Story: BEFORE I DIE

Once upon a time, in a quaint little town nestled between rolling hills and whispering woods, there lived a man named Samuel. Samuel wasn't like the others; he had a peculiar gift, or rather, a curse – he could see the exact moment when a person would die. This ability haunted him since childhood, filling his days with dread and his nights with restless dreams.

As Samuel grew older, he became adept at concealing his gift, knowing all too well the fear and disbelief it would evoke in others. But no matter how hard he tried to ignore it, the visions persisted, each one etched into his mind like a scar.

One day, while wandering through the bustling market square, Samuel's gaze fell upon a young woman named Emily. Unlike the others, her fate appeared shrouded in uncertainty, a haze of possibilities rather than a clear-cut endpoint. Intrigued, Samuel approached her, his heart pounding with a mixture of apprehension and curiosity.

"Hello," he said, mustering a smile as he tried to push aside the nagging voice in his mind. "My name is Samuel. What's yours?"

Emily looked up, her eyes meeting his with a mixture of surprise and suspicion. "I'm Emily," she replied cautiously. "Is there something I can help you with?"

Samuel hesitated, his mind racing with a thousand thoughts. Should he tell her about his gift? Would she believe him, or would she think him mad? In the end, he decided to keep his secret, at least for now.

"I was just passing through and couldn't help but notice you," he said, his voice tinged with a hint of nervousness. "Would you like to join me for a cup of tea?"

To his relief, Emily agreed, and they spent the afternoon talking and laughing as if they had known each other for years. As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows across the cobblestone streets, Samuel found himself drawn to Emily in a way he had never experienced before.

Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months, as Samuel and Emily's bond grew stronger with each passing day. Despite his best efforts to push her away, Samuel found himself falling deeply in love with her, the thought of losing her almost unbearable.

But try as he might, Samuel could not shake the nagging feeling that their time together was limited, that fate had already written the final chapter of their love story. And so, one fateful evening, as they sat beneath a blanket of stars, Samuel finally revealed his secret to Emily, his voice trembling with emotion.

"I can see when people will die," he confessed, his eyes brimming with tears. "And I'm afraid... I'm afraid that I've seen your future, and it's not a long one."

Emily listened in stunned silence, her heart aching at the pain in Samuel's voice. But instead of recoiling in fear, she reached out and took his hand in hers, her touch a soothing balm to his troubled soul.

"I don't know what tomorrow holds," she whispered, her voice barely above a whisper. "But today, right now, I choose to be with you. And that's all that matters."

In that moment, Samuel realized that perhaps fate was not as cruel and unforgiving as he had once believed. For in Emily's eyes, he saw a glimmer of hope, a promise of a future filled with love and possibility.

And so, they vowed to cherish each moment they had together, knowing that no matter what tomorrow brought, they would face it hand in hand, united in their love for each other. For in the end, that was all that truly mattered – to love and be loved in return, before the final curtain fell on their story.