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Ticking Till the Heart Stops

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Summary

At my baby shower I was given the worst gift imaginable... the gift of a limited life. How would you feel if you were literally watching your life tick by.

Genre:
Thriller / Drama
Author:
Emily_McCartney
Status:
Complete
Chapters:
1
Rating:
n/a
Age Rating:
13+

Chapter 1

Every tick of the clock brought me closer to the end of my life. I guess this is what I deserve for ignoring the warning the old lady gave my parents that day. I look at that brown mock cuckoo clock cursing its tug on my mortality.


"It's a clock," my mother announced skeptically. She watched her haggard Grandmother smiled manically. The old lady had never been a kind soul and she always remind my mother of an old hag in a fairytale.

"It's not just any clock. This clock will count down the days, weeks and years your baby girl has to live."

"What a horrible gift," She snapped, "Take it back!"

The old woman smiled, "I can't... the countdown has begun."

My mother had read enough fairytales not to anger the woman or the "curse" may become worse. My mother looked at the clock again, at least the old hag gave me, the baby, a good seventy years. Little did we know that seventy years can quickly dwindle.

I don't really know how it happened, but my life ticked by... literally. That clock stayed near me growing up haunting me with every "tick" and chilling my blood with every "tock". I tried to ignore that horrid clock, but how do you ignore something that holds your life almost literally in its hands?

On my eighteenth birthday I had just got home after a surprise party from my friends. I was changing into my pajamas when I happened to look at the clock. An icy chill froze me in place, instead of the fifty-two years I was suppose to have the clock read twenty-three. The clock skipped twenty-nine years! This had to be a mistake, it couldn't take years from me. Maybe I just need to reset it? I tried moving the hands but it refused to budge. No, no it had to be a trick. Yeah and it would all be right in the morning.

The clock never changed back. It mocked me with the fear that I'd only be forty-one. I told myself to ignore it, a clock doesn't dictate a life. This isn't a fairytale. I dragged the clock down from the wall and hid it in my closet. For about five years I was able to keep the maniacal machine out of sight but could still hear the doomsday ticking growing louder.

On my twenty-fourth birthday I felt sick and weak, moving around my place was hard. I stumbled in my closet, the ticking grew louder than ever before. I found the wretched thing, ten minutes and counting.

So now I lay here on my bed as I feel the life leaving me. My breath growing shallow as my eye grow heavy. No... I have... to be... making... this up!

Three...

Two...

On... Coo Coo... Coo Coo.

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Further Recommendations

wikken1: I'm still reading it I like the short stories I like the contents of the stories and how it flows it's very articulate and authentic recommend it with four stars

JACQUELINE S. BREHM: Poor Killian if it warn’t for bad luck he’d have no luck at all!

Haru: Jaksisksisskidfncjfjjfndjzjdj

christina_21700: The characters were relatable, and the story was well written. Now to read them in order.

hayz1984: But much having to post these reviews every 3 chapters 🙄 but enjoying the book very much which is why I'm enduring writing these annoying reviews over and over again

Dulce Boris: Es una historia cortita pero muy buena, con el drama necesario y todo esta donde debe estar...

Petra: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Ich hoffe es gibt weitere Kapitel

Paty: Es una historia super atrapante

More Recommendations

Katie: Love this story so far.

Beta: I love your work and would absolutely love to see the engagement in your writing! Nothing better than the angst of "will she say no" even if we already know they are meant for each other

Martha: Me gusto mucho el capitulo espero que siga alguna continuación o algo así esta muy bueno el libro

María José: Fue lo mejor que pasó en mi vida, la trilogía "¡Prohibido!" Es increíble, te admiro muchísimo gabss

nikhita: Good for some light reading

Megan: I loved this story so much. The characters were so relatable and their love story is just perfect. I loved everything about this book! Beautiful writing:)

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