By Benjamin Roy Hostetter
Harris Havok has, as the title suggests, died—shot in the head to death by his own hand, leaving his wife, Georgia, who’s pregnant, bereaved, confused by her husband’s suicide, as he had seemed genuinely happy and not at all despondent, anxious, or scared when he was told that he was going to be a father. In fact, he’d told her. He said, “I couldn’t be more thrilled, really,” when asked whether he was mad, glad, or what about the baby. It was only when he gave up smoking (the doctor had mentioned something to the effect of needing to remove any and all “environmental risks”) that he, Harris, the supposed hero of the story, began to show the initial signs and symptoms of someone who’s severely depressed. Of course, this wouldn’t be the first time he’s gotten down about things. In the past, he’s been known to get so upset and sad that he often considered taking his own life, of which his wife, it’s said, has been aware of for some time now, thus explaining her concern, fear. Hence, she seeks the help and advice from her parents, friends, and co-workers, all of whom dismiss this as just a case of getting cold feet. However, that—the notion, or belief, that this, like so many other crises of the past, will eventually work itself out—was soon put to rest, when he, Harris, shot and killed himself, leaving nothing behind besides a box and a note. To better understand what has happened, and why, Georgia, with some help from an Editor, takes that box and its contents and tries to piece together, as best as either of them can, the events leading up to this moment, the end result being not so much an instruction manual as a sort of cautionary tale / survivor’s guide for the depressed person.
