All Comments on 'Notable Last Words'

You warned us it was dark and you were right. Still, an interesting short story, a snapshot of a man who sees no reason to go on with an empty life. There were so many ways he could have found meaning and purpose in the company of others, but he turned inwards as often happens. You might have explained how the caller got hold of the reporter when it appears he called a suicide hot line.

Just a minor note, a "magnum" is no more or less accurate at any distance than a standard caliber. So, it would be sufficient to simply say that "at this range I can't miss". You added the verbiage about practicing at a shooting range, but even that is a bit redundant. The one thing a magnum caliber might do is potentially injure a neighbor as the bullet passes through walls should it not hit something substantial like a refrigerator, or wall studs. That said, I doubt that Rich would really care given his state of mind.

I would have enjoyed the story more if Tom wasn't a reporter and was just a normal person, trying to do a good thing for someone who was determined to kill himself. To just listen so that Rich's last moments weren't by himself - that someone was with him at the end. I don't think Tom should try to save Rich, as I don't think it's possible to save someone determined to die. Even if Tom had talked Rich out of it today, Rich could still do it the next day. But by making Tom a reporter, it sort of sickened me, because Tom ended up being an example of someone just using someone else (in this case, Rich) for Tom's benefit and not for Rich's benefit at all. I would have preferred that Tom simply listened, and given dignity for Rich's act, instead of letting Rich die, angry as hell at Tom's actions. Then again, why didn't Rich kill Tom first, then himself? Would have been a sort of "poetic justice" as both would have used each other.

Not sure exactly what to make of your story. It's very depressing and not something I normally like to read. I read it and I feel that I am moved by it, but I'm not sure what next steps I can take to improve myself or someone else's life as a reaction/response to your story. I feel that you touched me, but I can't say that it was in a good way. My only feedback is to keep sharing your stories. One day, I may understand and make some more sense of what I read. But, I'm a 51+ (almost 52) year-old fart, who, a lot of times can't understand the writings of his 23 year-old creative writing specialist. And yes, she is my kiddo and carries my genes.

How do I rate this? A desperate man calls a help line and gets an asshole who has no interest in helping. He just wants to hear history. Hopefully his life is ruined. Oh, and hopefully he's deaf also.

Help us, Francis

This reads more like fact than fiction since it accurately describes how people act in real life. Critical comments posted earlier show additional aspects of the negative side of human behavior, especially reacting to assumptions made without sufficient reason. Why expect a drunk man who is about to kill himself to make only relevant and accurate statements about the weapon? When informed that a story is tragic, what sort of assumptions would fit that information? The author succeeded in writing something to think about. His real flaw is his statement: "I did not expect I was going to post my short stories on this site." Was he submitting them in order to be rejected?