Hiya!

As personal information, I'm 27, work in retail, am married and love reading, writing and music.

So, I promised a sneak peek! It's still in rough draft, seeing that I just typed out my original notes... But to see the real deal, you'll just have to give me a while and see what turns up :) (And knowing me, it may be a long time in the making, but I promise to try and procrastinate less.)

I’d made my plans as I walked out the door that night. I’d made my plans, and for once the heavens agreed with me. It was a full moon, but black clouds hung low, covering it from view apart a few solitary glimpses. A perfect weather for my swansong.

I popped on my earbuds and turned on the MP3-player. After the screen lit up I quickly navigated through the system to create my playlist. Just two songs.

It was quite a long walk to get where I wanted. It was a ways down the tracks, a shadowed spot just before a bend. After that, I just waited. The air was cold, but I didn't feel it. I could see my breath coming out as white little puffs in the residual light from my surroundings, but I hardly noticed.

I didn't think much anything. I just listened to the familiar words. Some people might have argued it was these songs that made me end my life, but in truth they are what kept me alive for as long as I lived. To know someone else had understood, even if only while they had been jotting down the words, had made me feel less alone for a moment.

I heard the train coming.

“Excuse me while, I end my life.”

oOo

I stepped forward, into the light.

I woke to chirping birds and a petulant sunbeam on my eyes.

Not quite the afterlife I’d imagined, I determined after I sat up and took a look around. I was in a sunlit clearing amid a forest consisting mostly of oaks. Definitely nowhere near home, for one.

I shed off my coat. Way too hot for it. I really appreciated getting my outfit with me, it was a personal favorite. I still had my skinny jeans, my military boots, tank top and favorite band hoodie. And, of course, my trusty half-thigh leather jacket. All of it as black as my mood usually was, although it probably wasn’t the best color choice for this weather.

No point just sitting around, I decided. It was after all my afterlife, so surely some exploration was in order.

After walking about an hour I was starting to doubt my death. I was drenched in sweat since there were seemingly no clouds here, and the narrow road I’d chanced upon a while earlier offered surprisingly few shadowy respites despite winding through a forest.

Also, I was getting hungry. I was pretty sure I wasn't supposed to get hungry after having no metabolic function anymore.

A thought occurred.

Almost frantically I pulled up the sleeve of my hoodie and felt for a pulse.

There it was, as strong as ever.

There you go... I've written sketches for three chapters, but it still needs quite a bit of editing.

And btw, the song my unlucky depressed central character is listening to is very much real, and for a point and time for me too it and the rest of the band's music was somewhat a lifeline. If you want to hear it: youtube.com/watch?v=WOki6L5Q260