Summer 2009 | MASQUERADE | Page 29
T h e W r i t e r ' s C r a f t
S p e c i a l
short story excerpt
Dylan Pouliot
grade 12
I
pause as I try and contain myself. "Once again, it's my destiny
to be here, in this place. I stopped trying to disobey the universe a
while ago."
"What do you mean disobey the universe?" Flatley asks.
I look at the cloth Flatley gave me. My nose hasn't stopped
bleeding. "Free will is an illusion," I tell him. "If I'm going to try and stray
from my course, the universe knows I will. And when I realized that, I
guess I gave up."
Flatley hesitates before speaking. "Christopher, I've seen what
you're capable of. And I know you've been trying to control it. But, for
the record, " Flatley points at the camera in the corner of the room, "can
you give me proof of your gift?"
I smile. "Pass me your paper and pen." He hands me his clipboard
and pen. I look at the piece of paper and close my eyes. "Compose a
random sentence," I tell him. "It can be anything."
Flatley thinks for a moment while I write on the paper, ensuring
he doesn't see it.
"How about," Flatley starts, "we can work together to get you out
of here, just like I told you-"
"-last week?" I say, completing his sentence. I open my eyes.
Again the light burns. I hand him back his clipboard. He looks at the
piece of paper. "You see," I say, looking into the one-way mirror behind
his head, "everything is predetermined."
"So how long have you known I would say what I did?"
"I only learned just now. It's only the really important events
that I see far ahead of their time."
"How do you defi ne `important'?" he asks.
I pause a moment before speaking. "The events that will have a
detrimental eff ect on my life, whether physically or emotionally."
Flatley begins scribbling notes again. "So you knew about the
divorce before it happened?"
I shift in my seat and clear my throat. "On our wedding night I
learned what would happen to us. Can you imagine that?" My lip starts
to quiver and I raise my voice. I can feel the blood pouring out of my
nose. The cloth is soaked and my head is splitting. "I loved her, and it
meant nothing because I knew it had an expiry date. I could never get
that off my mind. Now I lay awake every night and think about how, if I
didn't know it would happen, maybe we would we still be together."
"But you said it was your destiny to be here."
"Yes,
destiny!"
Flatley eyes me curiously before speaking. "Then I must ask,
Christopher, does this mean you know when you'll die?"