All Nonfiction
- Bullying
- Books
- Academic
- Author Interviews
- Celebrity interviews
- College Articles
- College Essays
- Educator of the Year
- Heroes
- Interviews
- Memoir
- Personal Experience
- Sports
- Travel & Culture
All Opinions
- Bullying
- Current Events / Politics
- Discrimination
- Drugs / Alcohol / Smoking
- Entertainment / Celebrities
- Environment
- Love / Relationships
- Movies / Music / TV
- Pop Culture / Trends
- School / College
- Social Issues / Civics
- Spirituality / Religion
- Sports / Hobbies
All Hot Topics
- Bullying
- Community Service
- Environment
- Health
- Letters to the Editor
- Pride & Prejudice
- What Matters
- Back
Summer Guide
- Program Links
- Program Reviews
- Back
College Guide
- College Links
- College Reviews
- College Essays
- College Articles
- Back
Live Like You're Dying
“Holy s***!!” He could barely hear himself over the noise the plane was making.
“Man, you sure you want to do this?” Will was up for it, but he wasn’t sure about Jim.
“H*** f******* yeah I am!” Jim had always been the stick in the mud. He never did anything like this. “I’m finally free…” He didn’t bother to think about anything but now. He didn’t even realize that Will shouldn’t be there.
“Alright, then on the count of three we jump. One, two…”
“Three!” Jim started shouting the second he was in the air. His smile spread from ear to ear, and seeing this, Will knew it wasn’t time to tell him.
“Cannonball!!” Will leapt into the air, curled tight into a ball, and soon came beside Jim.
“Dude, this is insane! I can’t believe I’ve never done this before!”
___________________________________________________
Beep. Beep. Beep. The heart rate monitor was once again at a normal pace, but Jim wasn’t awake.
“Is he gonna be alright?” Jim’s whole family was stuffed together in that small hospital room, but only his father was strong enough to speak.
The doctor sighed, “We aren’t sure. We’re doing what we can.”
“What happened exactly?”
“Seems like a heart attack. His heart rate’s once again healthy, so he should wake up soon. We can’t ever know for sure, though.”
___________________________________________________
“Will! I see the ground! How do I open my chute!?”
“You don’t have one Jim! Look, there’s something I’ve gotta tell you!” They were both yelling; the sound of air rushing past suddenly became less fun.
“Wait, what!? What do you mean I don’t have one!?” Jim began panicking, and started pulling on his backpack.
“Look, Jim, you’re dreaming. You’re going to wake up once you hit the ground. This is the last time you’ll see me until you permanently join me.”
“What do you mean ‘permanently join’ you? Where are you?”
“Jim… don’t you remember?” Will spread his wings, and soared off into the distance.
Will has wings? Since when? Jim was confused.
“Something’s up…” He was so busy thinking, he didn’t realize the ground looming before him until the last moment. Oh s***.
___________________________________________________
“Daddy? Hey, come here! I think Daddy’s waking up!” His daughter was gently prodding him, trying to get him to open his eyes more.
“Wha..? What’s going on?” It would take him a moment to remember.
“It’s okay Jimmy, you’re alright now. Just lie back down. Someone’s getting the doctor.” His mother looked concerned.
“Mom…? What happened?” Just then his dad entered the room with the doctor.
“You had a heart attack, boy. You’re lucky to be alive.” His father showed no signs of concern, but Jim could tell he was relieved.
“A heart attack…? But… I was with Will, guys. We went skydiving, and –”
“Shh, just lie back down gently. You had a rough day.”
“Where’s Will?” Everyone was looking away. “Guys, where is Will?”
“Dead.” They all turned to see Jim’s older brother walk into the room. “He’s dead, Jimmy. He died almost a year ago.”
A couple months later, Jim had another heart attack. This time he didn’t wake up. Some say if you look at the sky, and you’re lucky, you can see two men up there, always falling, yet never reaching below the clouds. If you do, say hi to Jim for me.
Similar Articles
JOIN THE DISCUSSION
This article has 2 comments.
9 articles 11 photos 19 comments
Favorite Quote:
The lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. -Ashrei