A book of chance

Choices

Grandma. The girl rereads it again and again. Her dear grandmother. A few weeks back, probably January 12th then, the girl's grandmother had a heart surgery. It was a very difficult one and it wasn't one without risks. In fact, it was so risky that her grandmother barely made it! But she did, and the girl was more than relieved. She had lots of restless nights as she feared for her grandmother. The surgery was risky, but she really needed it, or else she's die. And the girl wasn't ready to let her go. She wasn't ready yet to say goodbye, so she could finally calm down once the doctors came with the message that she had awoken and that she was well. She's still in the hospital, recovering and slowly but surely regaining her strength.

The girl smiles; she needs to visit the lovely old lady again. Maybe she should buy her some flowers? A nice bouquet with lots of green and white and pink roses - her favourite flowers. Oh, she'd love that! And maybe they can drink their favourite tea together as well. The girl still has a small package of fresh cherry blossom tea at home, safely hidden away, only for special occasions. But now they could both use some.

While the girl's mind was elsewhere, words started to appear in the book again. It went unnoticed for a few moments, but eventually the girl got out of her daydream and near-future plans and noticed a new sentence.

Reminding again what she was doing, the girl wondered what the book would want to change for her and her grandma. Could the book have given her the chance to make her surgery less risky? Could the book help her grandmother recover more quickly so she can get back to work in her beautiful garden again? The girl wonders, but she realises that there is only one way to find out what the book is offering her; and that is to read the offer.

Chapter 3

January 12th, 2011

Grandma

But what the girl reads next absolutely shocks her.

Do you want her dead?

What? The girl throws the book away in shock. It smashes on the ground with a loud thud and she hears some of the old, yellow pages crumble from the drop and the weight of it's cover. The girl freezes and her throat tightens as she watches the book from her seat. What did it just say? What does it mean? Does it mean what she thinks that it means? Now why would she do such a thing to her sweet and only grandmother!

The girl doesn't want to, but she slowly slides from her seat, crawls towards the book and grabs it again, her eyes never leaving the strange object. One part of her is screaming at her to get away from it, and she desperately wants to, but another part - a bigger part - is pushing her to the book, forcing her to move towards it, to grab it, and to open it back to chapter 3. Her eyes roam over the page, very carefully rereading the chapter again. She rereads the last line, again and again. This is madness, but she knows she isn't imagining it.

Tears form in the girl's eyes as she reads that horrible line yet again; how can the book offer her such a thing? Why would she want to do that? Why would anyone want to do that?

She makes a fist of her right hand and slams it on the page. Not hard, but a angry, startled and determined hit - shaky, but certain, reflecting her emotions perfectly. It feels necessary to her to hit the book, it shows how much she disagrees with the books offer, as a punishment of some sorts. It feels as if she's justifying herself and her grandmother by hitting the bizarre book. This - this hit, this reaction - is her answer.

"No!" She says to the book in a low, but intense mumble, not caring if anyone hears her. "No! I won't do it, why would I? I-"

The girl is furiously trying to blink back her tears as she imagines her life without her grandmother. Her life without her grandmother...