The last words before dying

After my little sister, Lily, killed herself, she left behind a final message.

Everyone who read it is now dead.

First, it was Grandma.

Then, Dad.

Finally, Mom jumped off our building, thirty stories down.

Reporters were clawing at each other, trying to get an interview with me.

The cops interrogated me all night.

Everyone wanted to know what the hell Lily's message said.

I stayed silent.

Then, on the tenth anniversary of Lilys death, I saw someone standing at her graveside.

I felt a jolt of adrenaline mixed with dread.

I knew my time was up, too.

...

Lily died the day before school started.

She jumped from our apartment on the sixteenth floor.

Her head was twisted at a weird angle.

Not too much blood, her little body curled up in a heap.

But the really messed-up part was her face.

She was smiling.

When everyone saw that smile, they all gasped.

Her young face, twisted with a smile that was evil and way too old for her.

It gave you the creeps, a shiver crawling down your spine.

Mom was a wreck, crying until she was empty.

Dad, who always stood up straight, just crumbled, chain-smoking cigarettes.

The cops tried to comfort us, while going through the motions.

"If there's a note, we can close this as a suicide."

So, the whole family started searching Lily's room, tearing the place apart looking for a note.

Grandma found it first.

The note only had one sentence.

Grandma held the paper, her face twisted in shock.

Then, she screamed, "Lily, no!"

We were all stunned by Grandmas reaction.

Dad stepped forward, pushing her slightly.

"Mom, what did Lily write?"

Grandma gave us a long, hard look, then threw the note down.

Before anyone could react, she threw open the window and jumped.

Blood splattered, and Grandmas body landed next to Lilys.

And her face?

She had the same twisted, upward curve of a smile on her lips.

After Grandma died, Dad, his hands shaking, picked up Lilys note.

After reading it, his face went white as a ghost.

Then, he shoved the paper in his pocket, refusing to show it to anyone.

No matter how the cops pushed him, Dad clammed up.

After we got through Lily's and Grandmas funerals, we dragged ourselves home, exhausted.

Mom, her eyes swollen and red, asked, her voice hoarse from crying, What did Lily write? Why did your mom kill herself after reading it?

Dad just stared ahead, finishing his cigarette.

He looked like he aged fifty years.

Dont ask about it. Just forget it ever happened.

From now on, no one mentions Lily."

Mom was almost out of tears, but she still choked out the words.

"Lily was my daughter too! Don't I have the right to know what her last words were?"

"Tom, Lily will hate you for this!"

I thought Dad was going too far.

"Dad, we're her family. We deserve to know what Lily wanted to say."

"Besides, why would Grandma..."

My words were cut off by Dad, sharp and hard.

He punched the wall, his eyes bloodshot, his voice rough.

"I said, the note doesn't say anything. You don't need to know."

"As for your grandma"

Mentioning his dead mother, Dad's voice cracked. He was clearly hurting, too.

But then, he seemed to realize something and closed his eyes.

"Your grandma she was old, senile."

"Maybe Lily's death was too much. She didn't want to live anymore."

"Just drop it, all of you. That's final!"

Dad turned around and stormed into his room, refusing to mention Lily's name again.

But I couldn't stop thinking about that note. I had to know what Lily wrote.

Mom felt the same way.

Three days later, Dad got completely hammered, passed out on the bed.

Thats when Mom snatched the note from his pocket.

She eagerly unfolded the piece of paper.

Then, her face froze.

I watched Mom's expression change, her eyes wide with terror.

I asked, desperate, Mom, what does it say?

She just stood there, her mouth hanging open.

I took a step forward, trying to grab the note.

That's when Mom did something that shocked me even more.

Tears streaming down her face, she looked at me, her eyes empty and lost.

Then, she crumpled up the note and shoved it in her mouth.

I panicked and tried to pull her arm.

"Mom, what are you doing? Spit it out!"

"Don't swallow it!"

But Mom swallowed the note.

She turned to me, tears welling up in her eyes. "Honey, you can never know what it says.

I stood there, numb, not understanding the power in those few words.

Why was everyone acting so strangely?

Grandma had killed herself after reading the note!

Just then, Dad sat up in bed, his eyes fixed on us.

He sighed, a look of sad resignation on his face, then began to laugh.

He looked at Mom, his eyes haunted.

"Sarah, now youre trapped in hell with me."

I was a mess, not understanding how everything had fallen apart so quickly.

Just a month ago, I thought my life was perfect.

During the summer, Lily and I spent all day at home, watching TV, playing games, or reading comic books together.

Mom and Dad were in love and loved us.

They had been married for twenty years without a major fight, giving Lily and me all their attention.

Grandma never showed any favoritism.

She was a sweet, kind old woman who secretly bought us candy and gave us allowance.

When Mom and Dad were at work, Grandma cooked for us.

Just last night, she had said she was going to make us barbecue ribs.

But in a few short days, everything changed.

Lily was dead and Grandma killed herself.

Dad drank all the time and Mom acted strange.

The world was spinning, crashing down around me.

Through it all, I couldn't stop wondering what Lilys message said.

The next day, the police showed up again.

Mom and Dad were both gone, so I was the only one who could talk to them.

The police asked, "Did your sister say anything recently that would hint at suicide? Bad test grade, fight with her parents, or a breakup?

I thought hard, then shook my head.

Lily was a straight-A student, always at the top of her class.

She was so well-behaved that Mom and Dad adored her, and never yelled at her.

And a breakup? That was impossible. Lily was in seventh grade and didnt have a boyfriend.

The police ran into a dead end and took a different approach.

"What about your grandma? Did she say anything about wanting to end her life?"

"She killed herself after seeing Lily's note."

"What did Lily write?"

My eyes filled with tears.

Lilys death had hurt me, but Grandmas death was a punch to the gut.

She had killed herself right in front of me.

I was crying too hard to speak.

The police ended the interview and closed the case as a suicide because of study pressure.

They had barely left when they returned.

Detective Reynolds looked at me, not knowing what to say.

He paused, then his voice dropped.

"Don't be too upset.

"We just got a call. Your father, Tom Baker, he jumped into the river."

My face went white.

I began to shake.

The police took me to the river.

Yellow tape blocked off the area.

When the crowd saw me walking through the tape with the cops, they started whispering.

"That's the daughter of the guy who killed himself. They look alike."

"I don't know what's going on. He just left his daughter without a father."

"His other daughter killed herself, and he couldn't deal with it, so he jumped."

His daughter died but what about his other daughter, how could he leave her?

Listening to the whispers, my heart sank.

I couldn't believe that Dad, who was scared of water, would jump into the river.

The police patted my shoulder and handed me a phone, which played a video taken by someone in the crowd.

I saw Dad pull up to the river.

He quickly got out of the car, ran to the edge of the bridge, and jumped.

In the video, he was quick, decisive, without hesitation.

The churning river washed him away.

Watching the last moments of my fathers life, I covered my mouth and cried.

Dad didn't know how to swim and was scared of the water.

He jumped into the river with no chance of survival.

I covered my mouth and screamed.

I lost my sister, my grandmother, and now my father.

I fell to the ground, not understanding how this could happen.

Detective Reynolds gave me a serious look.

"Lisa, I know this is hard, but you need to pull yourself together.

"From what we can tell, your sister's note is the key."

"You need to tell us what it says."

I started screaming, clutching my head.

"I don't know! I don't know!"

If I could, I would do anything to know what Lily wrote.

And why Dad and Grandma would kill themselves after reading it.

Just then, Mom ran over.

She calmly accepted Dad's death, without showing any emotions.

She stood at the river and answered the detective's question.

"I know why Tom killed himself, and I know what Lily's message said."

"Im the only one in the world who can answer your questions.

She ran her hands through her hair and smiled.

Three people in my family had died, and the police were taking things seriously.

The news caught national attention.

Everyone was curious about what Lily's message said.

Reporters swarmed our house, wanting to interview Mom.

She closed the doors and held our family photo every day.

It was Dads wake, the police pulled his body from the river.

It was unrecognizable, after being in the river.

But the weirdest thing was, he had a smile on his face, like the one on Lily and Grandma's faces.

The police found this unsettling, after dying being drowned, the expressions would not be smiling.

When she saw Dad's body, Mom finally started crying.

She wiped her tears and smiled, laughing uncontrollably.

Facing the cameras, Mom finally spoke.

Her voice was tired, but strong.

"Our family problems have gotten attention."

"Ive received many calls from people who want to know what Lily's last words were, and why they led her grandmother and father to commit suicide."

"I don't think it's time to solve the puzzle."

Mom invited everyone for the reveal, one year later.

Everyone was confused, but decided to wait.

I took a year off of school and stayed with my mother.

I didn't want her to kill herself.

But I was wrong, during the year, Mom was strong.

She went to work, cooked, went shopping, and even took an flower class.

You wouldn't be able to tell she was sad.

The media faded away, and people forgot about our family.

But I knew things weren't over.

Mom started keeping a journal.

She didn't let me read it, and kept it well-hidden.

I didn't force her.

A year went by fast.

Mom reserved a ballroom, to share Lilys message.

Mom started speaking.

"Lisa, come over here."

I was confused, but stood by her.

Mom smiled and gently touched my hair.

Then, she grabbed my hand.

"Honey, I know you're a good girl."

"Now, I'm going to tell you, what Lily wrote in her last words."

She looked up and said the words into my ear