"Now" Exclusive Short Story With An Important Message

This is a special post featuring an exclusive short story written by a new writer. We'll dive into the message behind the words, but first here's the story.


                                                                   Now
                                     Written By: Sierra Dixon


    The notification buzzed on her phone, causing her to jump with giddy nervousness. It had been close to two days since she had last received a message from him; she knew it didn't sound like a lot, but for them it was. Before, they had been talking constantly, so when he suddenly stopped replying it had sent her jumping to conclusions of all the endless reasons why he might have left her. Now that he was back, though, she could finally receive some closure for her aching mind.
    With a beating heart and shaky hand, she slowly swiped open the text message. What its contents held caused her breath to snag in her throat. Hot, salty tears sprung from her eyes as she clasped onto the floor; a broken mess. Suddenly, she couldn't pull air into her lungs. The entire world was spinning madly around her, then it all went black.
    The next morning, after nearly an hour of attempting to convince her mother to take her to the hospital, they left the house. The whole ride over seemed to drag along. She was filled to the brim with dread at what she knew she was about to see.
    Each step closer towards his room was a shot to her aching heart. When they finally arrived at the room with his last name plastered across the door, she could barely control her breathing. Her mom sat down on a bench outside the room, allowing her to face her demons alone. Knowing that it was now or never, she took the first step into the room and shut the door behind her.  What she saw inside easily could've stopped her heart.
    He laid unmoving on the hard hospital bed. Skin, paler than the sheets which were covering his thin body. His face was bloody and bruised. A long scar made its way from his left eye to his mouth. Wires attached themselves to both of his arms and chest. His heart beat as slow - too slow.
    She made his way over to his bedside, feeling nothing except for numb regret.
    "I'm sorry..." she began, fighting to choke out the words. "I should have told you sooner... I love you."
    She broke down into tears as she laid down next to him for the first and last time.



"The story was written as someone who always puts off the things and people in my life that are important to me. It's a message to me and anyone else who reads it that you never know when everything in your life that is important to you will be taken away. The philosophy that I've been trying my entire life to live by is that the right time is always now. That's honestly really hard to do, but it's so important as my biggest fear is dying with regrets of things I should've done. If there was one thing I would want people to know, it's to always live your life to the fullest because you never know when you might lose it," said Dixon.