10 Things
a tribute to L
The cupcake was stale today. The cherries had shriveled. The strawberries had far exceeded their expiration date. Typical telltale signs of a horrible day ahead.
He arrived at work nonetheless. Nothing could keep him away from his dream job. He hardly thought of much else, anyway. Save the fact his cell phone was vibrating. It had to be another "subliminal" message from his "stalker".
What she had was almost a disturbing fascination with the detective. She would spy on him while he ate and worked, while he slept on occasion. She was sure he knew who she was by now... He had to know... Right? All the same, she preferred the indirect approach. Her fingers sped over her cell phone's number pad.
Why aren't you content lately?
He had taken the phone out and set it on the desk, glancing at it from time to time, but refusing to answer it. He never was a big fan of text messaging. Eventually the messages grew so annoying that he was almost forced into answering them.
There has never been a reason to be joyous.
She wrinkled her nose. What a depressing answer. Having (obviously) dealt with psychological issues in the past, she assigned him a task to better his disposition.
I'll bet your life bears more positives than mine. I'll make you a deal to prove it. I want you to list 10 things you appreciate about your life. List 10, and I promise I'll leave you alone from then on.
This sounded like a pretty appealing deal to him! During his "break time", he worked on his list. The "stalker" was prepared to try and quit her obsession with him.
He stared at the list, folded it, and put it in his pocket.
Later that night, he died.
Overflowing with sadness, the "stalker" finally showed herself. She rushed to his side, but all too late. Before the ambulance took him away, she removed the list and read it through blurry, teary eyes.
Why I love my life
1. I don't need to brush my hair
2. I can be thin and cake-eating
3. I have people like you that keep me from being lonely
4. I'm doing what I love and loving what I do, in reference to being a detective
5. Two words- Crossword. Puzzles.
6. I have friends like Light that challenge me
7. I can be shoeless, suitless, and sleepless, and still get into any college I want
8. I've never needed to own a calculator
9. I don't want to die knowing that Kira has bested me
There was no number 10. With the list incomplete, she could still visit his grave to leave the 10th on the list...
10. You will be missed too much when you die.