Decisions, Decisions | Teen Ink

Decisions, Decisions

January 27, 2017
By ArisVetter BRONZE, Olympia, Washington
ArisVetter BRONZE, Olympia, Washington
1 article 0 photos 0 comments

Whenever I ask my dad about a decision, he dismisses me in a second.

"It doesn't matter."

When I ask him about little things, like what flavor of ice cream I should choose, or what types of flowers I should plant in my garden, he simply says that the choices are all good. And big choices, like that time when I got to pick out a pet from the shelter, he just said;

"It's up to you."

He doesn't get it. Even when I try to explain it to him, he doesn't listen.

I tell him that every single decision you make changes your life.

"Honey, stop stressing. Everything will work out fine in the end."

I want to yell at him, tell him he's wrong. But I don't, because if I did I would have to tell him about my visions—and I've never told anyone before.

You see, I can see the effects of people's choices. They come in short clips, like a movie, of a person's life. It sums up everything that happens until the time of their death. My life stops for a moment, theirs begins... and ends, and than I snap back into my life. If they've already decided, than I just see the one life that that choice leads to. If they're still choosing, I can see the lives that each option leads to. I would imagine that the display of their lives usually takes around a minute or so, but when I tune back into my own life, no time has passed at all.

I control the visions. Sometimes I cut the clips short, when I can't stand seeing the death, but I usually don't. Death is imminent, and I've accepted the fact. I only shield myself from my family's future.

I try to help people make the right choices if they ask me. I never try to change people's choices once their made though, even if it's a horrible path in front of them. It's their life. I usually don't bother worrying. The clip I see of their life changes every time they make a decision, so even if I don’t help someone out of a horrible destiny, they usually can avoid it by themselves.

Decisions are like folds of a paper; a fold can point a life in a completely different direction, and the next fold can point a life in a different direction again. Decisions can have a HUGE impact, but the end can be easily changed.

It's kind of hard to explain, so I'll give you an example. Last Saturday, I hung out with my friend Olivia at the mall. As soon as I saw her face, I was hit with her horrible destiny. At first I saw a red shirt that she held in her hand. She might have been in her closet, but it was hard to tell. The choice of the person is always the first moment that I see. Than I saw some guy-- about our age, messy brown hair, and a ghostly, pale face. This was at the mall, I could tell. He was smiling, pointing at Olivia's shirt. I got a better glimpse of it this time. It had the word Spiderman written across the front of it. I could hear him telling her that he had the same one, in

a quiet, low voice. He seemed pretty nervous talking to Olivia. Time flashed by, and than I could see them laughing. Then I heard the boy ask her on a date. Olivia smiled. The moment blurred, and another came. She was driving, late at night, to the date, maybe a week later or so. The sun had just fallen from the sky, and the first stars began to flicker into view. All around a small road were dark evergreen trees, filling any space between houses. I saw an image of an elk, frightened, with the glare of headlights reflecting off of his eyes,, but than everything went black. I could here the sounds of sirens, and I knew what happened. Suddenly, I was thrown back into my life, where Olivia had just walked into the mall.

Olivia greeted me with a smile. She was such a good friend, I felt horrible knowing what was going to happen. I knew that the life that I saw probably wouldn't end up happening (there was so much time for the path to change), but I couldn't help but worry.

But than Olivia made another decision: to put on her jacket (it was a rather cold mall). A simple decision, that most wouldn't think mattered. But it changed everything. My vision came right after. I saw her putting on her jacket, which she had done only a moment ago. That regular, almost unconscious decision she had made had just saved her life.

The vision continued showing the rest of Olivia's new life, as always happens. Her life was way longer, and she did great things (no spoilers). I was overrun with joy. I wanted to congratulate her on the choice! But I couldn't. She wouldn't understand. Nobody understands. Sometimes I don't understand.

But what I do know is this: the smallest decisions, like which shirt you put on in the morning, or if you put on a jacket or not, can change your life.

But how can I explain that all to my dad?

Would he even believe me if I told him about my ability?

I often consider telling him, but I know I won't. There's too much risk involved. Unfortunately, I can't see the effects of my decisions. I'll never know what could have happened in my life.



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