Impossible...

When faced with the choice to life or die peacefully. What do you choose?

A lone man stands on the precipice of life and death; looking down upon the memories of his life. The good, the bad, the painful and the beautiful images all melded together to tell the whole of his life in a mere few moments. Only all those that he knew and loved would never be able to see this. None could see his trials and accomplishments like this; raw, unadulterated, truthful.

No, this experience was for himself and no other. It was in this moment where he either decided to jump and lay his own soul to rest, or to turn his back on his past, wake up and embrace the future and continue living. 

In the past he could rest, he could continue living his life the way he had dreamed, with no pain and abuse. The only thing it would be lacking would be the reality that life gives everyone; the chance to make anything happen if you try, the chance to get stronger with each hardship you face. If he took just one more step he could return to before his best friend, his childhood friend of thirty-five years, betrayed him and quite literally stabbed him in the back. He could go back to before the love of his life took her last few, painful, haggard breaths as he clutched her bleeding form to his chest in a vain attempt to hold her life to himself. Yes, just one step and he could live the life he had always thought would last forever. 

But... The future always held promise... He had learnt that when he had taken the first few steps after being told he would never walk again. He had learned that when he had survived the bloody massacre of a terrorist attack on the bank he had been in. He had always been taught to push forward, to continue living and fighting to reap the rewards that awaited those who truly tried. He had survived a crippling fall that snapped his lower back and nearly killed him, and was suppose to ensure that he would never walk again. He could now run quite comfortably. He survived twelve agonizing hours of having a gun held to his head and a knife cutting into his throat. In the end he found the love of his life in those horrendous hours. 

The indecision tore him apart as he stood, not moving for what felt like years in this ethereal realm. Somewhere in his mind he knew that there was likely people trying to keep him alive in what he could only think of as the 'Real World'. That there was only so long before whatever rope that tethered him to life was cut and the chance to turn back was lost forever. 

As he stood, he subconsciously called to the images of his life that were the strongly positive ones. There was his younger life; the times he had spent with his friend, the mischief they had gotten into, the times when they would share their deepest secrets and feeling with each other for advice or to simply lighten the burden on their young minds. He saw the woman he would come to call his wife, the woman that he would have traded anything to save. He saw her as she was the very first day; tear streaked, pale face, blond hair dirty and knotted, blue eyes begging to simply live through the day. He saw her as she was at their wedding only six months later; the better of any angel that god created as she stood wreathed in the light of the setting sun. 

The next to pass his eyes was the images of his family; a rag-tag group of people bound my more than the conventional ties of modern day families; it was a group with a deep bond of comradeship and love; something that was solidified and strengthened by the hardships they had all bourn together. 

Slowly, with careful deliberation the man shifted only slightly. But that slightness sealed his fate forever more; what he chose had no chance of turning back. No chance of changing his mind. It was either live and fight on in the wilderness of modern society, or let go and float in the blissfulness he had finally earned a place to reside in; eternally with his wife and friend as they were before fate tore them away from him. 

The strange precipice fell away, leaving him in a bright darkness that held no bearing and seemed to extend onwards forever. As he lay, suspended in the darkness, he saw his wife. He saw her in all her perfection, and behind her smiling gently, was his best friend. 

He felt the petal soft touch of her lips against his and he knew that he had made the right decision...

He woke up.

Author's Note

Tell me what you think?