Flash fiction prompt from https://www.eadeverell.com/flash-fiction-prompts/. 2. “He twisted his fate between his fingers…” Here is the second prompt of the list. Comment and share if you've enjoyed!
Adam was faced with a choice, a life-changing choice. A dilemma if you will. The fact that he had any power in this was astounding. Some may say that everything was predetermined, and that free will was but an illusion. Yet, there he stood, two strings in hand, one red, one white, with an incredible decision to make.
Adam considered himself an ordinary human, dealing with the usual hardships life throws at people. From the divorce of his parents to heartbreaks, he often had wondered where he fit in the world and struggled with self-confidence. However, he had learned to overcome these challenges over time.
The young man would be the first to say that his upbringing was very ordinary. He grew up with his older brother in a middle-class home with both parents working to ensure they had the future they wanted. His parents split up amicably after he finished high school, just as he went to college where he studied and experienced life. He spent a few summers working part-time and travelling across the country. After graduating, he ended up with a very boring office job, but at least it provided a healthy steady income.
He had followed the expected path and was getting closer to achieving the goals society had placed before him. All Adam needed was to buy a house, create a family, have a couple kids. He dated a bit in his young adulthood; some dates ended horribly, others went well enough. He had a few serious relationships, but none ever felt just right.
One day, it just happened. Meeting the love of his life in a grocery store, in the fruit section, wasn't how he pictured it, but Adam knew it was right as their hands briefly touched over the same golden apple and their eyes met. He had never felt those butterflies for anyone before. They both laughed at the situation, and what was a random encounter turned into a coffee date. That had been the beginning for him.
Though his life hadn't been as exciting as he'd dreamed, Adam considered it successful. There were a few moments he was proud of, thinking back at all he had done in his thirty-something years. Like the soccer tournament he won when he was a kid. He had said to his parents that he wanted to be a professional soccer player. They had kindly, but firmly, steered him away from that path. He was fond of the moments he had spent travelling, as he had met so many fantastic people on different paths of life. His only regret was not having traveled abroad.
Of course, the highlight of his life was the past few years with the love of his life. Though Adam wasn't entirely fulfilled with his career, he cherished his friendships and enjoyed various hobbies in his free time. Besides hiking and camping when the weather permitted it, he loved literature that transported him in new worlds as well as video games with well-crafted stories. His significant other also helped make him feel complete. While it wasn't always perfect and there had been arguments that almost broke them apart, their shared life brought so much more joy than pain. They finally had been about to get married when he got hit by a car and died unexpectedly.
Now, he was here. People might call this place limbo, where souls wander awaiting judgement. An immaterial shimmering entity had appeared to welcome Adam and explain how things worked in this between worlds. It said that every soul entering this space had a choice to make, to stay and try to get back to their body for a second chance, or to move on and leave the material plane behind.
The entity was clear on one thing: staying didn't mean a guarantee a soul would live again; it was a chance to try. If they failed, they would remain without a body and unable to come back here. If he decided to move on, the entity didn't provide exact details, but it would mark the end of his journey. It did sound like peace might await him, one way or another. Adam assumed it was some sort of heaven, where he could finally rest.
Adam was faced with two options and his time was running out, as the large hourglass kept reminding him. He was unsure which path he should choose. He thought about all the things he was leaving behind, the people he loved. It was tempting to take his chances with life, but the consequences were terrifying. The rewards, however, were worth selling your soul for: another chance at living, at achieving his dreams. The other path would lead him into the unknown, leaving everything else behind for good. Both choices were rooted in uncertainty, both offered hope.
He twisted his fate between his fingers nervously as he weighed the choice offered to him. The consequences were too heavy for Adam to decide on a whim. He was torn, because part of him wanted to take the safer path, the one that would lead him into the light, even if he didn't know where he would end up. Surprisingly, the finality of this option didn't scare him as much as he expected.
His heart was tugging the other way, towards gambling for a chance at happiness in the material world. Just when he had finally found it, he had lost it. It felt unfair and now was his chance to reach for it again.
The last grains of sand flowed from the top half of he hourglass into the bottom half. The entity's voice, ethereal and deep, resounded around him.
You time is up, mortal. Please make a choice.
Adam hesitated, but he could sense the gaze of the eyeless shape of light staring at him. Reluctantly, he let go the white string and held on to the red one.
Very well, your choice has been acknowledged, said the entity.
Before Adam had a chance to reconsider, blinding light emanated from the entity, pulling him towards the ground. Although he didn't need air, he was a dead soul, he felt like the breath had been knocked out of his lungs. The brightness around him made place to darkness, still leaving without sight, but he could hear voices becoming clearer as slowly color came back. One, he recognized painfully.
- Please Adam, come back to me...
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