His ten seconds came on August 14th.

10.

On the tenth floor of his backstreet apartment in the slummy part of town, he slid open his window to gaze at the New York City skyline. 

8.

“I’m ready,” he said as he grabbed the plastic bag.

7.

He raised the bag above his head, but then smashed it to the ground as different voices erupted in his head.
[Don’t do it]

He put his hands on his head and told himself that no one would care.

4.

He reached for the plastic bag again. 

3.

Suddenly, as if he got hit by a baseball, he looked out the window and remembered his sister and how she would smile at him—for just being him. 

2.

He picked up the phone next to the window and calls his sister. 

“Hey-”

“Hey!”

“I…I just wanted to…hear your voice, sis.”

“Don’t worry…about anything. Whatever it is, I’ll punch its face and put it back where it came from!”

He laughed and forgot all about the plastic bag that somehow traveled out the window. He caught a glimpse of it drifting off into the sunset.

0.