Short stories

Jakes walk

Note: not about a dog lol, that's Buddy a side character.

Jakes walk

My eyes are slowly closing, I can't wait! I love falling asleep, it allows me to go into a world that I can control, a world with no pain, only love. I feel my boyfriend's arms wrap around me before I drift off, he always has to be the big spoon. His warmth is so comforting though, he feels like a fire in the snow, I can just melt next to him in contentless.

Finally, I enter blackness. I wonder what ill make happen tonight. Maybe I could ride a dragon or simply win a prize. The feeling of falling suddenly hits me and I feel my heart drop with it. I'm finally dreaming.

I can see a dog... my dog? Buddy! My childhood pet, wow he looks so well. I've missed him. Running towards me Buddy dropped a crimson, rubber ball at my foot as he looks up at me with pleading puppy eyes. I smile as I begin to play fetch with him. As he ran back and forth I stared at his legs, they are fully healed, like he was never hit by that bus, it's still he's still alive. Buddy was my first experience with death as he died when I was six, I left the gate open one night and he ran into the road. I cried every time I saw the gate until eventually my dad had to remove it and my mum noticed how my eyes geared up the sound I saw it. Buddy was always a good boy. I wish I locked that gate. My thoughts got distracted when Buddy started rubbing his head on my leg, the smile on his face was a painful reminder of how animals can feel so much so he must have felt everything when that bus hit him. Oh, my sweet baby.

Suddenly he started running, confusion lacing my mind I ran after him, the environment around me was white it slowly formed buildings of pencil drawings that were the design of my street, the art style was the same as mine, it reminds me of my years in art school. What a great time of my life. I use to spend the whole day drawing with music in my ears. I truly felt at peace when drawing, it was a great distraction from my parent's divorce when I was eighteen.

Buddy stopped running finally and I finished my run to catch up to him, I looked down at him to see him looking forward into the distance so I do too. I see my parents crying and then my mum walks up and hugging me. I hear her whisper loving words in my ear.. ah.. this is when I came out to them. I was twenty at the time and felt extremely nervous cause most of my gay friends had already come out in their teens. People realise at different times though and I'm glad I waited to tell until I was ready.

A light tapping hit my shoulder, turning around I come face to face with my beautiful boyfriend, Micheal. I'm so glad I dream of the people I love. Most dreams consist of adventures you can't have in life like flying but I would much rather see the love of my life 24/7 than dream of movie-like plot lines. For a moment I got too lost in his eyes to see the book in his hand. When I finally clocked it, the environment of sketched buildings shifted to a painting of a bookshop. The one we met in. I remember it so well, our hands reached for the same book which sparked a conversation about the author. He asked me for my number and then we met up for a reading picnic date, our first date. I hope this dream continues on to show the future as I plan to propose to him at a stargazing picnic date we have arranged for next week. I know he will say yes but dreaming of his yes will make asking so much easier.

'Jake!'

Micheals's voice called out to me so I moved my attention from the book in his hands to his face. The voice continued calling my name but there was no movement of Micheals's mouth. It seems to be coming from nowhere. Turning to see if anything other than books is near me I get a flash of pure brightness along with a beeping sound. The sound hurts my ears and my hands shake as I'm Micheal disappears with the flash. The flashes continue with the beeps and it hurts so badly I can't stand. Falling to the gruff tears fall from my eyes.

I want to wake up now...

Please...

Feeling a shooting pain through my body I begin panicking and start running. I'm running home. I'm coming home. I'm coming Micheal. Im running through darkness, with no environment around me, the only source of light is the white flashes that exploded my eyes like when a camera flash is too close to your face. My eyes burn. Yet I can't feel anything else but that.

Suddenly the flashes stop and so does my running. I'm standing in emptiness as I'm desperately begging for Micheal to wake me up any moment now. A sharp pitch noise begins out of nowhere, it's long and doesn't break in a beat. I then see lightness in the dark. There's a bright light just ahead of me, I can finally wake up. As I'm walking towards it, I almost feel as though I'm ageing, that's crazy though I'm only 26, I'm too young to age like this. As I reach the light the reality hits me.

Buddy.

My old street.

My time in art school.

My parents.

Micheal.

My life just flashed before my eyes...

Wait!

Michael's POV

'Time of death 19:58' The nurse has called it.

The sobs leave immediately as I fall to the ground. My Jake. How could you leave so soon? Taking a minute to rest my body on the ground, I take the object from my pocket into my trembling hands. I carry my dead weight to Jake's hospital bed that I laid next to him in every night for the past 6 months and slide a ring to his finger. I'm sorry I didn't get to ask you. I wanted to wait until our date next week. I was tuna carry him to the hospital roof so we could see the sugars together. I thought the view would give him something new to draw. Oh, Jake... I'm so sorry. Please come back. Please. I'll do anything. Just come back for one minute sat last so I can hear you say yes. I just want to hear you say yes.

I need to know if you would have said yes.