Tally

Chapter 14: Decision

Numb, all I felt was numbness. I can't see. I can't hear. I can't touch. I tried moving my body, but I couldn't feel any sensation coming out. It felt like I was in an empty abyss until a specific stimulus was met in contact.

I know this feeling, I thought to myself. Attempting to regain consciousness, I was finally able to open my eyes. This place was the same in "that dream." I looked around, and then I heard a familiar voice speaking

"So, did you take a good nap?"

I knew who he was. I looked to where we had our first encounter and saw him. A spitting image of me incarnate.

"Why am I here again?" I asked. It has been months since I was here. Every time I fell asleep, I could never make it back here. It only happened once, and even then, it was an unexplainable random occurrence.

"You're here cause you're asleep," the other me said.

"I'm asleep?" I questioned.

"Well, you're in a coma, to be more specific."

Surprised by his answer, I questioned, "Why?"

He sighed as if he was talking to an idiot, "You overdosed yourself with sleeping pills and asked why you are in a coma?"

I was still confused. A dream like this still shouldn't be possible in a comatic state. Something just didn't stick right with me. I looked at him dead in the eye and continued my interrogation.

"Why am I here exactly?" There has to be a reason.

He looked back at me, and then the place started changing. The grass quickly changed its form into a flat surface, and the playground and bench that was once here disappeared. The ground changed into a marble-like texture; there were two doors magically appearing beside him. This sudden change was something that would come out in a sci-fi movie.

"It seems you've begun to notice," he says, facing the two doors. First, he pointed at the door on the left and said, "this door would lead you to the afterlife," then he pointed to the door at the right and said, "this door would lead you back to your world."

Without needing any hints, it is obvious what he is saying. Right now, I am choosing either another chapter or the closing chapter. I didn't know what to choose. Any sensible person would choose the right door but do I even deserve to go there, should I even stay.

As I was troubled with my thoughts, the other me patted my shoulder, getting my attention.

"How about we play a little game?"

"A game? Now in a time like this!" I exclaimed.

"Well, you need to decide some way, right?"

I couldn't refute it. I can't make this decision with everything I've been through. With no other options, I accepted, and we began the game.

"Great, so the rules of this game are to identify the positive and negative moments you have, and whichever is higher, you must follow it through. Sound simple enough?"

I nodded, and we began the game.

"So, first of all, family, what do you think of your family?"

My family, my mother, my father, what do I see in them. From the moment of birth, they were there for me, they would keep me company, they would teach me, they would always show that to me, but where is it now? Did the affection they showed really because I was their child? They only care about my achievements, they never see me when I am in distress, and because of that, I'm not too fond of the expectation they have for me.