A Second Chance

• Bolu Ifesanwo, Grade 9
• Short Story
• 2022

Sara was finally going to do it. “This is the best way,” she tells herself. The anxiety and depression were getting too much. She could feel the wind on her face as she stood on the roof of her apartment. She steps towards the edge facing the alley. ‘No one will care, Sara, you’re worthless anyway’ whispers Despair. “I’m worthless anyway” Sara mutters as she takes another step to the edge. ‘Keep going Sara’ he encourages. Sara takes more steps. ‘You’re doing the right thing remember the pain will finally be over; you will be free!’ He says as she stands on the very edge.
Despair falls to the ground, with a searing pain in his side. He looks up and sees an angelic being with pristine white wings and a sword in her hand. Despair doesn’t hesitate, he stands up and grabs his sword. The angel may have had the element of surprise, but her strength deteriorates as Despair charges with his sword. “This foul demon, I can’t keep this up much longer,” she cries out.
Another flutter of white wings stands beside Sara and starts whispering to her.
Sara, still standing on the edge, suddenly hears softly spoken words “Cast your cares on the Lord, he will never leave you nor forsake you.” These words soothed her, and the voice sounded different from the one she had been hearing for the past week, it sounded, hopeful.
“Umm... God, I don’t know what to do, but if you love me can you send me a sign?”
As Despair saw another angel speaking to Sara, he let out a guttural cry. When the attacking angel got a rush of energy from Sara’s prayer, he knew he was finished and just before her sword hit his body in desperation he yelled, ‘See, nothing happened not even God could love you,’ as he disappeared in a puff of smoke.
Those words were enough to convince Sara.
As her feet left contact with the building, fear coursed through her body, she had been deceived. She didn’t want to die, but it was too late.
Her screams were silenced with a sickening thud.
Sara knelt on the alley floor, her face pale as she tries to register what had just happened. She looks back at the dumpster she landed in, the dumpster that saved her life when she was so sure she wanted to end it. Suddenly the realisation hits her, it was the prayer, the dumpster didn’t save her life, God did. She begins to cry, “I don’t deserve this.”
Up above the two angels stare dumbstruck at what just happened.
“Looks like God’s giving her a second chance” one whispers.
A guttural cry came from the fortress. Satan sat on his throne seething about what had happened. He had lost his best warrior today. He glares at the sky “You may have saved another but beware, we will be waiting to strike again, and this time we will not miss!”