Before I share my response to the prompt from last Friday’s Storytime, here’s the prompt again:
January 16, 2015 at 6 pm EST- Sentence Prompt
Write a short story or scene inspired by the written prompt
You have the power to save humanity with a cure. The problem is you’re immune to the cure and won’t be saved. What do you do? What is this mysterious disease that’s taken over the world and what are you going to do to save the world. If you decide to save them, that is.
And the live stream…
And now for my response…
They told me that I needed to save them. They said I should feel honored to save humanity.
Why should I?
What have they done for me?! Huh? HUH? I know you must think I’m selfish and I probably am, but you’ve gotta understand, I didn’t ask for this. No one in their right mind would ask for this. They told me that my blood can save millions. I alone am immune to the disease that is killing so many people and my blood can be used to create a vaccine. Millions will be saved and I’ll be a hero except that they conveniently forgot to tell me that the process of taking my blood could kill me. There was a big chance that I would not survive this.
“1 for many,” they told me. “Think of the greater good.”
Forget the greater good! I want to live! I want to breathe. I want to taste the sunshine. I don’t want to save the world. I know if I don’t save them, everyone will die and I’ll be alone, but if I do save them…does anyone care what I’m giving up? My family. My friends. They want me to trade them for a life of nothingness and honor.
“You’ll get to help your friends,” they said. “People you love will be alive because of you.”And millions of others will be alive, too. Millions of people I do not know and who could care less what happens to me will be cured because of me. I am sure none of them would lift a finger to do the same for me if the circumstances were different. But they don’t matter. The only thing that matters is what I choose. Will I or won’t I? Let them live or die. Or instead hold onto that small shred of hope that someone will fly in and save me taking me away from all of this. I have to…I will hold onto that hope! It’s all I have left.
From the #1 Rule-breaker,
My
P.S. The next “Storytime” will be on January 23rd at 5 pm. (I have to reschedule earlier because of scheduling conflicts.) The prompt and live stream can be found by clicking the “Storytime with My” tab in the menu above.