choice

Lightning cracks the sky leaving the loud rumble of thunder in its wake. I stand, catching the raindrops in my hands watching it mix with dark red blood. Tears streak my face as the rain creates a sad song, an echo of my failure. Before me lies a red rose. Its bloody beauty blaming me for the tears that fall from innocent eyes. The rose begins to burn; a bright orange flame licks its velvet petals. The ash washes away in seconds.

      Ahead of me, the finish line taunts me with the prospect of winning. To my right the blurry faces of the crowd cheer me on. I whip my head back to the finish line, closer now, and… I win. My sister, Anne, runs up to me with a big smile. She showers praises on me, but I don’t hear her. My mind has wondered elsewhere to my upcoming decision; Dark? Or Light? Out of instinct my eyes flick to the walls scanning the shadows looking for the telltale – there! Red eyes stare back at me and the whisper of a clock can be heard. “I’m not ready.” I whisper. My sister’s eyes widen. She knows. She is the only one that does. “We have to leave.” I say quickly, “Now.” I take her hand and rush home, but not before I hear the whisper of a word. “Choose.”

      That night the shadows dance on the walls while the light plays in the moon. Dreams of horror and beauty entrap me, and I struggle to wake. A rose flits before my vision, dripping with blood. My voice cracks the cool air, shattering the night sky.  The light giggles outside my window. “Soon.” The shadows whisper. “Soon.”

The sun brightens my room and scares the shadows away, but brings the light. I stand and walk to my closet to find roses littered everywhere taunting me with my upcoming decision. The roses weave a straight path to my mirror. Without stepping on the soft petals or sharp thorns; I face my reflection. Shadows bloom under my eyes but gold rims my irises. My brown hair has taken for a midnight black with golden streaks. My breath catches, but before I can scream my reflection returns to normal. My head fills with the solemn tick- tock of a clock. A minute passes and I release a sigh. “It’s time” they whisper and dark laughter floods the air. I hold my head high…

      “I choose to not choose.” The moment these words leave my lips screams fill the air. Shadows whip around the room and a storm lashes outside. “Rose!” my sisters shrill voice pulls me away. I run down the halls of my house as the walls burn with black fire. The flames burn and grow till I am forced to fight the pain to get Anne. “ANNE!” I shout. I reach her door and swing it open, but I’m too late. Her body lies limp by a sword made of light. Her small face forever locked in fear. I rush to her side and take her hand. Blood drips on the floor and I release a scream. My screams rip through the sky tearing apart my heart. The storm quiets, and I’m quickly surrounded by shadows but blinded by light. “CHOOSE!” Their voices mix with my screams; “CHOOSE!” and with a last look at my sister I run away from it all. The storm whips up again and the screams of the innocent fill my heart as more people fall. I caused this; all of it. I run through the storm, the rain soaking my clothes. I run. Wanting to escape but knowing I can’t.

      My heart burns with grief, but I continue to run. I see a little girl standing beside her mother; her dead mother. I freeze. Tears streak her face. I reach for her, but the demon gets there first. She falls with a shriek. Her blood blurs my vision and I stumble away. I look at the girl, lying so still beside her mother. The shadows’ hollow laugh reverberates through me, filling me with a sharp pang of hatred. How could they laugh at loss? How could they cause it? How and… and Why? Anger fills me and I stand tall. Facing the demon, I take another chance.

      “I’ve made my final choice,” my voice barely rises above a whisper. “But I will only tell you if you can promise me something.”

His red eyes glow with amusement, “and what is that pretty girl.”

I hold my chin high, “You have to stop this madness.”

He snaps his fingers “Done.” The storm lessens a bit.

“I’m not finished yet.” I say with a smile, “And let me choose.”

His red eyes stare into mine, as I hold his stare, a smile creeps across his face. “Deal Princess. Now choose.”

I suck in my breath. “This better work.” I whisper. With a sweet little smile I say “I choose me.”

He reaches for my hand but he ghosts through me. I gasp and yank my hand away, while he slowly morphs into a… boy. His eyes sparkle and I find my heart racing. He takes my hand now, smiling because his hand is as solid as mine. He whispers in my ear, his winsome voice distracting me from the horror of his words. “You made the wrong choice sweet heart.” I smile, “Sweetheart now? Jeez you really have a way with names.” He scowls at me and yanks me against his chest. “Now Rose,” he sneers “You said you made a choice. Now what is it?” I laugh “Oh you. Didn’t you realize? I tricked you.” His sparkling eyes flood with shadows. I continue, “I did make my choice. I choose me, as in me, myself, and I.” the boy fades and I once again face the shadow. “You just don’t know when to quit, do you?” he growls. He vanishes and strength floods me. He’s right, I don’t know when to quit.

I run towards my house through the heavy rains. Lightning strikes my house multiple times, but a fire ceases to exist. Inside the walls are slick with ash and the carpets are stained black. My sisters’ bedroom door hangs by one hinge and I swallow back a sob. Now is not the time for grief. Now is the time to stop it. I march into my room and I’m struck with a sense of tranquility. My room is just as I left it. Unmade bed, roses, a picture of my- no. I shake my head. “Light!” I shout “Dark! Stop this pain and ruin. Stop hurting the innocent. Don’t you see what you’re doing?” My room suddenly floods with light and shadows appear out of thin air. “You made your choice.” their voices echo of the walls. “This is your doing. Not ours.” I shake my head “No.” I whisper. “Out of everyone in the world, our courts choose you to make a very important choice. You had to choose. You have to choose. Dark or light? Good or evil? Choose, Rose, Choose. Your choice is yours, only yours to bear, and so are the consequences. So choose.” The shadows and light separate and occupy opposite sides of my room. I stand in the middle unchoosing until… “NO!” a burst of energy races out of me and agony fills me. A searing pain slices through my heart.  My screams mix with those of dark and light as I destroy the choice to choose. The world fades from view and darkness fills my head.

      I wake in a hospital bed surrounded by flowers.  The nurse busies herself with changing bed sheets. She eventually stalks to my side. “I’m so sorry.” She whispers. I sit up and come face to face with my reflection. One red eye and one blue stare back at me and I scream. I jump to my feet and the nurse struggles to tie me down, but I escape her grasp. My feet carry me outside into the pouring rain. The blood caked on my hands and the tears streaked on my face mix with the rain. Before me lies a red rose. Its bloody beauty blaming me for the tears that fall from innocent eyes. The rose begins to burn; a bright orange flame licks its velvet petals. The ash washes away in seconds.