Never Say Finis

Samuel was through. He was over it all. Done. Kaput. Finis.

He’d lost his job as an ad executive. His wife kicked him out of their home and moved a twenty-two-year-old kid in, who his children were now calling their second daddy. Plus, his car had blown up, forcing him to walk two miles to the nearest exit on the freeway. Now he was living in this roach-infested apartment in a crime-ridden neighborhood. Just last week, a thug had stolen his wallet. At thirty-six, he had nothing to look forward to anymore.

There wasn’t much left for him to do. Deciding to end everything, he went to the top of the building. He walked across the roof, up to the edge, closed his eyes, and jumped off. He could feel the breeze in his hair as he fell and hear the sounds of traffic in the street below.

Soon, he noticed that he seemed to be falling for a long time, thinking he should have hit the sidewalk already. Not really wanting to see as he hit the concrete, but curious what was taking so long, he opened an eye to take a peek. Surprised, he was suspended in the air, five feet away from the ledge of the building.

Stuck in the air, he was unsure what to do. Deciding to do the breaststroke and kick with his legs, he shot forward. Into the wall of the building across the street. Falling only two feet, Samuel shook his head and swam upwards on the air current.

Letting out a whoop and a holler, Samuel took off above the city. He circled the bell towers of the cathedral. Zoomed through the arches of the historical bridges.

He’d never felt so alive before in his life. Soon, he forgot all his problems, worries, and heartaches. He had no cares in the world. He zigged and zagged from one side of the city to the other.

Soon, he was performing soaring loop-de-loops and swirling nosedives. Samuel flew up so high that everyone below looked like ants rushing about their hive. Gathering his courage, he began dive-bombing flocks of birds in flight, sending them squawking in all directions.

For the first time in months, he could feel the pure joy of living bubbling up inside of him, and soon the musical notes of his laughter filled the air. Suddenly, Samuel had something to live for! He was a superhero!

He was enjoying himself so much that he had not seen the storm front moving in. Before long, Samuel found himself dodging through bolts of lightning while trying to see below if there was a place to land. A fog had moved in, covering the buildings' rooftops, and in confusion, he spun around trying to catch a glimpse of a familiar sight. Spotting what appeared to be the spires of the cathedral, he zoomed towards it.

Halfway to the cathedral, the storm stopped as suddenly as it had appeared. Deciding not to press his luck any further, Samuel got himself oriented and headed onto his rooftop to land. He’d had a full, exciting day, and he needed to think about it.

Suddenly, he heard a loud whistling sound above him. Looking up, he saw a golden eagle bearing down upon his head. Its talons tore into his face, ripping his forehead open. Blood poured into Samuel’s eyes, and he began spiraling out of control. He could hear a steady thump thump thump growing rapidly closer. Wiping blood from his face, he attempted to gain control of his descent and held his arms out from his body.

Still feeling a strong updraft below him, he looked down and realized that just when he learned he wanted to live, he wasn’t going to be so lucky. Still unable to regain control of his flight, he was being sucked into the blades of the Channel 9 helicopter.

He had just enough time to think, “Well, ain’t this the shits,” right before his body hit.