《The Magical Craftsman》Chapter 1: I am Dying
Advertisement
Jack Slater was dying of cancer. And he was only 25 years old. What a bummer.
He stared long and hard at the ceiling of his hospital room, lying in bed as the doctors and nurses pumped chemo drugs into him. In those long periods of silence, he started reflecting on his own life.
There are just so many things he wanted to do in life that he's never going to experience, not with his life unexpectedly cut short like that. He'd never traveled the world or eaten any of the exotic local foods, which the locals promised were absolutely safe to eat despite not being technically approved by the FDA. He'd never done any of the extreme recreational activities that rich people usually bragged about doing, like skydiving, bungee-jumping, or snorting lines of cocaine off the backs of dolphins. He'd never get a fist-bump from Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. I mean, who the hell wouldn't want to get a fist-bump from Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson? He's such a cool dude! Getting a fist-bump from him would probably be better than losing his virginity.
Huh, that's right. Jack was still a virgin. And given the circumstances, it's almost for certain that he's going to die a virgin as well.
Yep, what a bummer.
Two visitors came to visit Jack in his hospital room. It's Steve and Alex, co-workers and long-time friends of Jack. Steve was a dude with geeky-looking glasses and Alex was a decent-looking brunette who was also Steve's girlfriend. They carry with them a fruits basket and some other items in a white paper bag, likely for Jack.
"Hey, buddy. How are you doing?" Steve said empathetically.
"Oh, you know. Slowly dying from the inside," Jack said. "But, otherwise, I'm fine."
"We've bought you some fried chicken," Alex said with a somber tone. "We thought you'd love them, but didn't know if it'll be appropriate, given your current condition."
"Ooh, fried chicken?! Sweet! Give me!" said Jack. Alex handed him the bag, from which Jack could smell the wonderful aroma. "You've got them from Jollibee, right? Please tell me you've got them from Jollibee."
Advertisement
"Yep. We know they are your favorite brand."
"Oh, thank God! You have no idea how much hospital food sucked." Jack opened up the box of fried chicken and started devouring it ravenously. "That and the fact that the chemo is suppressing my appetite, which makes it super unpleasant just to stomach food."
Suddenly, Steve couldn't take it anymore and broke down crying. He cried so hard that he was on his knees. Alex tried to comfort him, but that only seemed to make the crying worse.
It hadn't surprised Jack one bit that Steve was going to be the one to cry first. He was always the sensitive type---always so emotional, even over the littlest things. Jack was always the tougher one between the two. He highly doubt Steve would be able to survive working at the company without him looking after him.
"Ahh, sheesh. Would you quiet down?" Jack said with mild embarrassment, wiping his greasy fingers. "This is a hospital, for God's sake. There are other patients around here. Come on."
"But...but this is so unfair. You are still so young," Steve uttered, finally getting up from the ground.
"Gee, didn't you get the memo when you popped out of your mother's vagina? Life is unfair. That's just how it is. Some of us just have to deal with it."
"How can you be so relaxed about it?"
"I mean, there isn't much else I can do about it, now is there? I'm not like you, Steve. I don't mope around just because life dealt me a bad hand. I just keep moving along."
"But...but..."
"Listen, I've already gotten plenty of tears and sobbing from my family when they've visited me. At this point, I'm sick and tired of hearing it. If you're going to keep up with this pity act, you might as well leave. But if you're here to have a normal pleasant conversation like a bunch of friends should, you're welcome to stay."
With that, Steve mustered the will to regain his composure. After they've both taken a seat, Alex broke the silence.
Advertisement
"You know, you really missed your chance right there, Jack."
"To do what?" Jack said.
"To do a 'Breaking Bad' reenactment. I mean, it's not like you've got anything to lose."
"Alex!" Steve scolded.
"Hey, that wouldn't be a terrible idea, actually," said Jack.
"Jack! You wouldn't-"
"Of course not! First of all, my chemistry wasn't that great to begin with. Second of all, you're too much of a wimp to be my 'Jesse Pinkman'."
Alex laughed out loud at that comment. Then Jack laughed along with her. Then Steve joined in with the laughing. They all continued to have a fun and positive conversation afterwards for the rest of the evening, as though there was nothing wrong in the world.
After that long and much-needed session of small-talk, Steve and Alex are finally ready to leave. But before they depart, they decided to show Jack something. On the ring finger of Alex's left hand...was a diamond ring.
Jack couldn't believe his eyes. "You guys are engaged?"
"We thought it was time," Steve said. "I've been thinking about this decision for a while now and I think you should be the first one to know."
There was a flood of emotions welling up inside Jack's heart. He felt like he could cry. And given that he was complaining to Steve about being a crybaby earlier, it would be totally not cool for him to cry right now. But, no matter how hard he tried, tears still formed in his eyes.
"I am happy for you two," Jack said, grabbing both of their hands and placing them together. "May you two live happily together. Stevie, you better treat her right or I'm gonna haunt you as a ghost."
Both Steve and Alex chuckled through this emotional moment.
"We thought we could get the wedding going in a couple of months," Alex said. " That way, you'd get to be there."
"Wait, what? Are you saying you guys set up this wedding just for me?"
"Well, we didn't know how much longer you might have, so we thought it'll be best to set it up so that you could still be there to attend," Steve said.
Jack was confounded by how much they are willing to conform to his condition. He was nearly speechless at the gesture.
"Guys, I don't know what to say."
"Just say you'll be there. You'll get to be my best man."
Jack thought long and hard about it. "No, I don't think I should."
"What?"
"Guys, come on. This is a wedding we're talking about. You shouldn't rush things like that, not even for me. You should take more time to plan things out. Besides, I could croak any minute now. What would happen if I ended up dying in the middle of your wedding? It would completely ruin it for you guys. I don't want that."
"But...but we wanted to do this to commemorate you. As a last act of our friendship before you go."
"Steve, it's alright. It's perfectly fine. Your thoughts alone are enough. I don't need all this. Just remember to name your first-born after me or something and I'll be happy."
"Oh, that's a given."
"You sure you're alright with it," Alex said.
"Yes, I'm sure. Don't rush your wedding for me. Take your time," Jack said. " I might not have much time left, but you guys do. So use it wisely."
Steve let out a heavy sigh. "Alright, if you say so, buddy." He patted Jack on the back. "Take care."
"You take care as well," Jack said.
Just as the couple finally leave the room, Steve turned to Jack one last time to tell him something. "Oh, by the way, I've told Claire where you're staying. She'll probably come visit you tomorrow in the morning. Good luck with that!"
Jack went wide-eyed with shock, but Steve and Alex were already gone.
"Wait, what?! You told Claire I was here?! Hey, wait! Come back! I demand you explain yourself, Steve! STEVE!!!"
Advertisement
- In Serial267 Chapters
Double-Blind: A Modern LITRPG
Choosing a college when your family is struggling can be difficult, but it isn’t supposed to be world ending. And the falling meteor is seriously limiting Matt’s options. Now in the aftermath, his home city is locked down by a mysterious dome, corporations are looking to monopolize a wealth of new untapped resources, and people are suddenly developing powers via a system that seems to have borderline sinister intentions. In the chaos, he decides to stick to what he knows: stay out of the spotlight, grind, and survive. Watch as Matt is dragged into a dark LITRPG set in the real world, where the price of failure is death, and the prize for winning is beyond his wildest dreams. ++++++++++++++++++ There’s a couple big influences here: Solo-Leveling, Squid Game, and Code Geass. If you enjoy LITRPG stories with morally gray characters, high stakes, and smart protagonists who start weak and eventually become powerful in a unique way, you’ll probably find something to like. But be forewarned. It won’t be easy. I'll be writing this fast, so keep in mind there's likely to be typos that we'll correct as we go. Developmental Editing by Lev.
8 516 - In Serial8 Chapters
My Book of scribbles
Its a random book of thoughts and stuff, random things and just general weirdness. I might do 1 chapter or 100 just don't expect to much. I will update the tags as i go. No chapter is related to another unless said so and the quality varies wildly At less one is quite dark in tone... so yeah You have been told
8 160 - In Serial46 Chapters
Questing Sucks!
Sehn is an Elf, but he's not like the others: he's rude, vicious, and all around nasty. His only wish is to conquer the world and enslave its population. Yet to his shame, he learns he must be the one to save it.
8 162 - In Serial27 Chapters
Acrabha Stone: Blessing and Curse (#1)
Raised by a cursed man called Hyrestl, Rylen will do anything to find the family he’s never met. But fate has other plans. Desperate enemies plot to steal a treasure he doesn’t know he has and no obstacle will stand in the way of their greed. All the while, Hyrestl struggles to find answers. Unable to go home, there’s only one thing clearer than the edge of his blade: whatever cursed him will meet his unbridled wrath. They’ll soon find themselves thrust into a deadly tangle involving priestesses, thieves, kings, lords and a mysterious stone.
8 82 - In Serial18 Chapters
My Vampire Lover
The vampire group, called Voltron, meets a human, Y/n. A member from the vampire group, the Galra, has taken an interest in Y/n. Keith and Y/n fall in love, but Y/n and Voltron learn something about Y/n that leaves everyone in shock. Y/N uses pronouns they/them, so anyone can be y/n. Keith Kogane x Reader
8 212 - In Serial29 Chapters
What The Alpha Says...Goes (boyxboy) Bk 1
How can you love someone you fear? Laken is a werewolf; the runt of the pack. What happens when the Alpha starts taking an interest in him? Rule number one of the wolf pack; Never disobey your Alpha.Cover design by: hgames113
8 59

