The miscellaneous writtings of Dylan R. Nuckolls

Growing up for me wasn’t easy.

My mom died of cancer when I was two, and my dad was an abusive drunk.

All I had for comfort was my SNES. I saved up a lot of money to get it since my dad wouldn’t buy it for me.

One night my dad came home drunk, he was angry at me for no reason. He smashed my SNES and beat me with the cords.

My dad died a year later, I went to live with my aunt and uncle. They always encouraged me to get out and make friends, but i never really fit in at school.

One day in class I noticed a girl staring at me out of the corner of my eye. Her name was Jackie, and she was beautiful.

Girls never really talked to me and I never thought of myself as the greatest looking guy in school. Surely she was out of my league, but one day, she came up to me while I was sitting alone and started talking to me.

We really hit it off, and talked all lunch period. She gave me her number and I blew up inside with joy.

I built up the courage to ask her out on a date after a couple weeks of talking to her. We saw a movie and I took her to dinner. That night I asked her to be my girlfriend, when she said yes it was the greatest day of my life.

Before I met her…i was contemplating suicide, as I was in a deep depression over my life. Being with her… made it all worthwhile again. I was making more friends and was generally happier. She made a spin on my entire life.

After a year of loving her, I finally told her about my life before her, and that beating my dad gave me. It was painful to remember, I cried on her shoulder alongside her.

On my birthday I called her at least twenty times with no answer. I found out the next day that she was in a car accident on her way to see me. I was devastated. My world came crashing down. The only person to ever reach out to me was dead.

A week later her mom came to my front door holding a package. She said she had found it in the back of Jackie’s closet, and that it belonged to me.

I first read the card attached. “To Mike, the strongest and most caring man i ever loved - Love J”. When i opened the box, i burst into tears.

The only person I felt really cared about me knew exactly what to get me for my birthday; A Super Nintendo. She changed my life, she picked me up when I was at my lowest point. The reason i still have faith in humanity is because of her. I will never forget her.

I love you Jackie.

~Dylan Nuckolls

He is an ill, elderly man on his deathbed. He awaits Death’s rap on the door; his wife’s hand in his. Silence fills the room,  he looks back on his life, the good, the bad, and the unexplainable deeds that have sculpted this great man. His thoughts interrupted, a swift knock on the door chills his blood. Death now stands beside the bed, “Sir; make peace with your God, it’s time to go”. He kisses his wife one last time, a chill running down his spine; the hands of the two lovers tighten, so tight even the mightiest of men could not break them. He rises from his bed; takes his wife in his arms; eyes flooded, they give one last kiss, “It’s time, dear, I will watch over you, always”. Death’s cold hand on the man’s shoulder tells him it’s time to go. He manages to pry himself from his now weeping wife, not wanting to walk away from his only love, alone and sorrowful. Death tightens his grip on him, and the man knows he must go now. He follows Death out of the room, looking back only to see his wife whispering his name “Oh Harold…” as she weeps; eyes fastened to the floor. Once outside the room, Death leads him to a black door that should not be in the hallway. Death opens the door wide, revealing only black, he gestures for him to enter. The man is hesitant as he approaches. One foot enters the door, upon setting his other foot into the room, the floor is no more, he falls, falls faster and faster into the dark abyss. His life begins to strobe before his very eyes: His mother, His mothers grave, His children, His children’s children, His dog when he was but a child, His childhood friends, His first breakup, The first time he thought he was in love, The first time he was in love, His home, and finally, His lover, His companion, His best friend, His wife, still as beautiful and the day they met. “I love you”, she said as the images faded. It seemed to echo in his mind. Death watched as the man disappeared into the darkness. He closes the mysterious door and walks down the hallway towards the front door, upon passing the man’s bedroom he hears the man’s still weeping wife, crying harder that ever before. He makes his way to the front door and exits, leaving the widow to her grief.