Choose Your Own Adventure Story

1
You wake from your deep slumber, dazed as your
morning grogginess takes its course. You stumble
across your apartment bedroom to the bathroom,
tripping over clothes and schoolbooks. You look
in the mirror and notice that you arent looking
too great. Your skin is pale, slightly damp, and
you are starting to feel a little queasy. You
remember youve not felt well the past couple
days, and you consider stopping into the clinic
one block over. However, you do have a lot of
schoolwork to do, and might have some friends
over later. What do you do?
Go to the doctor
Stay home youll be fine
2
As you fill out the paperwork for the doctors
office, you tick off the boxes with your
symptoms. You have frequent night sweats, have
recently acquired a pale complexion, and
frequently have a fever. The doctor examines you,
and requests blood work to determine the exact
cause of your symptoms.
Refuse
Accept
3
You decide that being home sounds like a more
exciting option. You grab some food and Tylenol,
hoping your symptoms will subside. Finally, you
sit down on your couch and think about all the
things you could do on this chilly Saturday.
Go to an art museum
Focus on your artistic desires
Have friends over
Work on homework
4
There is no way youre letting this doctor shove
a needle in your arm. You thank him for his
service, and decide you will just go home and
take some Tylenol, hoping the fever, headache,
and growing swollenness in your chest will
subside. Suddenly, you remember youve been
meaning to get milk from the grocery store to
cook tonights dinner. Do you walk the three
blocks to get the milk that you need for cooking,
or do you go home youll send someone out to
get it later.
5
You grudgingly allow the doctor to take the
required blood work, nervous as to the outcome.
In three hours time, the doctor walks back in and
informs you that unfortunately, you have
leukemia. He claims he can give you some
medication that might ease the pain, but it is
terminal. He assumes you will have about two
months to live. You are shocked, and accept the
medication. As you walk out the door of the
clinic, you cant decide whether to feel bitter
and upset that you will die soon, or live life as
freely as you can because you know you dont have
much longer.
6
Enter the Passage
You decide to go to the local art museum down the
street. You look at all the paintings, enthused
as usual. Suddenly, you accidentally nudge one of
the paintings. The painting moves to reveal a
secret passageway. Do you enter the passage and
fulfill your curiosity, or put the painting back
and mind your own business?
Put the painting back and move on
7
You have school Monday, and have some serious
work you need to do on your projects. You put on
your pajamas, turn on some pleasant music, and
curl up with your laptop to begin work. Suddenly,
you hear a crash come from the bedroom of your
apartment. Alarmed, you stare at your doorway, as
if expecting someone to charge in with a
machete. Maybe you just heard a sound effect in
the music youre listening to
Continue working on homework
Go investigate
8
Since you really dont want to do the minimal
amount of homework you have, and you dont really
feel like leaving your apartment, you decide to
have some friends over. You call your
boyfriend/girlfriend and tell them to invite a
couple of people over. As you hang up, you
realize how messy your apartment is. You begin to
clean, when you hear a crash from your bedroom.
You stop what youre doing and stare at the door.
Continue Cleaning
Go investigate
9
You decide that since you are really wanting to
enter the Creativity Contest that your friend is
hosting, you should get to work. After all, the
reward is 50,000 towards an art school of your
choice. Now the question is, writing or video
production?
10

• The milk is undoubtedly a necessity. You take the
  time to walk the three blocks to the small
  convenient store that sells milk. As you walk to
  the counter to pay, you suddenly feel a hard
  object pressing into your back.
• Do as I say, and nothing goes wrong,
  the man says, his voice growly and reeking of
  alcohol. He shoves the gun deeper into your back.
  Come with me.
• Part of you knows those three years of
  kung fu lessons can pay off here in this
  convenient store, but the other part knows
  everyone around you is at risk. One stray bullet
  is all it would take.

Turn around and Kung Fu the crap out of him
Go along with him, keeping those in the store safe
11

• Its not so much that you choose to be bitter,
  more like the bitterness overtakes you like a
  mother eagle protecting her babies. You wander
  the streets. Whats the point of going home?
  Theres no reason to survive. Youre going to die
  soon. The screaming sensation echoes in your
  ears.
• Youre going to die, it repeatedly
  states. Theres no way you can stop it. You can
  either continue on your destination to nowhere,
  or retreat to your gloomy fortress.

Keep walking
Go home
12
You decide being bitter isnt going to solve
anything, and definitely wont make you feel
better. You take off outside, ecstatic that you
have an excuse to blow all your money on things
youve always wanted to spend it on. What will
you do first?
Go to Paris
Go skydiving
Go shopping
Get married
Go to China
13

• Youre mischief gets the best of you. You
  proceed down the passage, moving the picture to
  cover the entrance. You break out your iPod to
  use as a modern-day torch. With your ear buds in,
  you come to a fork in this mysterious tunnel. To
  the left you see a bright light. It could
  possibly be a way out of the tunnel into a new
  place. To the right you see pitch black darkness,
  but you think you hear voices.
• Follow me, the voices say. This way.
  They drift
• off.

• Follow the light
• Follow the voices

14

• You decide that the passage can only lead to
  trouble, so you put the painting back on the
  wall. As you continue through the museum, you
  notice a strange buzzing follows you along the
  wall. Perplexed, you wonder if youre hearing
  things. There is a pale boy, about your age, with
  shoulder-length purple hair and a Depeche Mode
  shirt standing about five feet in front of you.
• Stop it, no, he repeats, grabbing his ears.
• Maybe he hears what I hear, you think to
  yourself.

Stay the heck away boy is CRAZY
Ask him what he hears
15

• You arent concerned at all. You go back to
  doing your homework, when suddenly everything
  goes black. When you wake up, you hear voices
  speaking, but you cant see anything.
• Yeah, we have them, the voice offers. No,
  they have a blindfold on.
• THATS why I cant see anything, you reason
  silently.
• Suddenly, your blindfold slips off and you see
  three men, all bearing arms. They dont notice
  your blindfold is off. If youre quiet, you might
  be able to sneak to the door in the back of the
  room. Or, you can keep still and hope to get a
  safer exit.

16
A little timid, you stalk towards your bedroom.
You hear repeated crashes, and hesitate. You run
back to the kitchen to grab a knife. As you
retreat back towards your room. You stop beside
the doorway and press yourself against the wall.
You peek around and see a stereotypical man
dressed in black. You turn back toward the living
room. Do you run out of the apartment and call
the cops, or do you attack the intruder with your
butcher knife?
17
Unconcerned, you continue picking up your
clothes. After all, youre having company and no
one wants to see a messy house. As you finish
your cleaning, you lie down to take a brief nap.
You wake up seven hours later, astonished that
you slept so long. You are also upset that you
have let your friends down. Its dark in your
apartment, and there is a burning, sticky sting
in your mouth. You notice theres a mess on the
carpet. Do you clean the carpet, or go figure out
whats wrong with your mouth?
18

• Writing is the choice for you. You begin writing
  and allow your emotions to pour from your mind to
  the paper in front of you. When you have finally
  finished, you go back to revise your work. You
  feel like youve read this before, but you dont
  know where.
• Maybe I accidentally copied the idea from
  someone, you admit. You search through your
  entire collection of books and do not find
  anything. You think maybe youve written this
  story before, but part of your gut tells you not
  to look.

Search away
Go with your gut
19

• You go to your computer and begin your
  production. Your idea is an ex-convict escapes
  jail, only to discover he is mentally unstable.
  You begin searching for possible replications
  you dont want to copy anyones idea when
  suddenly your computer begins flashing random
  letters and numbers.
• What the you say out loud. You back away
  from the computer. Do you wait to see what
  happens, or call a computer programmer?

20
You completed Kung Fu classes successfully, so
you feel incredibly confident as you turn around
to kick the man in the stomach. Unfortunately, it
seems he predicted this, and he shoots you square
between the eyes. He is later arrested, so you
saved the people in the store, but in the process
you have sacrificed yourself.
21
As you walk, you dont know your destination. All
you know is your feet will guide you where you
need to go. Suddenly, you end up in front of an
abandoned warehouse on a beach. The warehouse
looks completely barren, and you question whether
you should explore further.
Go in the warehouse
See where else your feet lead you
22

• As you arrive back home to your apartment, you
  realize you have a throbbing headache from the
  days events. You grab the closest pill bottle
  and pop the two Advil, awaiting the relief.
• You lay down on your couch and close your eyes,
  and you never wake up. Unfortunately, instead of
  taking Advil, you have taken your dogs sleep
  medication. Guess you should have been more
  careful.

23
Continue walking about Paris
Ask if they want to talk someplace

• Youve always admired the beauty of Paris, and
  since youre going to die soon, why not visit the
  one place you truly desire to go to? You love the
  bright city lights and warm atmosphere the
  whole city has the feel of a coffee shop. As you
  stare up at the quaint buildings, you dont pay
  attention and run into somebody.
• Pardon! they apologize.
• Im so sorry! you cry.
• Suddenly, your eyes lock. Their eyes are a
  hazel, rimmed with gold, and their hair is a
  light shade of brown. They smile, you smile. You
  think you might know where this is going.

24
In every cliché story, the person goes skydiving
when they find out they are about to die, so you
decide to try it out. You climb aboard the plane
and it takes off. Finally, you have reached the
highest point of altitude and as the directions
are read off, you start to have second
thoughts. No, you think to yourself. Im here,
Im going to do this. You jump from the plane,
the adrenaline pumping through your veins. Below
you the ground grows closer. You wonder why you
arent slowing down. Much too late, you realize
you forgot to let out your parachute in the midst
of your excitement. The last thing heard from you
is a bloodcurdling scream, and the crunch of your
bones breaking as you hit the ground.
25
You have all the money youve ever saved up to
spend before you die, so you plan a trip to the
nicest department stores you can think of. You
buy countless amounts of shoes, pants, and
shirts, as well as a few last bottles of cologne
hey, who said the dead have to smell bad? This
is the kind of life Ive always wanted to live,
you think to yourself. Can I help you maam?
the closest concierge asks you. No, thank you,
you say, beaming. You continue spending money
until you have maxed out all your Visas, and
there is not one single dime to your name.
Nothing can go wrong until you get a call from
the doctors office. You stare at your Caller ID,
the number flashing INCOMING CALL.
Answer Ignore
26
You are not going to die single. You call up your
significant other. Lets get married! you
say. Um. Excuse me? they ask. You explain
your situation to them, and they are shocked, but
undoubtedly willing. Meet me at the church on
54th Street, they say. Do I need actual
wedding attire? I dont have any No, just
hurry.
Go straight to the church
Go buy an outfit
27
Why am I going to China? you ask yourself. You
have no idea why, but you have a distinct calling
to go to China. There is a war raging there, and
you want a sneak peek at the chaos you sadist.
As you arrive, you look around at the apocalyptic
mess. Dead bodies decorate the barren wasteland.
Suddenly, you see a single tree providing shade
with a stream running alongside. You kneel at the
river, drinking its purity. Suddenly, you feel
all-powerful. You walk towards a body crumpled
under the tree and touch it. It shakes,
awakening. The young boy stares at you,
bewildered at your power.
Leave the dead and take your powers elsewhere
Revive the entire dead
28
State your purpose
You comfortably follow the light at the end of
the tunnel. It opens into a utopia of butterflies
and are those unicorns? You rub your eyes in
disbelief. Human! something screams and every
creature around you runs far away. The beautiful
green grass withers to a black, ashy substance.
You step forward and suddenly are surrounded by
centaurs. What is your purpose? one with brown
hair asks. You stand befuddled. Answer me!
he shrieks, his thick spit smacking you in the
face.
Fake passing out
29
You follow the voices beckoning you. You stumble
numerous times, dirt filling your mouth
significantly more each time. The voices grow
louder and louder. You grow more terrified, but
its not like youre going to turn
around. Shhh, they repeat. Here they
come! Hide, hide, hide! Confused, everything
suddenly becomes bright. Surprise! A massive
group of people jumps up in your face and
screams. You are shocked beyond comprehension,
shrieking incoherently. Whats wrong, Grandma?
a toddler walks up and asks. You hear the
doctors talking a few feet away to a tall man of
about thirty with thick brown hair just like
yours. We thought her episodes were over. She
must have blacked out on the way to the room.
Were sorry. Theres no cure for this illness,
sir. We are truly sorry. You look behind you.
You must have blacked out, but you dont remember
who you are, where you came from. You didnt come
from a tunnel at all. You came from the hallway
of St. Matthews Psychiatric Institution, and you
will live here crazy for the rest of your
life.
30
You walk up to the boy and ask what he is upset
about. Th-they wont leave me alone, he
answers. He seems confused on whether he should
tell you anything or not. I hear it, too, you
say, forcing a smile. How long? Just started
today, about ten minutes ago. They want you to
go in that tunnel, right? I think so. How did
you know? I found the tunnel a few weeks
back, he looks around. Follow me, we arent
safe here.
31
You make eye contact with boy, but never talk to
him. You walk out of the art museum and cant
help but feel watched. You take the alley, your
typical shortcut back home, and are suddenly
confronted by two burly men in all black. You
turn around, hoping for an escape, but there are
two more glaring at you. You take your rosary out
of your pocket, giving it the death grip. As the
men grow closer and closer until you can smell
their cologne and see the daggers in their hands,
you see the boy from the museum peer around the
corner. They stab you to a bloody death, and you
cry out your final prayer Our Father who art
in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name
32

• You stay where you are. You notice there are
  three others around you. You indicate the door,
  and you all proceed to scoot, when suddenly
  someone grabs you by the shoulders and pulls you
  completely into the doorway. They cover your
  mouth with a handkerchief, and you are pulled
  into a closet.
• My name is Henri, the man untying all of your
  arms says with a French accent. Im an
  undercover spy working for the U.K. government.
  You must come with me, I will lead you to safety.
  You must help me somewhat, but I guarantee your
  safety.

Stay put
Go with him
33

• You creep towards the door, but in your
  haste, you make too much noise. The
  criminal near you spots you, and shoots you
  in the back of your head game over.

34
With a bloodcurdling scream, you rush towards the
criminal. Your knife plunges deep into his chest,
and he squeals like a pig. You repeatedly stab
the intruder, crying and screaming as blood
splatters your carpet, your face, and your
t-shirt. Twelve chest stabs later, the body grows
limp. You jump away from the body, still crying.
You see a small piece of paper fall from the
hand. Maybe it states their purpose for coming,
you guess. You uncrumple the tiny piece of paper.
Scrawled out in familiar handwriting states If
youre reading this, Im sorry. You gasp. You
tear off the intruders ski mask. There, bled to
death, is your brother. You cant run to the
cops. You cant leave your house. You cant stay
with the body. What do you do?
Run to the cops theyll believe you
Run away and never look back
35

• You clean up the mess, but first turn a light on.
  You get a wet washcloth from the bathroom and
  walk back to the room. You stare at the blood red
  stain that stares back at you. You run to the
  bathroom.

36
You go to the bathroom and stare in the mirror.
Blood covers your face. You begin to panic. As
you open your mouth, you find the cause of the
problem. In your sleep, something or someone
cut your frenulum. You turn on the faucet to
rinse your mouth, continuing to panic and stress.
You are gushing from the underlying skin of your
tongue, and faint. Nine hours later, police break
down your door after a call concerning a water
leak coming from your apartment. They find you
lying in a pool of blood and tap water. You are
the first victim of the soon-infamous Frenulum
Slicer.
37
You search through all your past works, and find
one with a title that strikes a nerve. You begin
reading and notice that the words you just wrote
match up with the words from this past story. You
stare in amazement, and drop both books. Who am
I? you begin to question. Im Thomas Sagefield.
No doubt about it. You get your drivers license
out. Next to your picture, you see the name
Darryl Matthews. You throw the card across the
room, horrified. Suddenly, the door to your room
opens. Two men in white grab you and throw you on
your bed. You are soon restrained and injected
with a sedative commonly used for elephants in
the circus. Alright, Mr. Matthews, one of the
men says. Youre going to have to cut out this
craziness. They leave the room, laughing at
their own joke. You stare out the window of
your room of the Las Gaviotas Asylum as the
guards hope your split-personality doesnt create
another ruckus.
38

• You acknowledge your gut, and dont bother
  wasting your time.
• You simply toss the story in the garbage and
  walk about your
• room. You decide that having friends over
• sounds like a good idea.

39
Your computer begins squealing and you crawl onto
the floor, hands covering your ears in the fetal
position. Suddenly, if says your name aloud in a
menacing voice. You have been chosen, it says.
You will accept this fate, or you will suffer
the consequences.
40
You begin dialing the local computer programmers
number, when suddenly all the lights in your
house begin flickering. The ground below you
shakes, and suddenly, the roof caves in. You are
crushed under the humongous weight of the
ceiling, but are given one gracious last glimpse
of the fate you have just been dealt your have
been attacked by a vile monster, your building a
demolition from his tail.
41
With tear streaks on your face, you enter the
warehouse. There is a small girl at the back of
the warehouse, and you stumble towards her. You
stare into her face. She has white eyes. They are
completely glassed over, or rolled back in her
head, one. You beg her for mercy. Her radiant
face depicts that she can only be one thing an
angel. Have mercy on me, a sinner, you quote
from your rosary. Fear not, the girl speaks.
For Gods joy is all you need in this life. She
walks towards you and grabs your hand. You peer
up into her face, and through the spookiness of
her empty eyes, she is smiling. As she lifts you
both into Heaven, you cry tears of joy knowing
everything will be alright.
42

• You walk past the warehouse and stare at the
  beach. Suddenly, you see what appears to be an
  angel on the water. She walks towards you, but
  you cant see her face. She walks past you and
  enters the nearby warehouse. Your curiosity gives
  you no choice but to follow her in.

43
They oblige the offer. You both choose a café to
sit in and have some coffee. As you sit and talk,
you pass the time quickly. It is suddenly
six-thirty at night, and you have been talking
for five hours. You both laugh at not only how
much you have talked, but how much you get along.
They ask you to accompany them to dinner, and you
agree. You inform them of your disease, but they
dont care. I have yet to see a being as rare
and fine as you, they repeatedly state. Any
time left I have with you, I will appreciate and
use to my advantage. They hold your hand in the
movies, at banquets, and finally on your death
bed you do not pass from this world alone, but
with love.
44
You pass the man on the street, shooting him a
coy smile as you go. Suddenly, it would appear
you have run back into him. Didnt think Id
let you get away that easily, did you? the man
laughs. The very same man you ran into not long
ago has tracked you down. He says he wants to get
to know you, and you offer to sit down somewhere
with him.
45
You answer, knowing nothing can bring you down
you have everything your heart could possibly
desire. Yes, the doctor begins. We have some
news on your illness. It would seem we have
misdiagnosed you and have had an unfortunate
mix-up of blood samples. You simply had a stomach
bug, not leukemia. The doctor laughs as you feel
your face flush. Oh, you start. W-well,
thank you doctor forfor informing me that I will
still survive. As you hang up, you take a seat
on the department stores sofa. It can all be
returned and I wont go bankrupt, you say to
yourself, trying to remain optimistic. Suddenly,
a concierge runs up to you. Maam, it would
appear that you have no money left on your cards,
and the checks you have written us are faulty,
Im afraid that if you cannot pay for the items
you purchased, youll have to sell the government
your home. Oh, I was just going to return
these things, you say. Maam, she looks at
you with grave concern. We have a strict
no-return policy unless the items are
damaged. You forfeit your belongings to the
government, and are soon living on the street as
a beggar for the rest of your life.
46

• You ignore the call. They cant cure you, so
  what does it matter what the doctors office has
  to say? As you place your phone in your bags, you
  proceed out the doors of the department store.
  You put your bags in the car, and start the car
  as normal. Suddenly, your car, along with about
  twenty others, explode. You have all been victims
  of a terrorist attack. You could not have
  foreseen this, but death by explosion is quick
  and painless as compared to a long, painful death
  of leukemia.

47
You head straight to the church to be embraced by
the love of your life. They are standing there, a
sad, pitiful look on their face. Whats wrong?
you ask. I-I didnt want it to be this way,
they start off. I had no way of knowing you
woulddie. What are ta you are cut short by
the clicking of guns that surround you. In fear,
you yell at your loved one. What is going
on? Suddenly, a dark-haired man in an expensive
suit reeking of Versace and Calvin Klein. We
regret to inform you that your fiance has been
doing our dirty work, the man says in a thick
Italian accent. We caught him trying to leave us
for a silly cause you. Me? you ask. You
glance at your fiance, a worried look of a future
disaster on his face. You. Im afraid he has
left us no choice. He will not join us, so we
must kill. Dont kill him, please, you beg.
He laughs. I did not mean him, my dear. The
men around him laugh. You stare, confused. I
meant you.
48
You race to the nearest bridal shop to buy a
dress. After you have found the perfect dress you
are most in love with, you run to the church as
fast as you can, not meaning to keep your love
waiting.
49
In your naivete you willingly go along with this
impostor, and are led to an alley. Wait a
minute, you think to yourself. This isnt
right. Suddenly, your now obvious opponent has
drawn their weapon and thrown you against the
wall. On your knees, scum, they say. Ill
not leave my dignity to shine your shoes, you
egomaniacal failure! you cry out. He shoots you
between the eyes. Your cause is not lost,
however. Many on-lookers witness the whole thing
and while you have died, this killer has been
sentenced to Death Row.
50
You run to the nearest precinct, babbling madly.
Two cops accompany you back to your apartment and
take note of the body. They begin cleaning the
mess. What are you doing? you ask.
Cleaning, the officer says, as the if the
answer is obvious. B-b-but dont you
need to take pictures or something? Theres been
a crime! The only crime here, is that
you killed this man.
Me?! He stormed in my house! He is an intruder!
How can we trust you? The cops
slowly corner you, and you have nowhere to go.
Please dont, you begin to cry again. I
beg of you, dont do this. The cops
close the door, and as they begin to torture you
to the death, they unveil themselves for what
they really are accomplices in your brothers
robbery attempt.
51

• You dart out of your house, unsure of where you
  are going. You begin to cry and scream as you
  race down the street. You are covered in blood
  from the attack, and people are staring at you,
  concerned. You run for what seems like days,
  until you end up at a beachfront.

52
As you revive the dead of the country, they
worship you, they love you. They have offered to
be humble servants to you. If I have the power
to awaken the dead, you ask yourself, I wonder if
this means I cannot die. As time soon tells,
you cannot, in fact, die. You reign eternally as
the Lord of the World. Your undying faction of
servants conquers the Earth, and as the
Apocalypse ends in your reign, you cannot help
but thank the unworldly powers and chance that
gave you this blessed gift.
53
You inhabit a tiny home in a cavern on the nearby
mountain, and live there for the rest of your
life. You live alone, and as immigrants come to
repopulate the country, you are known as the
wise, legendary hermit. You do not leave your
home and are known to have lived for three
dynasties, and will live for many, many more.
54
Your acting is terrible, and they dont buy it.
The centaurs carry you deep into the woods, and
toss you at the foot of a tiny shack. Queen,
we have brought you a sacrifice. Terrified, you
stare in awe at the door as you await the
creature. A quaint little, old woman smiles down
at you. Its your grandmother. Grandma?! you
ask, shocked. Sweetie! Come inside! The
centaurs run off as you enter the home. Inside,
it is not a shack, but a mansion. Portraits of
your family surround you. Grandma, I thought
you died three years ago? No honey, I was
bored one day and decided to go to an art museum.
The centaurs found me and made me their queen and
I have hoped for your arrival since I relocated
here! You peek out the window at the wondrous
world. I can stay here? You can come and go
as you please, your grandmother states with a
smirk. Your adventure ends with a new world of
broad experiences, but your life of adventure
goes on forever.
55
I-I found a passage, you state nervously. It
led me here, and Im more than willing to go
back. I dont mind, really, I Silence,
human! the centaur yells. He whispers to a
younger centaur, very handsome with a long face
and boyish features. The boy throws you on his
back and you are carried to a meadow. I know
who you are, he says once the two of you are
alone. You will admit your felonies, or you will
die a poor martyr. My people will not allow you
to live with the problems you have caused. You
have no idea what he is talking about, but you
dont want to die.
Die a false martyr
Confess a lie
56
You follow Henri into a small storage
room. These are Mafia men, he explains. They
fear no death, and will kill all who stand in
there way Men, women, and children. I know you
dont know me, nor do you understand my motives,
but we must stop them before they perform a jewel
transaction with the Arabians who are visiting
America. You oblige, and accompany him to a
place where all your targets are easy targets.
You were never good with a gun, but you manage to
shoot all of the men Henri asks you to, and both
you and Henri make it out with a few gunshots,
but nothing fatal. Thank you, he says. He
offers a handshake, but you both embrace in a
friendly hug. You are knighted by the Queen of
England for your noble and courageous acts, and
live a long, prosperous life with your husband,
Henri Loumbardt.
57
You are both terrified and a coward, so you stay
put. Henri is obviously upset but doesnt fight
you. He disappears, and a few seconds later, the
room is filled with the sound of gunshots. The
men who kidnapped you enter the room, and are
angrier than ever. You, along with everyone else
in the room are shot and killed. To think, your
cowardice is what killed you.
58
You say you will accept your fate. You have
five minutes to complete the following hack
puzzle, or the young child on the street in front
of your apartment will die. The computer is
alarmingly intelligent. You rack your brain for
four minutes and fifty-nine seconds, finally
discovering the hack code. As sweat pours down
your face, you run outside to the child. You hold
the poor child in your arms, then suddenly, there
is an explosion from behind your apartment. The
child you are holding looks up at you and says
Wrong code, wrong child.
59
It must be some silly hacker trying to scare you.
You laugh at the ludicrous idea of believing a
computer. As you go back to calling your computer
programmer, you explain the situation. Do what
it says, the programmer says, clearly scared
himself. Are you crazy? you ask. Im
serious. The last time this happened, it was
documented that when the person ignored the
message, five people died. You have to listen to
the computer. You put the phone down and go
back to the computer.
60
I will admit to it, you state. Admit to
what? he asks, incredulous. I will admit my
wrongdoings. He stares at you, then laughs.
You will not enjoy the consequences of your lie,
but I suppose anything to you humans is better
than death. The other centaurs surround the two
of you. Human, says the same leader as
before. You have been found faulty. Of what?
you ask. Did you not say you would confess to
the accusation? I did. Then that is what
you are at fault for. I am confused. You
are damned to live here for the rest of your
life, a servant of the forest. You have been
found faulty because you lied to save your own
life. You have done nothing wrong, but lied about
doing wrong. You live the rest of your life
just as the centaur says a servant to the
forest.
61
I suppose I will die a martyr, you
say. Human, you know not the death penalty of
centaurs, the boy says. Nor do I care. It is
better to die for what you believe, rather than
die for an anonymous cause. He nods, as if he
understands. The centaurs gather round the two of
you, and bow. You, Human, the centaur leader
from before says. You have shown indisputable
courage and remarkable dignity. We would be
pleased to honour you as our leader. Shocked,
you accept the blessing laid out for you. You
live for hundreds of thousands of years as the
monarch of the centaurs, and die the mother of a
culture.