Short Story Competition Entries

Matters of Life and Death

A take on the prompt 4 for @UndiscoveredBooks "Contests and Prompts".

              Why is it that everyone loves Life so much, but they fear me? They all think I'm evil, something to fear and to despise. People curse me, but worship Life. I'll tell you something though, Life isn't all she claims to be. Life is painful and cruel. She has sent hatred my way for as long as I can remember. When we were younger, Life would always steal my thunder. When I learnt to speak, Life turned around and showed everyone she could read. The time I came second in the talent show, she came first in a dance show. She always had to be better than me, she was always standing in my spotlight, pushing me to the sidelines.

              She would get all of the friends, and would constantly bad-mouth me to them all. They'd approach me fearfully with clear despair across their features. I didn't have any friends of my own. Whatever Life had been telling people, it certainly scared them. No one would approach me for at least 70 years if they could help it. I'd still have the odd few visitors before they turned 70, several children who didn't know of the rumors, some people who didn't seem to care, or some people who didn't see me until they had already met me.

              Life has made everyone believe that I am some sort of villain, but I disagree. I think of myself as a silent hero, I take people away from their suffering and take them to a place where there is no hatred or pain. Life is the true villain here. She gives people challenge after challenge. When I watch from afar, I am met with images of great sorrow and suffering. People are sad, and whilst I do see their masks of happiness, the sadness resonates from deep within them all. They walk around, some show their sorrow, whilst some mask it, yet it is clear to me that they all show signs of emotional suffering.

              I see people who are physically suffering. Life takes so much, but she masks this evil with shows of goodness. People who cannot walk are fooled into being thankful that their upper bodies are stronger. People who almost die because of something dangerous Life has thrown at them become thankful towards their family and the idea they're still alive. They are brainwashed into thinking it was me who was the bad guy who tried to take them away from their loved ones.

              She has everyone blind. There are people who are filled with sadness, and she only occasionally gives them something good. She might get them a good grade, or words of praise and it'll make them forget about the sadness she has put them through. She has everyone under her spell, but it is true that there are some people who have not been bewitched. They are the ones who see Life for who she truly is, and they welcome me like an old friend.

              Life has so many beautiful gifts given to her. She has the moving ocean, every unique person, she has all of the wonderful animals, and the growing flowers. So much beauty is thrust upon Life, but she isn't thankful for them. She punishes them and makes them suffer. The ocean is filled with waste. She treats people like dolls, bending their wills and making them suffer. So many animals are hunted and killed, some to the point of extinction. She doesn't feed the flowers enough, so they begin to wilt and fall.

                    Life has everything.

                        I have nothing.

                      How can that make

                          me the villain?

I really enjoyed writing this. I feel like it's kind of different. Death is always seen as the end, the thing that people curse and portray as evil, so I decided to make Death the voice of this story. I don't think many (if any) other people would have done this, but I thought it would be interesting to do. Creds to allyriadayne for this awesome cover!! X

I hope you all enjoyed it :)