The Aaliyah Paradox

• Sophie Carmichael, Grade 10
• Short Story
• 2018

I have been given a choice, a choice between life and death. The ground violently shakes beneath me, the air getting tighter and heavier on my body every passing second. I've taken too long to decide. So many things at stake, so many decisions and yet so little time. How could I possibly make a decision? Decisions. I've always sucked at making decisions. A moment of realisation hits me when I realise, I still remember something about myself. Though minor, it gives me a sense of hope in this void between life and death.
However, the doubt quickly returns. I look down at my pale, scratched up hands. These hands brought upon the end of the world and when I did finally awake from my evil inner self's rampage...these hands couldn't even do anything then. I'm not even capable of making a simple decision between saving my friends or the love of my life from the wrath of my father and his minions. Perhaps, they've already suffered and now they're dead because of me? In this blank space between humanity and the afterlife, time doesn't exist. I wouldn't be surprised if I have been in limbo for days. Now Death is becoming impatient.
The dark, cloudy void booms with lightning as his anger grows. I force myself off the cold ground and turn my head to the left where a wall of chaos stretching as far as my eye can see depicts life. Meanwhile, to my right, another wall depicts death. It consists of a confused mixture of black and white. Hell and Heaven. Though uncertain of where I shall spend my afterlife, it seems calm. Perhaps in death, I'll finally be at peace?
No. My friends need me. I swing my head back to the left, to the chaos.
My father has finally gotten everything he's ever wanted, he wants me to think like this. To back down and stay down. At first, he wished to use me as his own personal weapon against humanity, however, I managed to escape from his grasp. With the help of my friends, with the help of my guardian angel, with the help of my lover. Thinking of letting them down yet another time brings tears to my eyes.
I've decided! I yell at the top of my lungs and the madness around me ceases. Taking a shaky breath, I make my choice, I choose life.
Death hears my plea and a shadowy, seven feet tall figure appears before me. In his hands, he holds a gleaming scythe which he bangs three times against the black stone ground. Suddenly, everything appears to move in slow motion. With a swift swing of his scythe, I find myself being propelled back into life. The wall of chaos and humanity engulfs me so I can walk the Earth once again.
My name is Aaliyah and I may be the daughter of the antichrist, but that doesn't mean that I will walk in his footsteps.