Decisions

• Lainey James, Grade 9, Bacchus Marsh Grammar School
• Short Story
• 2016

Finalist in the 'Top Secret 2016' competition

I had never believed that we were ruled by destiny, that every choice we made led to one predestined outcome. But as I stand here watching the chaos surround me, condemned to watching the world crumble, I realise that every thought and idea we have, every word that passes our lips, every decision whether conscious or subconscious affects the world, jeopardises it and dooms humanity to extinction. And it all started with one person, one child who decided to go left instead of right, decided to become friends with the boy who lived downtown instead of the girl who lived right next door, decided to join the army instead of going to the best university in the state, decided that humanity was not worth saving and instead had to be exterminated.
The boy although born to a happy mother and father, grew up in a terrible world, ruled by crimes so horrific, that no peace could be found and technology, that only disconnected the future generations from the outside world. It all started with the boy’s decision to take a shortcut home, going through the dangers of downtown New York instead of around, where he stumbled across a boy the same age of him and became best friends. This led to a friendship between two boys from two very different worlds, until 5 years later where the best friend of this boy died, beaten to death from his abusive, alcoholic father. This was the first tragedy that befell this boy, and what started him on the path to hate. Now if he had decided to go the long way, he would have stumbled upon his neighbour and experienced love not tragedy and would may never had ended up as broken and hopeless.
This catastrophe led to the boy deciding to join the army, instead of accepting the scholarship to the best university in the state. Where he witnessed suffering and death that not only destroyed him but also opened his eyes to the fact that our race is a hopeless case, not deserving to be protected or cherished or saved, a selfish and greedy race that destroys its only home and its animals, that murders and abuses and assaults its very own, a race of monsters.
This enlightenment led to the boy’s judgement that the only solution to the problem was the decimation of the human race, and so he committed the biggest terrorist attack known to man, killing 6.9 billion people, the innocent and guilty in the name of retribution. If only this boy at the age of 12 turned right instead of left. Because it all comes down to one decision that led to the end of the world.
“Anyone who has begun to think, places some portion of the world in jeopardy.” -John Dewey