombile.
After the impact, he leaves the scene to make the necessary arrangements to keep his life intact while she lies dying on the roadside. He never even gets out of the vehicle.
In She Tumbled Down, author Lorraine Devon Wilke asks, “What kind of person could do such a thing...hit someone then just drive away?” and then she goes on to answer it.
Told from the point of view of the perpetrator, Wilke enters into his world of rationalization and justification. As the story unfolds and three years pass, the reader is brought to the brink of empathy, just as the woman who has fallen in love with him is when he confesses to her. He’s repentant, he helps others, he tries to be the best person he can be, admitting his crime now would do more harm than good.
What should she do? What would you do?
This is a masterfully told tale, flawlessly written with authentic characters and brimming with drama reality. A remarkable achievement in the difficult genre of the short story.
At about the same time and very inebriated man leaves another party to head home. The two of them meet on a dark street, she while walking in a crosswalk, he while driving a speeding luxury autombile.
After the impact, he leaves the scene to make the necessary arrangements to keep his life intact while she lies dying on the roadside. He never even gets out of the vehicle.
In She Tumbled Down, author Lorraine Devon Wilke asks, “What kind of person could do such a thing...hit someone then just drive away?” and then she goes on to answer it.
Told from the point of view of the perpetrator, Wilke enters into his world of rationalization and justification. As the story unfolds and three years pass, the reader is brought to the brink of empathy, just as the woman who has fallen in love with him is when he confesses to her. He’s repentant, he helps others, he tries to be the best person he can be, admitting his crime now would do more harm than good.
What should she do? What would you do?
This is a masterfully told tale, flawlessly written with authentic characters and brimming with drama reality. A remarkable achievement in the difficult genre of the short story.
August 7, 2014
She Tumbled Down: a short story by Lorraine Devon Wilke pulls the reader in from the very first paragraph. The author has a fine gift of telling a story in a way that plays out in living color. There is an authentic life-force in her voice. Real heartfelt emotion that comes across as true as day.
There is lightness and there is dark. The story travels around to both sides. As a reader I wanted, hoping to know everything would turn out okay but guessing it would not. I was left to guess as I read at a feverish pace.
There are two stories paralleling each other. One was a happy story and one was not. Would they intersect? I was hoping not.
This story is written in such a way that you can't help but want more. I ate it up at a devil's pace. The suspense never subsided, nor was my ability to figure out how it would all conclude. This is a great read that packs a punch. Highly recommend.
Quote ~
"The most immediate next chapter led to her home and the cocoon of her long-neglected bed, where everything changed amidst tenderness and hard passion. It was one of those nights when the ephemera of life shifts. The walls open, the ceiling rises, the air sweetens; even the hope for a better world is suddenly imaginable. Love and sex may not possess such powers in reality, but on this night, in this bed, with this man, they were a force for good..."
There is lightness and there is dark. The story travels around to both sides. As a reader I wanted, hoping to know everything would turn out okay but guessing it would not. I was left to guess as I read at a feverish pace.
There are two stories paralleling each other. One was a happy story and one was not. Would they intersect? I was hoping not.
This story is written in such a way that you can't help but want more. I ate it up at a devil's pace. The suspense never subsided, nor was my ability to figure out how it would all conclude. This is a great read that packs a punch. Highly recommend.
Quote ~
"The most immediate next chapter led to her home and the cocoon of her long-neglected bed, where everything changed amidst tenderness and hard passion. It was one of those nights when the ephemera of life shifts. The walls open, the ceiling rises, the air sweetens; even the hope for a better world is suddenly imaginable. Love and sex may not possess such powers in reality, but on this night, in this bed, with this man, they were a force for good..."
September 14, 2014
This is a very well written story of a tragedy and how it affected so many lives forever. Lorraine Devon Wilke is an excellent writer. I finished the book in an hour or so, fully captivated-mentally and emotionally. I was really pulling for the characters. It was quite easy to understand the complexities involved.
January 3, 2016
A very fast read. It was an interesting treatment of a difficult subject. Like? Yes and no. But I'm not sorry I read it at all.
November 29, 2014
This is powerful stuff. I'm not normally a fan of short stories and rarely read them but I picked this up because I have previously enjoyed Ms Wilke's writing style. It makes for uncomfortable reading, partly because of the subject matter, partly because of the way it is treated. And yet, uncomfortable or not, I found myself completely drawn in and unable to leave it alone. The writing is precise yet eloquent and the story cleverly plotted giving you barely a chance to blink.
Thought-provoking and emotive. Highly recommended.
Thought-provoking and emotive. Highly recommended.
April 9, 2015
This short story of just 7300 words is more than a little sinister as Lorraine Devon Wilke weaves two storylines together to a conclusion which leaves real moral connotations in its wake. A moments lapse in judgement can be life changing when self preservation kicks in and fear of the consequences matter above all else. Alongside a soul mate love story, this is a tragedy indeed.
Although this short story gave me a chill it is something many people can relate to - making that split decision which changes your future forever and from which you may never recover. Haunting and vital.
Although this short story gave me a chill it is something many people can relate to - making that split decision which changes your future forever and from which you may never recover. Haunting and vital.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews