Progressive U Creative Writing

The smell of the fallen leaves and the Cedar trees wafted in through the open window. Although Fall had made itself known, the air was still slightly warm. The man of the house sat at his desk, ignorant of the nice weather and the smell of the outside, though. His hands shook as he read the sheet of paper in front of him. The letter had come all the way from China, the writing that of his brother’s. The contents of the letter made his blood run cold.

He’d received the letter yesterday afternoon and he hadn’t brought himself to steal away from his office since then and take in the new day. The eggs his wife had left him sat untouched and forgotten.

She was starting to worry about him as no sound resonated from the other side of his office door. Since opening the envelope from his brother he’d stayed locked up in the small office. She only went in once and that was earlier to give him his breakfast. He hadn’t said a thing, only stared at the paper in his hand. She’d wanted to ask him what it said, but something told her that he wasn’t ready to talk about it.

Looking at the clock she saw that it was three in the afternoon, which meant he had been in there for twenty-four hours. At three the day before he’d received the letter and had thenceforth holed himself up in the office. She couldn’t stand him being alone anymore without saying anything; it worried her. Taking a deep breath, she stood up from where she was seated at the table and went over to his office and slowly opened the door. When she looked inside she saw him sitting at the desk, his back to her as he looked out the window.

“Miles, why don’t you come out of here, get some fresh air.” She said as she walked in. He didn’t respond, just continued to look out the window with his back to her.

“Miles, come on honey.” She said as she stepped right up to the desk. She noticed the eggs, that she’d brought in earlier were untouched as was the glass of juice. He wasn’t going to eat them and she knew they were trash.

She put her hand on his shoulder and said his name. The chair moved around, but it wasn’t by his doing, but by her hand moving. Looking at him, she saw that his breathing was coming out in gasps.

“Miles, what’s wrong?” she said, her voiced panicked as she stepped around to his side of the desk. Her foot bumped something and when she looked down, what she saw took her own breath away. On the floor lay an empty bottle of Bourbon and a empty prescription bottle of what she knew to be Vicoden.

“What did you do?” she asked into the air as her shaking hand grabbed hold of the phone on the desk and after several attempts, dialed 911.

Not long after the call the medics came, but by then they were too late. The drugs and alcohol had taken Miles’ life and there was no getting him back.

About a week later she stood with friends and family surrounding her as she looked at the casket, with flowers on it, sitting, waiting to be lowered into ground. She didn’t understand why he’d taken his life and why the letter had made him hole up in his office. After the medics took him she couldn’t bring herself to read the letter, not sure she wanted to know its contents. She did read it though, that night after coming home alone to the house. Friends and family had both offered to let her stay with them, but she couldn’t. She walked into the office, images of that day flashing before her eyes, but she pushed through. The letter was on top of the desk, just sitting there. She picked up and started reading.

Miles,

If you’re reading this that means Kat and I didn’t make it. We knew coming here was risky, but you know us, risky only means come. But hey, don’t cry for us, and ignore that being a quote from the movie “Evita”. Anyways, I want you to know that I loved you. I may have tried everything in the book to drive you crazy when we were kids, but I love you, you’re my brother, how could I not. Tell, Lisa, we love her too, she’s like my sister and I see why you married her. I want you to have everything, do what you want with it; I only ask that you donate the money to helping the children over here, as well as in Africa as well as any other down trodden country. I know you will. See ya on the other side.

Jake

Lisa’s eyes were watering as she finished reading. Her brother-in-law was gone as well his wife and so was her husband. She really was alone. Taking the gun she knew was inside her husband’s desk she took the safety off. Her finger moved to the trigger and within seconds her lifeless body was lying in the middle of the office.

She was no longer alone in spirit, but was no with the man she loved. She would live with him for all eternity, all because the death of one set off the death of many.