Poems and Stories

The Choice: A Writing Prompt

The prompt: You live in two different universes. Each time you go to sleep in one, you wake up in the other. Now that it's your 18th birthday, you must choose one.

When you are told that you must choose where to live for the rest of your life, you notice that the person telling you has a grim look on their face. You smile, knowing that this is the easiest decision you'll ever make. You choose the place that you fight sleep for.

The place where you try to stay awake for three days just so you don't have to leave. Where the only reason you fell asleep is because your brother made you drink lavender tea and wrapped you in a fluffy blanket just out of the dryer, because he knew that would make you fall asleep. When you were afraid that he wanted you to leave, he told you that he couldn't let his baby sister hurt herself because of him.

When you wake up your other parents start beating you, screaming at you for being gone for so long. Their friends are coming over and if the house isn't spotless then "be prepared to have your ass whooped." You hold back tears as you get up, and grab the cleaning supplies next to you.
They had long ago been moved into your room since you are the only person that uses them.

The only thing that gets you through the day is the knowledge that once you fall asleep and wake up again, your family will be waiting for you, prepared to hug you until you stop crying.
At the end of your day it is four am, and even though there are blisters on your hands and fresh callouses forming on your knees, you were still beaten.
You were called an ungrateful and insolent girl.
You didn't dare ask to go to bed, for surely that would earn another beating. No, you simply smiled at one of their guests and had a conversation.
You close your tear-caked eyelashes, and smile as you wait for sleep to fall.

When you awake, you run out of your room and straight into your parents arms. You breathe in their scent, their love, and their warmth. You ignore the pain from your bruises as they hug you, because this pain is worth it.
You notice the tears and pain in their eyes as they see a bruise peeking out from the collar of your pjs, but you pretend you don't see it for their sake. They have never wanted you to see their pain, because they don't want you to feel responsible for it. As they've told you a thousand times before, the bruises are not your fault.

You get dressed with a smile on your face, lightness in your chest, and clouds beneath your feet. You give your parents another hug before you leave for school, and get in the front seat of the car with your brother. You don't hesitate to hug him when he drops you off at school, when people tease you about your loving family you just smile and thank them. How could that be something you would be ashamed of?

When you get home you finish your homework as quickly as you can, with a snack that your dad made you to help you power through.
You run back downstairs and pick the game for the night, and you choose Catchphrase.
When your family starts shouting out guesses, trying to beat the timer, you smile. These are not shouts that you are afraid of.
You eat dinner and go to bed happy.
You try to stay awake as long as you can, but you fall asleep.

When you wake up, instead of being greeted with shouts, you are greeted by a woman you have never met and will never see again.

So, when you are asked that fateful question, you don't hesitate.

You choose the place where you fight sleep just for more time.
The place where you know that when your parents ask you to clean, it's because they love you, not because they see you as their maid.
It's the place that you know you can be anything and do anything.
The place where your brother is always looking out for you.
The place that you want to spend the rest of your days in.

You choose Home.