My ending to the story of the lady and the tiger: if the princess were to choose the door with:
The tiger: it would be almost expected, for it was in her countries barbaric nature and would not seem that out of place there. Even among us, as humans, we would not find it too terribly odd, for it might be easier for her to live with his death, (even though, ultimately it would come down to her decision) to watch his blood be spilled right there before her very eyes, than to have to live with him marrying the woman she loathed. And, more than that, she as well as everyone else would be there to witness them being wed. But to have to remember, day in and day out, the image of his terror filled eyes as the tiger lunged out toward her lover, as she sat in the stand, helpless to help him in his time of dire need and desperation. Honestly, I think that would be quite traumatic. We would probably all like to think we would choose the lady for our lover, but, if it really came down to it, and we were thrown into the same situation , what would we choose?
The lady: she would have to live in that constant state of anger, rage, jealousy, and torment for the rest of her life. B ut would she rather see his face with hers every day, or not at all? Some might say that she may find another whom she would love just as much, if not more. I do believe that if you really love someone, you would want the best for them. Try to do, no matter what, the best for them. What then, in this case is the “best”? To have him wiped off the face of the earth entirely, knowing it was you who thus did this? Or having him still be alive, even in the same vicinity as you day after day, after day; only knowing that he now belongs to another, that he is no longer yours? You may still own him at heart, but what good is the heart without the body? Him and his new wife legally bound together till death do them part. … of course, they could always try the whole Tristan & Isolde thing, sneaking around despite the fact that he is married. But if his wife was ever to find out, she would, of course be enraged. And then, what would there be to stop her from telling the king?
*****************
With the utmost of confidence, he thrust his hand out towards the right door, and out pounced… the tiger. She stood up and screamed in shock , realizing that, somehow, for some reason, they had switched the doors at the last minute. She had not wanted this fate for him. She knew that if he did not exist in any part of her universe, married or not, it would be impossible for her to go on. She had debated for weeks on end to come to this decision. And now, to have it switched on her so suddenly, so randomly, made her feel helpless. Powerless.
He took one last, longing glance upward at her, staring into her horror struck midnight blue eyes, knowing that this would be the last time he was to see them again. To see the storm in them subside after he would reassure her that she was the only one for him, the only one he would , could, or should ever love; the smolder of triumph after she won a minor argument; the passion and desire that almost made them burn that was so rarely there, when they were able to meet alone. This never ceased to mystify him , especially since the color of her eyes was closer to ice than to fire; the tumultuous joy that came when she saw his face once again after being separated seemingly for forever. All of this, gone. Lost. He wondered for a brief second if, perhaps, she would seek another out after he was gone… then stopped. He knew the answer to that. Of course she would not. Of course. He couldn’t ever do that, and neither would she. He would want her to be happy, but she would be so picky, always comparing every man her father tried to force on her to him. She would find no one. He almost felt, almost, arrogant. But the thought of her misery far outweighed his arrogance. He wanted her to be happy. He wanted that more than anything, even if he was not to be included in that happiness…
All of this took place in less than a heartbeat. He blew a kiss to her, then bowed. The tiger lunged upon him, and her agonized scream was the only sound that filled his ears“NO!!!” he wanted to tell her everything would be okay, that she was fine, there was no need to worry, he wanted to hold her in his arms and reassure her. He thrust back that hopeless wish almost instantaneously, as tears sprang to his eyes. He kept his head bowed down as he felt the impact of the tiger upon his body. He felt no pain as he fell to the ground, though he knew that the tigers claws were in his back. None of this seemed to be registering to his brain. It was as though every cell, every thought, every part of him was screaming her name. including his last breath, as he exhaled one last time, to say goodbye. Then he felt his world go black, and he was drifting. For a moment he thought he could hear her, but then it was gone. The voice. The voice of an angel. His angel. He would know that voice anywhere…
No comments:
Post a Comment