Plot twist.
short fiction
To my beloved friend,
Congratulations, you found this letter! Thanks for peeking into that little pocket of your bag. I had a feeling you’d stumble upon it eventually.
And if you’re reading this, I might be already gone. Yes, the cancer’s won its battle inside me, and I couldn’t fight any longer. The medics had failed and the doctors even say I only have a month left, so consider this as my farewell.
Please, no tears, no sadness. I’ve made peace with this long before you might. I know it’s hard and it’s okay if you’re feeling down. But always remember that I’m okay and I’m already free from pain, alright? Good. Now, I need you to do some favors for me.
With all of my heart: please, delete all those embarrassing texts and photos from my phone. You know which ones I mean. Especially from George’s eyes. I don’t want my peace disturbed, knowing he might laugh at them.
My phone’s code is 1806. It’s the date when we first met at that econ class. Always in my memory.
Also, could you settle my $20 debt with George? Lost a bet to him weeks back, but I’ve been bedridden since, so I couldn’t settle it. Haha.
The money is in my desk drawer. I’m sure he won’t mind anymore but please make sure he takes it. Say that I’ll haunt him if he won’t.
Oh, and I borrowed a mixer from Aunt Annie next door. Please return it to her — red door, with tulips on the porch. Or maybe just give it to her when she attends the funeral in my house. Please ensure my mom doesn’t handle it herself. She might be really exhausted from handling my funeral.
And in my drawer, you probably already find 2 lockets: heart-shaped and dove-shaped. Give the dove one to my mom. If she cries, comfort her, say “She’s free now, but you’ll always have her.” It might ease her pain. Losing another child is tough on her.
You can have the heart-shaped locket. Okay, this one might be embarrassing, but I want to take this chance to say something:
I love you. Always have, since we first met. I held back to not spoil what we had, but now, facing this, I can’t leave without saying it. I’ve always loved you.
But plans sometimes slip away, huh? Just like this letter. The reality is you passed away in a plane crash today, en route from the other city just to see me at the hospital. So it seems like this letter is now useless.
My tears won’t stop rolling, my hand won’t stop writing, and my mind keeps echoing your name. While I hold the heart-shaped locket in my other hand, still process the fact that you would never receive it. The locket, and the feeling I keep for years.
And now I wonder why I even bother to finish this letter. Should I, though?
“But if the story’s over, why am I still writing pages?”
Yes, the last line is from Taylor Swift’s lyrics of the song“Death by a Thousand Cuts.” Thanks, Taylor, for the inspiration behind this short piece.
Thank you for journeying your time through these words. If you’d like to show support, you can leave a tip below (next to the subscribe button) or you can buy me a coffee here. Wishing you safety and warmth!
