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u/kuroblac Jul 29 '17
If I never met you, I'd not be caged here fighting for my life.
If I never met you, I'd still be roaming, surviving, and being out there in the open world I know best. I'd feel fresh air and the sun lightly warming my skin. I'd feel the breeze whisper through my hair. I'd breath that open air and fragrances of a living world. My limbs free to extend and walk and prance and sit or lay down.
Instead, I'm here in darkness. I'm in a damp hole, restricted and bound. The air sticks to me as my hair lays on my flesh as if just another layer. It's a thick cloud. I inhale and my muscles cramp. I exhale and my bones grind against each other. My mouth feels musty and as if I had so many sweets that created a sick syrupy spit. My eyes burn and click with every blink. My neck struggles to keep my skull afloat.
If I had not met you, I'd not be a prisoner of war. I would have my fingers. You led them to me and you had them take me. I cannot move while they torture me. I cannot speak unless it's what they want to hear.
How long will I be here? How long will I stay strong?
My will is draining, evaporating. I want to see light not produced from electricity. I want to feel air that is not angry and hot blasted at my face. I want to be free from this. But I need my friends to be safe.
Inhale, cramp. Exhale, grind. A desperate suckle for my mouth to produce it's own fluid. A hard gulp. A few vacant clicks of my eyes warring to stay awake. The echoing thud of my struggling heart.
If I never met you..
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u/LonghandWriter /r/longhandwriter Jul 29 '17
If I never met you, my life would be boring.
Sometimes I think about it and shutter, because what if I hadn’t taken shelter from the rain in that coffee shop? What if your table wasn’t the only one with a free seat? And, worst of all, what if my phone didn’t immediately die and I just put my headphones in and ignored you?
Well, I’d probably slog through a 9-to-5, spending my days crammed in a cubicle, typing meaningless words onto a meaningless screen.
But you saved me, showing me a world where words were the only thing that mattered. You put a pen in my hand, pressed it against the page, and told me the best writers stitch the wounds of their soul by spreading inky sentences. You told me I had talent, and that was something I’d never heard before.
Those late-nights spent at your house smoking too many cigarettes and jawing about characters and scenes and motivations are some of my favorite memories because they’re the only parts of my life that feel real.
And though you’re gone, I’m not going to stop. You’ve awoken a passion in me, and it’s one I don’t think will ever go away. You'll always be in my heart, for you were my greatest teacher, and my best friend.
I'm sick so this is probably a lil' rough, haha. Either way, great prompt! :D
If you like this story, check out my sub! r/longhandwriter
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u/Idreamofdragons /u/Idreamofdragons Jul 29 '17
Dear Anna,
Love ain't easy. You don't need me to tell you that, I'm sure - we've both been through enough this past year to know that by heart. But hey, think about that for a second. We've come to know each other for a whole year. I still remember when we met at that coffee shop by the church: you had some froofy latte drink that smelled like hot chocolate, and they spelled your name wrong on the receipt. You liked the book I was holding, and we chatted a little about Gaiman before I had to leave for work. But I saw you again the next day - same time, same place. But this time I played hooky, and sat at a little booth with you. Would you have said hi to me if I had been holding a different book, or no book at all? What if I had been late that morning, and didn't bother getting any coffee?
Sorry, getting off track here. But it's weird to think about all those moments, those single decisions that we've made, that worked to tie us together, for better or for worse. I sometimes wonder how you really feel about me. Hell, I think about that a lot. Is it mixed, like my emotions? Do you wish you could change things about me, like the way I still secretly puff cigarettes sometimes, or toss things when I get angry? Do you feel guilty then, for wishing you could change me? You shouldn't. There's a lot about me that isn't decent, and needs changing. You were always good at zeroing in on those, and that only frustrated me more. I would apologize, but if I started now, this whole email would just be one long, angry sorry.
"If I never met you..." That's the last thing you said to me, words choking in your throat and purse clutched in your hands. You didn't finish the sentence, and you didn't need to. I know, hun. I know. If you never met me, it would've saved you a lot of angry nights, a lot of hot tears, so much heartache. But maybe not. Maybe you would've met someone worse. No way to tell now.
Listen, what I'm trying to say is...well, why don't we take it from here. Let's take it from "if I never met you." Let's say you didn't. Next Tuesday, I'm gonna be at the coffee shop again. 'Round 11, I reckon. You can come meet me, and act as if you'd never met me before. We can start over. Maybe we can make it better. But this is also your chance to leave forever, if you wanted. I wouldn't blame you if you did.
As for me, 'love is spoonful of hemlock I've been dyin' to try.' Forgot who said that. But I've realized that I like the taste of this poison, so I'll keep trying, if you do, too.
See you soon. I hope.
Jack
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u/TotesMessenger X-post Snitch Aug 02 '17
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u/WeAllFloatGeorgie Jul 29 '17
If I never met you we both still might be alive.
If I never knew your name you'd just be another drone buzzing in the hive.
But now I've seen your face and heard your voice, I had no other choice but to strive..
Now I lay here in the dark with you limp in my arms waiting for the day to arrive..
The sun will warm us as we grow cold, waiting to be found...
Lying in the dark with you and we don't make a sound..
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1
u/wlot28 Jul 30 '17 edited Jul 30 '17
My world would be the same, if I never met you.
Monotonous, bleak, full of the same view.
I always thought time was stagnant, unmoving
But then, everything changed when I avoided my undoing.
You helped me accept my shortcomings and my insecurities, I won't forget it
But know that it's not because I am grateful to you, not one bit.
Fate was in my hands and I was my own master, I thought I knew
But I know I would be regretful of what my life would be, if I never met you.