4 Decisions

The scorching desert wind blows heaps of orange-red sand up the sides of rock and sandstone mountains. With time, large amounts of it accumulate into a dune leaning against the face of the rock, like a waterfall whose water suddenly turned into sand and could no longer flow away but just accumulated on top of itself.

4 meters above, against a very blue sky stand 4 human figures, silhouetted in the blinding sun. The sand calls them down. It lays a hold on their minds, they must jump. The 4 contemplate.

One of them is wise and hesitant but . He calculates the probability of permanent paralysis and finds the numbers too overwhelming. He dangles his legs off the edge of the rock and decides to observe the fates of others.

The other, a girl, is wise also, but only in retrospect. Before she could even begin to see her self begin to think, she missed seeing her legs running right off the edge and plunging down into the sand. The pleasure that comes from fear being completely neutralized by the softness of the sand was overwhelming. She climbed back up to do it again.

The third, the most laid-back person you could ever meet. Looks over the edge, finds that permanent paralysis is far-fetched. Fear grips him. He grips it back and moves it to the side, he turns off his mind and lets his muscles do the rest. He lands perfectly on the sand. His mind kicks back in and he laughs in its face, and they have a party.

I am the fourth. I walk to the edge. Seeing the results of the previous endeavors, my mind is at ease. However, the 4 meter drop looks quite scary. I weigh my options to find that they are surprisingly of the same weight. The grip of fear is stronger than mine. I hesitate. The observer, lounging at my right, urges me to go. I wriggle out of fear's grip. My stomach churns. I turn off my mind, and i jump.