Speak Now, or

As I entered the room each and every retina tightly focused on my face. Strangely the room was divided in a manner similar to that of a wedding ceremony. I have given up on wondering what was in store for me. I knew what was going to happen. The cloaked man spoke softly. Each word was enunciated with perfect diction. Desperately trying to keep rhythm with his voice the pitter pat of keystrokes echoed his every word. I wondered what was happening in the world outside of this room. Everyone in attendance waited eagerly while the world outside of this 50 by 100 foot room did not pause even for a nanosecond. What was of utmost importance to the people watching had no meaning what so ever to those continuing their daily activities.  Some where in the world a child’s life was all but destroyed while they painfully watched the chemically inflated balloon drift upwards. It would become divided more and more until the child could no longer distinguish between the latex and the sky that devoured it.

 

We all stood up as instructed not only by the man in the front of the room but also by our culture. It was what our predecessors had done so we dare not challenge tradition. A gasp rang out instantly after the man in the cheep suit spoke in a jargon unfamiliar to most. Although the audience was united in their intake of air, half of them did it for a reason opposite to the others.

 

I don’t regret taking her life that night. I only wish I could have told her I loved her first.