Fate

• Hiya Patel, Grade 7
• Short Story
• 2017

”Change my story,” Arthur repeated.
Avanya shook her head stubbornly. Arthur ran his hand through his neatly combed hair as anger bubbled furiously inside him. He stood up. As he turned to face Avanya he pulled out a knife.
He’d spent months on this plan to change his fate and to live a happy life. All this time of waiting couldn’t be repaid by going back empty handed. He needed to remove the last thorn in his path. He ran towards Avanya as she frantically searched the shelves around her for a weapon. All she managed to find was the book. In almost a split second Arthur pushed the knife into her stomach. She continued screaming Arthur’s name until she could do no more than breathe softly.
Arthur held up the bloody knife in the front of his face as the screams from behind him ceased. His hands shook as he realised that he had murdered someone but he kept his expression stern. He dropped the knife onto the blood-smothered carpet and backed away from it, stumbling upon the corpse behind him. The book in the hand of the corpse caught Arthur’s eye. It was his book. The words on the page stood out to him; Arthur by Avanya Frost. Frustration took over him at the name of Avanya but he couldn’t help but think about his name on the page.
‘Arthur.’ His name echoed repeatedly in his head. Arthur clutched the edge of the bed as he swallowed deeply. He stared at the book. Avanya Frost; The one who had written his fate. The one who had decided to kill him. The one who he had killed.
Months ago he had been an intelligent book character designed by an author. He had been a ‘nobody’ who was destined to lose each one of his family members and whose sorrowful life was to be put to an end by getting murdered. Today he was Arthur. Finally he could rewrite his life. He had cleared all the obstacles that would come in his way. He had won. The guilt in Arthur’s eyes changed to triumph as his mouth curved into a grin. The room filled with his hysterical laughter.
Memories flashed in Arthur’s head. He saw himself flipping through the book that had turned out to be the news of his future death. Arthur remembered looking outside the window. All he had seen was a city that was fake; an amusement written for the leisure of those in the real world. He remembered realising that he was in that city. He had been a part of it. Arthur remembered moving into the real world. He could hear Avanya’s screaming as he saw himself stab the knife into her stomach. He remembered all of it.
Arthur snatched the book out of the hand and picked up a pen. He scribbled out the name of the author. Instead, wrote a new one; Arthur. He opened the book, ready to write his fate.