ProjectRED
08-16-2012, 09:58 PM
Hi Guys, this is the first short story that I've ever written. I'm not a pro, I have no training whatsoever, so hopefully it's ok. I've gotten good feedback on it thus far. Let me know what you think. I want to turn into a short film, feature film, or book, not sure.
Short Story: Just Press Play
Jake and Mira were a fun couple, Jake with his curly brown hair and tie dyed shirts, always seemed to be the life of the party. He was a handsome fellow, but of course his friends would remind him of how "ugly" he was, friends tease each other like that from time to time. When he first laid eyes on Mira he was absolutely terrified, he asked himself, "What would a girl like that see in me?" Mira was smart, and straight laced, but she was funny, and she loved a guy who could make her laugh. They met at a pick up basketball game, he approached her, she laughed at him, he walked away. She chased him down minutes later and told him that she wasn't laughing at him, she was laughing with him, she thought it was funny. Most guys were obnoxious, and over bearing, she thought it was hilarious how he was shaking as he spoke. It touched her.
From the first date, he knew she was the one. He was doing things that he'd never done. He'd text her and wouldn't put his phone down until she replied. They'd talk on the phone for hours about nothing, but to him, they were talking about everything, a future together, marriage, children. He didn't have enough money to get the ring he wanted, but he had enough money to get the ring he needed. Reluctantly, he asked her parents for her hand in marriage. Her mom objected greatly, she just couldn't see what her daughter saw in "this guy". Her dad got a good laugh out of the situation and quickly approved, he loved the kid. The proposal was anything but normal, Mira was getting a promotion at work and Jake couldn't seem to find the appropriate time to pull off the proposal with her busy work schedule. He surprised her at work during the office celebration for her promotion. He was dressed in a ridiculous outfit and proposed to her in a horrible rap song that he had written. The lyrics ended with "Life without you I cannot see, So tell me my girl will you marry me", again, it was horrible. After managing to control her laughter, Mira accepted.
Jake makes a bet with Mira that he can dunk a basketball, they're at the same basketball court where he spoke those trembling words to her when they first met. Jake is notoriously short winded so she expects him to fall flat on his face. He backs up two or three steps, does this ridiculously idiotic dance and he goes for it. He dunked it!, she laughed, clapped, laughed again. He made another bet with her, but this time he wants something in return. He says if he makes it, she'll have to wear this special nurse's outfit during their "happy go fun time" as he so eloquently describes it. He takes a few steps back, winds up, and runs as fast as he can. He misses completely. Mira laughs at first, thinking it's a joke, but Jake's not moving. She runs to him. He's not breathing, there's no pulse.
He wakes up in the hospital to the sound of his own heartbeat, the machine pulsating with the organs every move. His family has already gotten the bad news. Jake has a hole in his heart, he's only got a week to live. Mira is devastated, she cries frequently. Jake requests that everybody leave the room. He doesn't want them to see him like this, he wants them to remember him the way he was. He asks his dad for a few things though, a handheld tape recorder, a box of tapes, a box of labels, and a box of envelopes. He grows weaker by the day, he fights as hard as he can, with every moment, with every ounce of being. He has to be revived a few times during his last days, he doesn't want to leave. He's always told Mira that she was his soulmate, that one of them without the other would be lost. He held on as long as he could, the world would have to be without Jake.
The hospital room was empty when Mira walked in, the bed sheets had been changed and the room was sparkling. She knew he was gone but it just didn't seem real. The nurse informed her that Jake had left a big box for her. She sat on the hospital bed where Jake once lay and she removed the lid from the box. The box was filled with labeled envelopes. She sifted through the box with tears in her eyes, each envelope contained a tape that Jake had recorded for her. The envelopes had titles like, "When I'm Gone", "When You're Feeling Lonely", "When You Don't Feel Like Going On", "If You Have A Baby", "When You Meet A New Guy", "When He Tries To Get You To Throw These Tapes Away". She put the tape titled "When I'm Gone" in the tape player, and Jake began to speak. It's almost like he was sitting on the bed with her. He reminded her that she was beautiful, and he told her not to cry because she makes that ugly face when she does. He talked for a while, she hung on every word.
She listened to the tapes over the years, she made sure that she didn't listen to them all at once. It seemed like he knew about the the things that would happen in her life when he was gone. Milestones came and went, so did boyfriends. A few relationships got serious and the boyfriends begged her to throw away the tapes, she just couldn't. Even though she loved the guy she was with, she missed the guy that she had. He was her soulmate, Jake was made for her, they were made for each other. Friends recommended that she let him go, years had passed and it was time to move on. She reminded them of who he was, and how he made them feel. They would reminisce about some of the pranks Jake used to pull on people, he was really good at that. Conversations about Jake that would start with laughter would often end in tears. She hadn't been feeling well as of late, she didn't know what was wrong.
Life is cruel and repetitive, never did she think she would end up in a situation similar to Jake's. Ironically, she now lay in the very same hospital bed that he did. She had a rare terminal illness and she couldn't be saved. The doctors gave her a month to live. She never even discussed what it was, she said it didn't matter at this point, there was nothing they could do. She wasn't the same Mira that we once knew. Smiles were now frowns, laughter was replaced with silence, there was no joy. As she lay in her room alone, gazing out of the window, she realized that there was one more envelope in the box. She always carried the handheld tape player with her everywhere she went, and the box was never far away. It contained an envelope that she thought she would never have to open. The envelope was titled "If Your Life Is About To End". She reached into the box and opened the envelope to retrieve the tape, but there was no tape. There was just a piece of paper with the words "Just Press Play" written on it. She was confused. She pressed play with no tape in the player and Jake walked into the room. He grabbed her by the hand and in that moment her soul lifted out of her body. Nurses rushed into the room to revive her as she and Jake walked past them, soulmates, hand in hand, headed to a better place.
Written by Cedrick Watkins
Short Story: Just Press Play
Jake and Mira were a fun couple, Jake with his curly brown hair and tie dyed shirts, always seemed to be the life of the party. He was a handsome fellow, but of course his friends would remind him of how "ugly" he was, friends tease each other like that from time to time. When he first laid eyes on Mira he was absolutely terrified, he asked himself, "What would a girl like that see in me?" Mira was smart, and straight laced, but she was funny, and she loved a guy who could make her laugh. They met at a pick up basketball game, he approached her, she laughed at him, he walked away. She chased him down minutes later and told him that she wasn't laughing at him, she was laughing with him, she thought it was funny. Most guys were obnoxious, and over bearing, she thought it was hilarious how he was shaking as he spoke. It touched her.
From the first date, he knew she was the one. He was doing things that he'd never done. He'd text her and wouldn't put his phone down until she replied. They'd talk on the phone for hours about nothing, but to him, they were talking about everything, a future together, marriage, children. He didn't have enough money to get the ring he wanted, but he had enough money to get the ring he needed. Reluctantly, he asked her parents for her hand in marriage. Her mom objected greatly, she just couldn't see what her daughter saw in "this guy". Her dad got a good laugh out of the situation and quickly approved, he loved the kid. The proposal was anything but normal, Mira was getting a promotion at work and Jake couldn't seem to find the appropriate time to pull off the proposal with her busy work schedule. He surprised her at work during the office celebration for her promotion. He was dressed in a ridiculous outfit and proposed to her in a horrible rap song that he had written. The lyrics ended with "Life without you I cannot see, So tell me my girl will you marry me", again, it was horrible. After managing to control her laughter, Mira accepted.
Jake makes a bet with Mira that he can dunk a basketball, they're at the same basketball court where he spoke those trembling words to her when they first met. Jake is notoriously short winded so she expects him to fall flat on his face. He backs up two or three steps, does this ridiculously idiotic dance and he goes for it. He dunked it!, she laughed, clapped, laughed again. He made another bet with her, but this time he wants something in return. He says if he makes it, she'll have to wear this special nurse's outfit during their "happy go fun time" as he so eloquently describes it. He takes a few steps back, winds up, and runs as fast as he can. He misses completely. Mira laughs at first, thinking it's a joke, but Jake's not moving. She runs to him. He's not breathing, there's no pulse.
He wakes up in the hospital to the sound of his own heartbeat, the machine pulsating with the organs every move. His family has already gotten the bad news. Jake has a hole in his heart, he's only got a week to live. Mira is devastated, she cries frequently. Jake requests that everybody leave the room. He doesn't want them to see him like this, he wants them to remember him the way he was. He asks his dad for a few things though, a handheld tape recorder, a box of tapes, a box of labels, and a box of envelopes. He grows weaker by the day, he fights as hard as he can, with every moment, with every ounce of being. He has to be revived a few times during his last days, he doesn't want to leave. He's always told Mira that she was his soulmate, that one of them without the other would be lost. He held on as long as he could, the world would have to be without Jake.
The hospital room was empty when Mira walked in, the bed sheets had been changed and the room was sparkling. She knew he was gone but it just didn't seem real. The nurse informed her that Jake had left a big box for her. She sat on the hospital bed where Jake once lay and she removed the lid from the box. The box was filled with labeled envelopes. She sifted through the box with tears in her eyes, each envelope contained a tape that Jake had recorded for her. The envelopes had titles like, "When I'm Gone", "When You're Feeling Lonely", "When You Don't Feel Like Going On", "If You Have A Baby", "When You Meet A New Guy", "When He Tries To Get You To Throw These Tapes Away". She put the tape titled "When I'm Gone" in the tape player, and Jake began to speak. It's almost like he was sitting on the bed with her. He reminded her that she was beautiful, and he told her not to cry because she makes that ugly face when she does. He talked for a while, she hung on every word.
She listened to the tapes over the years, she made sure that she didn't listen to them all at once. It seemed like he knew about the the things that would happen in her life when he was gone. Milestones came and went, so did boyfriends. A few relationships got serious and the boyfriends begged her to throw away the tapes, she just couldn't. Even though she loved the guy she was with, she missed the guy that she had. He was her soulmate, Jake was made for her, they were made for each other. Friends recommended that she let him go, years had passed and it was time to move on. She reminded them of who he was, and how he made them feel. They would reminisce about some of the pranks Jake used to pull on people, he was really good at that. Conversations about Jake that would start with laughter would often end in tears. She hadn't been feeling well as of late, she didn't know what was wrong.
Life is cruel and repetitive, never did she think she would end up in a situation similar to Jake's. Ironically, she now lay in the very same hospital bed that he did. She had a rare terminal illness and she couldn't be saved. The doctors gave her a month to live. She never even discussed what it was, she said it didn't matter at this point, there was nothing they could do. She wasn't the same Mira that we once knew. Smiles were now frowns, laughter was replaced with silence, there was no joy. As she lay in her room alone, gazing out of the window, she realized that there was one more envelope in the box. She always carried the handheld tape player with her everywhere she went, and the box was never far away. It contained an envelope that she thought she would never have to open. The envelope was titled "If Your Life Is About To End". She reached into the box and opened the envelope to retrieve the tape, but there was no tape. There was just a piece of paper with the words "Just Press Play" written on it. She was confused. She pressed play with no tape in the player and Jake walked into the room. He grabbed her by the hand and in that moment her soul lifted out of her body. Nurses rushed into the room to revive her as she and Jake walked past them, soulmates, hand in hand, headed to a better place.
Written by Cedrick Watkins