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1,215 | first_person | [
{
"from": "human",
"value": "Write in first person and around 1200-1300 words. Prompt: Someone is talking a suicidal person down from the top of a building. By the end of the story, the roles have reversed."
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "I walked up to the roof of my office building, pawing the Marlboro carton in my coat pocket, checking that nobody was following me. We technically weren't supposed to take more than one smoke break a day but I'll be damned if that stupid rule was going to stop me. When you're dealing with your wife losing her job, putting three kids through college and debt up to your ears I think that you deserve more than one measly cigarette a day. I liked my cigarette breaks because they allowed for me to have some alone time and I could take a break from the office gossip. What fun was checking out the new hot secretaries when you had made a vow to be faithful to your wife and knew that being so close to such a hot woman might put you over the edge?\n\nI climbed the staircase and opened the heavy door to the roof walking over to the edge to look out at the city. I always loved coming up here during the day because you could really see everything. You could see that no matter what you were doing there were thousands more people with lives that moved on completely separate from yours with the only thing connecting you being the fact that you lived on the same planet.\n\nGrabbing a cigarette out of the carton I then reached into my other pocket for my lighter and only felt some pocket lint on my fingertips. 'Fuck,' I thought distinctly remembering placing the lighter in my desk drawer after my last break and never replacing it in my pocket. I was too busy trying to sneak away without being noticed. I looked around me, hoping for the first time that someone else might be on the roof, and noticed a woman standing a few meters away smoking a cigarette. She gently let it fall from her fingertips and seemed to watch it closely as it fell to the street below. I began to walk over to her to ask her for a light when I noticed something else. She began to take off her red heels and held them over the edge of the building.\n\nI slowed my walk as she let those fall, almost as a call for attention for anyone below to her standing on the edge of a building, and then began to inch herself closer to the edge. I got closer and saw her visibly shaking and it finally clicked what she was about to do. What was I supposed to do? Yell? I didn't want to startle her and cause her to fall. Run? Once again, sudden motion. I cleared my throat and she snapped her head to look at me. 'Shit,' I thought,'This is definitely the woman all the guys were talking about.'\n\nThe woman in the black work suit had the body of Jennifer Aniston and the face of Angelina Jolie and suddenly I realized what a dilemma Brad Pitt must have faced when choosing between the two women. She continued to shake as she answered,\"Do you want something? I'm kind of in the middle of something here...\" she said, eyes darting to the ground off the edge of our office building.\n\n\"Ten stories up...\" I say, as if reminding her the distance from top to bottom. \"I hate looking over the edge. You're pretty brave. I always feel my stomach drop and have to take a few steps back.\" She gave me a look. I sensed some annoyance but also relief.\n\n\"Anyways, I seem to have forgotten my lighter...you mind?\" I asked hopeful that she would back up from the ledge and I could go about my way. How do you even address a situation like this? 'Oh hey ma'am...looking to jump? Could you wait until I leave...I think it would be pretty traumatic to see..' The woman handed me her lighter and looked away avoiding eye contact with me at all costs. \"Thanks ma'am.\" I say, still standing close believing that if I stood here she wouldn't dare jump.\n\n\"Say it.\" she said, angrily. \"You have so much to live for. So many people care about you. Life isn't that bad.\" she looked at me, as if blaming me for all of her problems and blaming me for interrupting her solution.\n\n\"So you were planning on...\" I started, unsure of how to finish the sentence,\"...jumping?\" I asked timidly.\n\n\"No...\" she said, \"I was planning on spreading my wings and flying home. It's almost five o'clock you know...\"\n\n\"No need to be rude! I just came up here for a smoke. Didn't ask to find someone about to end their life...\" I said back angrily. You always hear stories of someone saving a stranger from committing suicide and them becoming friends for life and for some reason I didn't think that that would be the same situation. \"But seriously, why don't you step away from the edge and we can talk about it!\"\n\n\"I just found out my boyfriend and my best friend hooked up last weekend.\" She offered. At least she was walking further away from the edge.\n\n\"How long were you guys together?\" I ask, sympathetically now. I couldn't imagine that happening to me. It would be a total kick in the balls.\n\n\"A few weeks...\" she says sniffling. I stop. Was this girl seriously about to kill herself because a man she most likely just met turned out to be a scum bag. At least she found out now. At least her marriage wasn't slowly falling apart like some people. Some people meaning me.\n\n\"And my rent just went up and I don't think I'll be able to afford it. I'll probably have to move.\" She added. I stared at her incredulously. 'At least you have the option...I'm 175,000 dollars in debt...there's no way I can just move and get away from that problem,' I thought but decided not to say anything.\n\n\"I just don't feel like trying anymore. I'm 23 and I'm already tired of this life!\" she added starting to cry again. I couldn't sympathize so I just stared at her, my lit cigarette now beginning to burn my fingers as it ran down. I leaned over and tossed it over the ledge. This time though that feeling deep in my stomach didn't happen. I wasn't scared. Watching that cigarette butt float down gave me a sense of relief. It would all be over so fast. All you'd have to do was take a step.\n\nIf this woman thought her life was bad and was ready to give up I'd love for her to spend a day in my life. I would give anything to be a hot single woman with a fresh start. She had a new job and perhaps a new apartment and she would be free to do whatever she wanted. If she was miserable than I was off the deep end. I had tried to suppress those feelings but they were suddenly rushing at me and I began to cry.\n\nShe had stopped and was staring at me. \"What's wrong?\" she asked.\n\nThe last thing I heard was her shrieking as I allowed myself to fall backwards and off the ledge of our office building."
}
] |
708 | third_person | [
{
"from": "human",
"value": "Write in third person and around 700-800 words. Prompt: Gangs are spreading throughout the West, be it outlaw or gunslinger. You end up joining an elite outlaw gang...while your the slowest gunslinger ever."
},
{
"from": "gpt",
"value": "Irah approached the rough man who sat at the tavern's entrance.\n\n\"What'd'ya want kid?\" The man asked.\n\n\"I'm here to join.\"\n\n\"Join what?\"\n\n\"Join you guys. Join the Red Rider Gang.\"\n\nThe man's eyes moved up and down, sizing Irah up before landing on the well maintained six-shooter at his hip.\n\n\"Hey, boss, we got a new one fer yah.\" The doorman said with a shout that could somehow still be called lazy. \"Go on in, but don't be cryin' if you get hurt.\"\n\nIrah smirked and strode into the gang controlled tavern. The members eyed him as he walked, but nobody tried anything. He did note that all hands caressed a gun though.\n\nThe gang's boss was a surprisingly small man with a spiderweb of fine scars coloring his otherwise handsome face. A tavern server was giving him quite a bit of attention, and he was more focused on what was under her dress than in him.\n\n\"Irah. Irah Westman.\"\n\n\"How many?\"\n\n\"How many what, if'n you don't mind my askin'?\"\n\n\"How many duels you been in?\"\n\n\"Fifteen. Well, technically sixteen, but I don't really count that on, on account of it being with fists not guns.\"\n\n\"You won 'em all?\"\n\n\"I'm still here, ain't I?\"\n\nThe gang leader smiled and turned his attention to Irah. \"Really, now?\"\n\n\"Yes'ir, I'm pretty sure I'm one of the best gunslingers you're ever likely to see.\"\n\n\"Killed anyone outside a duel?\"\n\nIrah paused to think. \"Let's see...\" He muttered the numbers off, ticking off his fingers as he did. \"I'd say...twelve. Could be thirteen, depending on if Lenny Wilco recovered or not.\"\n\nThe gang leader nodded. \"Good. I can't be having someone who ain't never taken a man's life riding for me. Name's Ned. Just Ned. I don't got one 'o them fancy nicknames and I don't want one. So, Irah, you must be pretty quick on the draw, if what you say is true. Care to show me?\"\n\n\"Yes'ir, I very much would.\"\n\nNed gave the okay. Irah looked around the room. All eyes were still on him, and everyone was listening in. That was good, since he would not get run out right away for what he was going to do.\n\nHe sighted his target, a half burned cigarette in one of the gang member's mouth. He drew his gun, aimed and--\n\n\"Hold it.\" Ned said before he could pull the trigger. \"What the hell is that? Boy, you're moving slower than my grandma in molasses. Ain't no way you won fifteen duels like that. You had better not be lying to me now.\"\n\n\"No, sir, I am not. I swear on all that's good I'm telling God's own truth.\"\n\n\"You said you were the fastest.\"\n\n\"No, you said that. I said I'm the best. Those ain't the same, not by a long shot.\"\n\n\"Do tell.\"\n\n\"Well, it all comes down to this.\"\n\nIrah resumed his demonstration. He aimed and the gunshot filled the tavern. Half of the man's cigarette was blown off.\n\nNed let out an appreciative whistle. \"Now ain't that something.\"\n\n\"See, sir, it's not about speed, not really. A man can empty his gun in five seconds, and it don't matter if he can't hit nothing. But me? It might take me a bit, but I always hit what I'm aiming for.\"\n\n\"Still, you're done if you get shot while aiming.\"\n\n\"Try me. Go ahead, try me. Right here and now.\"\n\nNed grinned and stood. Irah holstered his gun and the trial was on. Ned drew first. His hand was a blur and he fired a round at the newcomer. Irah moved. Just a single step, but the bullet missed by a hand.\n\n\"All I got to do is figure out where you're shootin' and then be somewhere else.\" Irah said simply. \"Duels don't go to who shoots first. They go to the man who's still on his feet at the end.\"\n\n\"Movin' ain't exactly sportsman like, is it.\" Ned said.\n\n\"Well, no, I guess it ain't. But then again, neither are we. A man don't become an outlaw by playing fair.\"\n\nNed threw back his head and laughed. He laughed long and deep.\n\n\"Alright, kid, you win. You're in. Welcome to the Red Riders.\""
}
] |