Like a sweet tooth craving candy I have such a longing I can hardly stand it.
⎯𝐻𝑒𝒶𝓇𝓉'𝓈 𝒟𝑒𝓈𝒾𝓇𝑒
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The books The Fault in Our Stars, Wave, If I Stay, A Monster Calls, Being Mortal, The Long Way Home, and The Inferno—each painted a poignant picture of dying. Some even dared to touch on the afterlife. But no matter how much you read, no one is ever truly prepared for death.
In every story, dying was described as a lingering sensation, a moment that stretched like an eternity. Authors spoke of final thoughts revolving around love—those you cherished, those you might have loved, and those you loved too much but had to let go. They wrote about unspoken apologies and the bittersweet memories of people who could infuriate you yet bring joy to your life in equal measure.
Aubrielle had devoured those books. She had taken their words to heart, wondering if they could somehow prepare her for her own ending. But now, as she lay beneath the endless expanse of a starry sky, she realized they had only told half the truth.
Yes, her mind turned to those she loved. Yes, she thought about the boy whose smile made her heart race, the one she'd never been brave enough to confess her feelings to. She thought of all the times she had held back, hiding her heart's desire behind layers of doubt and fear.
But the stories were wrong about one thing.
Maybe it was the authors' penchant for drama, for milking a death scene of every ounce of angst and heartbreak. Maybe it was the need to make death feel more profound by drawing it out. But for Aubrielle, her death was not slow. It was not poetic. It was swift, sharp, and searing.
There was no time for gasping breaths or streaming tears. Her body betrayed her, numbing and fading even as she fought to cling to the moment. She lacked the strength to cry, to scream, or even to panic. Instead, all her energy was spent on a single, desperate focus: the stars above her.
