I Think I'm Dead

by emmylou1995

Published August 28, 2010

In Misc.

Dear Benjamin,

You said the train was safe. You told me I would be fine. You promised you would be at the station in Chicago when I arrived. Before I left, two months ago, you said you would be waiting for me to return.

Well, you lied.

It wasn't safe. It was very, very dangerous. You didn't mention the gun, or the crazy old man.

I think I'm dead.

I miss you, your blue eyes and pink lips. I miss your long blond ponytail that I would always run my fingers through. I miss our bed so much. Can you come meet me still? Can you see me one last time? Please, be at the station when I...when my body...arrives.

I love you.

Do you miss me? Do you miss my laugh and my soft skin? I hope you miss me laying on the bed beside you. I hope you miss my warmth, and in the winter months to come, I hope you don't miss me too much. I'll always be with you. I will always stay beside you.

Can I have another hug? Please?

I think I'm dead.

Soon, now, I have to go.

Will you miss me? I will miss you.

Kiss me in the shadows of night. Imagine me on the bed, snug beneath our sheets. Imagine my hair intertwined with yours. Imagine my eyes, my smile.

I won't be mad if you fall in love again. Actually, please do. I want you to be happy. Let me go. Keep me in your heart, but leave room for a new soul mate. Leave room for love.

I was pregnant. You knew that. Three months pregnant.

It is a girl. The paramedics saved her, I think. I hope she is beautiful. I can already see her as a young woman, with long blond hair, just like yours. I am smiling right now, there are tears in my eyes.

What should we name her? I know you love the name Kya.

Lets name her Kya Marie.

Love her as I loved you.

I'll miss you.

Don't forget to love again.

But also don't forget me.

I think I'm dead.

Love always,

Your Boo-Boo, Lana

Comments & reviews · 7
User avatar
Nutty
Review
Nutty wrote a review Review · Sep 1, 2010

Oooh, interesting. I've been reading a lot about death on YWS lately, it's kind of concerning. This one is quite interesting, and overall, I liked it.

The format and flow was great, I had not uncomfortable hitches as I read it. You have a good control over the pace and the length, too. The thing that I noticed however is how many times you said she was dead. It's a pretty obvious point, you don't need to restate it, it begins to lose its effect. However, it wasn't that big a problem.

The other thing that I noticed was you never mentioned how she died, how was the train unsafe? Was there a shooting? It said her body would pull up at the station, so I would assume the train didn't crash. It's an interesting point, as the boyfriend said it was safe, so I am naturally intrigued into why it wasn't.

Overall, however, you have a solid piece of writing that I can find little fault with that hasn't already been stated. So, good work!

-Nutty

User avatar
Tenyo
Review
Tenyo wrote a review Review · Sep 1, 2010

Hey Emmy!

This is sweet, I kind of like the way the thoughts seem to be piled together with little structure. At first I was a little unsure of it, because at the beginning this lady is very bitter, but at the end she is loving. Reading it as the continuous flow of thoughts of a woman who is still not entirely sure if she's dead, it works really well.

Time period
"Do you miss me, do you miss my laugh and soft skin?" Whether the train crashed or some other disaster happened, it would take a matter of hours or less for her body to arrive at the station. It seems odd that if she had simply gone shopping her husband would be missing her already. If she has been away for a while you should make this clearer earlier in the letter.

The Baby
If the pregnancy was far enough along for the baby to be saved and survive after the mothers death, it would have been too far along to hide that massive bump on her tummy. Surely she would have told her husband that there was a baby due, for preparational and financial reasons more than anything else, even if she hadn't seen her husband for a long time.

But, but!
"Don't forget to love again / But don't forget me."
(In this case) the word 'but' is one that you use when a second statement interrupts the first. For example, 'I would have gone to the park, but it was windy.' The windy weather interrupts the act of going to the park. In the quote I mentioned above, the second statement doesn't really interrupt the first. To make it correct you should use the term 'but also.' The word 'also' points to the previous statement to indicate that both should happen at the same time. To say 'but also don't forget me' would be correct because it is saying that, yes, this man should love again, and at the same time remember her.
Another way around it would be to say 'but don't forget me either.' The word 'either' has a different meaning to the word also, but both point to the previous statement.

Nitpicks
Because we all love those people who pick at the little things that don't really matter.
"It was a girl," should be "It is a girl," because if the girl was saved, then she is still living, therefore still exists in the present tense. "It was a girl," would mean she no longer is.

Overall, nice work. Writing from the perspective of a dead person, to a living person, whilst still having an audience reading, is a huge challenge, and you've done a great job of it :D

User avatar
Yuriiko
Review
Yuriiko wrote a review Review · Aug 30, 2010

Hello there, Emmy!

Here to review.

My only critique here is how the woman died. I mean, she says that the train station was very dangerous but she didn't seem to state how and why and the connection between her and her husband is quite unclear. And that's the only problem which lead me to confusion. So you might want to clarify that one out.

Kicking aside those things, this has potential. PM me for questions.

Keep writing!

Peace out!

~yuri

User avatar
Shearwater
Review
Shearwater wrote a review Review · Aug 30, 2010

Hiya!

Well first of all, I love this. I love the emotion and the depth you've put into your writing. Although, there was the repetition, it worked and it made everything seem just...just...so sad *tear*.
Although, there was just one part where the repetition of 'I think I'm dead' didn't work for me.

Lets name her Kya Marie.

Love her as I loved you.

I think I'm dead.

I'll miss you.

Don't forget to love again.

But don't forget me.

I think you should have put the 'I think I'm dead' after 'But don't forget me'
That's just my suggestion. Overall, I enjoyed reading this bittersweet story.
Cheers,

~Shear

User avatar
borntoshop
Review
borntoshop wrote a review Review · Aug 28, 2010

This was really good :)
One question, how could they save the baby? Because your MC is just telling her boyfriend/husband now that she is pregnant. How could he not have known? Unless she was only in the early stages of pregnancy, if so i ask again. How could they save the baby?

Keep writing!
Born

User avatar
jDawn
Comment
jDawn commented Comment · Aug 28, 2010

Well done, I like this a lot. It was pretty and well writing. Nice job : )

Keep writing, I really enjoyed this!

- Jessica

User avatar
retrodisco666
Review
retrodisco666 wrote a review Review · Aug 28, 2010

It is beautiful. I love it when it is from the point of view of a dead person. I think your descriptions were good and worked well. A very good piece. The only thing I was a little unsure of, was the structure it didn't really fit the piece in my opinion but never the less, it was an amazing piece.

Well done.

PM me for anything.

~Retro Disco666



That there's some good in this world, Mr Frodo - and it's worth fighting for.
— Samwise Gamgee