Destiny's Label

Where am I? I looked around and found myself standing in a dark room. Why am I here? The truth was I didn’t know. My heart pounded at the thought of a monster looming around the corner. Slowly, I spun around, shaking with fear. I had to face my fate, sooner or later. Instead of a creepy looking monster, I saw something shiny, like a crystal. Step by step, I carefully approached it; my mind suddenly felt lifted and all I felt was happiness.

"Lina?" someone calls from far away.

My eyes jerked open, and two blurry faces appear. As my vision became focused, my parents came into view. 

"What happened?" I ask them, puzzled. 

"You were knocked unconscious when playing ice hockey!" they reply anxiously. "The doctor said it might take a while for your memory to fully come back… How are you feeling?"

“I’m fine. Nothing hurts…for now.”

After more examinations, the doctors finally announced that everything except for my memory was normal and we left the hospital. It wasn’t entirely true that I couldn’t remember anything. The last thing I could recall was that mysterious room with the crystal. It felt so real; I was sure it couldn’t be a dream… 

* * *

I opened my eyes and found myself in the strange space again. Instantly, I was hit by the strong feeling of joy. I decided to find out what was going on and approach the crystal again. Slowly, I reached for the stone. Despite feeling overcome with happy vibes the room was giving off, my fingers trembled as I prepared to touch it…

My eyes snapped open and I saw the familiar ceiling of my bedroom. I sat up straight and realized it was only a dream. I was bewildered by what was going on. The crystal had felt so real like a past memory. 

It was already 7 in the morning, so I decided to get up. Strangely, the house was silent. This was unusual since my parents are always noisy. Perhaps they were outside or in another room.

Outside? Nope. Basement? No. Kitchen? Empty. This was strange. The last place left to search was their bedroom. They wouldn’t ignore all my calls. Even so, a little part of me had a spark of hope. Perhaps they were just pulling a prank, or just playing a round of hide and seek. As I push open the door…

They weren’t in their room! My last bit of hope faded away. With each second ticking, my heart pounded harder. In my hurry to find them, I accidentally bumped into their bookshelf. I braced myself for the books to fall down. Instead, something extraordinary happened! The bookshelf slid automatically aside and a dark doorway appeared!

Could this be the doorway to the room in my dreams? It sure looked like it. This would finally explain all the memories I was getting! The room was tiny and sunlight shone through a small window. Books that probably hadn’t been touched in years lay on the floor, waiting to be read. I walk towards a book that looks rather new. Flipping through the pages, something catches my eye…

One page was titled, “The Stone of Happiness.” This sounded a lot like the crystal I keep encountering in my thoughts. Intrigued, I read the rest of the part: 

The Stone of Happiness has the power to absorb all pain and sorrow. People started fighting for the crystal and for their own happiness, creating the opposite effect of what was intended. To keep the crystal safe, an unknown person hid it in a secret location that remains a mystery to this day. Though the “Stone of Happiness” has been long forgotten, legend says that after 100 years, the crystal will explode and release all the pain and sorrow it has absorbed into the world, causing chaos. The only person who can save this from happening is “The One”.

It took me a few minutes to register the whole excerpt. Wait. Was I “The One”? It would explain the memories and flashbacks, but why me? This thought made me quiver.

I didn’t want to be “The One.” If I failed, then this world would turn into chaos. However, I couldn’t just sit and relax either, knowing that the world was going to end. I turned back to the book, frantic for more clues. 

BEEP BEEP. That was the sound of our car! My parents must have left somewhere early. I didn’t want them to get alarmed about this. They probably wouldn’t even believe me! I quickly hid the book, slid the bookshelf back into its original place, and ran out of the room.

“Mom? Dad? Where have you been?!” 

“Our electricity stopped working, so we had to drop by the electricity company,” dad grumbles, “they did fix it though…”

I hesitate for a moment, deciding whether or not to ask my parents about the legend and the sliding bookshelf. It would cause suspicion, perhaps I’ll tell them later.

* * *

A few days later, my class attended a field trip to a nearby museum. I could hear my heart beating as I rode on the bus. I didn’t know why I was so excited, but I just couldn’t control it! 

Except it wasn’t as enjoyable as I hoped. Looking at artwork just wasn't that fun to me. By the afternoon, I could barely feel my feet from walking so much. 

Impatiently, I stick my head into the next gallery and feel something strange. I can’t describe what it is, but I know it’s different. 

“Do you feel something odd about this gallery?” Evelyn, my classmate, asks me.

“Yeah, it feels… different,” I reply back. 

“Other people don’t seem to feel it; I thought I was going crazy!” Evelyn exclaims with relief.

Even though the unusual feeling faded after we left the museum, I still couldn’t stop thinking about it. What was it? Why was it so far away, yet so close and familiar to me? After coming out of the shower, I was so distracted by these wonderings that I didn’t see where I was stepping and fell hard onto the floor. 

Instantly, I was brought back to that mysterious and dreamy feeling. That’s when it hit me: It was the exact feeling I had when I was in that gallery! The flashback was short, but the joy the room had was much weaker.

Thoughts began to race through my mind. Was the Stone of Happiness in the museum? Why was it so weak then? Is it about to explode? Is our time on Earth running out? 

I stop. My heart pounded at the last few questions. I had to get to the museum and stop that crystal from exploding. But how was I going to stop that crystal? I knew if I went in, I would become too happy to think clearly. But even so, I had to try. 

I quickly think of a plan to sneak out of the house and return to the museum. The world was in danger and only I could save it. 

“Dad and I are going outside for dinner, so we made food for you. It's in the fridge. You’ll be fine alone for a few hours, right?” mom asks.

“Just don’t burn the house down!” dad jokes. 

Usually, I would laugh at dad’s jokes, but today, I wasn’t sure if I could prevent the world from exploding, let alone preventing the house from catching on fire. I watched them drive away before heading straight towards the bookshelf. 

The door slowly slid open. I dove straight towards the book. Suddenly, the window was blown open by a strong gust of wind. My heart leaped. My body stiffened and I saw goosebumps rising on my arms. The room ominously felt cold and frightening. 

“I’ve been waiting for you for a long time,” an icy voice hissed. 

“Who are you?” I ask. Trembling with fear, I search the room to see who the mysterious voice belonged to. To my dismay, I didn’t find anything. Part of myself was relieved; perhaps I was imagining it. However, the other part of me was still terrified.

“Do not question me!” the voice snaps. 

I feel the wind spin around me like a tornado, sending chills up my spine. The wind threw my hair in different directions as I try to keep my balance.

“Help! What are you doing to me?!” I cry out, horrified by the sheer strength of the wind.  

Suddenly, the wind calms down. “This is not your destiny. You are not 'The One,’” the voice informs.

“Excuse me? If I’m not the one, then why am I getting these memories?” I demand, confused and mad at the same time. 

“I said: DO NOT QUESTION ME!” the voice repeats firmly. 

After a whole minute passes in silence, I could feel the strong presence of the voice gone.

“You’re not ‘The One.’” I let the voice’s words sink in. How am I not the one when I am the one who is getting all the memories about the Stone of Happiness…

I must go to the museum and figure out this mess right now! It is the perfect chance! I left a note saying I was going to my friend’s house for the night and will be back soon. My parents would be mad, but not alarmed. 

As soon as I stepped out of my home, a green light glowed faintly, shaped like footsteps. It led me in the direction to a secret backdoor of the museum. 

The stone must be inside here! I took a deep breath and pushed the door open. Instead of seeing my flashbacks in real life, I faced another door. 

“Lina? What are you doing here?” I hear a familiar voice ask.

I spun around and found Evelyn. I rapidly told Evelyn about the stone and memories I was getting and how I was here to figure out everything that felt messed up. To my surprise, Evelyn revealed she was also here for the same reason. 

Being so close to the stone made me feel that time was running out faster.  “I think we don’t have much time left! We must hurry, otherwise the stone will explode!” I told her. 

Behind Evelyn was a large, metal door. It had a fancy electric lock installed on the handle, so that you could open it with your fingerprint. Clumsily, I forgot the voice’s warning that I wasn’t ‘The One’ and placed my finger on the sensor. Immediately an alarm went off and an automatic generated voice announced: “Fingerprint scan failed. This room will self-destruct in 60 seconds 59…58…57…”

“Oh no! What should we do?!” Evelyn panicked while trying to push open the door we came through. Unfortunately, it was locked. We were trapped and the room was going to explode before the stone was! 

“Wait! Don’t panic! You must be the one! Put your finger on the sensor!” I direct. 43…42…

“What if it doesn’t work? How do you know I’m the one?” Evelyn asks while desperately yelling for help. 35…34…33…

“Just try it! The room will self-destruct anyway! We have to try!” I yell.

I see her fingers tremble as she reaches for the sensor. 19…18…17…16… Correct fingerprint detected, self-destruction canceled. 

A huge weight lifts from my shoulders and a wave of relief washes over my panicked heart. I have never felt so thankful to be alive. I look at Evelyn, who is still in shock from all that transpired.

“Can you believe it? It actually worked! Your fingerprint saved us!” 

Suddenly the lights flicker.  “Five minutes remaining until the explosion,” the speaker announces. 

“What! Only 5 minutes left!!” both of us exclaim simultaneously.

“We have to hurry!” I say as Evelyn placed her finger on the sensor. The doors slide open like we expect. 

Evelyn and I rush through the doors to a dark room. Instantly, I’m was hit by the strong feeling of joy.

Now that I was entirely focused on the stone glowing dimly in the corner of the dark room, I notice that the wave of joy it is sending out is much weaker than what I had experienced in the memories. 

Suddenly, a familiar strong gust of wind blew through the cracks of the door. The voice! 

“Explain why there are two of you!” the voice demands.

“We…um…uh…” We try to explain, but cannot find the words for it. 

“Lina, I already told you, you are not ‘The One.’ You shouldn’t have come; your presence will affect Evelyn’s power, and the destiny of the world!” the voice blazes.

“But I couldn’t just sit around and do nothing after knowing all this. Would you?” I demand. I felt guilty and mad at the same time. How could it expect me to just pretend to ignore everything?

“You know my rules. No questions!” the voice yells back.

The room suddenly became very quiet. Perhaps the voice is right. I shouldn’t have come; I’m not ‘The One.’ The world doesn’t need me and I’ll only make everything worse.

As I was ready to leave the mission to Evelyn, the room started trembling and the glowing stone began to levitate. Was it going to explode? Instead, it shot out a bright red light directly at me. I stood there horrified as the laser made its way towards me. It was as if time had stopped as everything happened in slow motion. I felt my heart thumping against my body. One half of me told myself to run, but the other half had already shut down. 

Just as it was about to hit me, Evelyn leaps in front and the laser hits her instead. Instantly, she collapses onto the ground…It takes me a few seconds to process what had just happened. 

“Evelyn! No! Why did you do that! We need you!” I bend over, trying to wake her up. A wave of emotions collapse over me: misery, anger, and guilt. I turn to where the voice had last been, but it is already gone.

The speaker erupts. “You have 30 seconds remaining until the explosion of the Stone of Happiness. 30…29…28…”

How could time pass so fast! Everything felt unreal, yet unbelievably frightening. The voice and Evelyn were gone! I was powerless and alone. With only seconds remaining, the fate of the world was in my hands. 22…21…19…

My head felt dizzy and heavy; in the far distance I could hear the countdown. 15…14…13…

With nothing to lose, I walk towards the stone as if it was beckoning for me to come near. The stone didn’t bother to push me away like it did during the flashbacks. For the first time, I was free to look inside and face the truth. 

The time was ticking down. 10… 9… 8… My shirt was drenched in sweat and my hands shook violently as I reach for the crystal. Inside, I could see the people’s pain: a person’s finger getting cut off by the door, someone falling onto the concrete ground on the second floor, another slowly getting covered by mixed colors and feelings of pain, and sadness. 7… 6… 

I turn and look at Evelyn, lying on the floor, frozen from the shock sent out by the stone. 5… 4… I shivered with guilt and sadness; I was supposed to be the one frozen. 

Despite the crushing pressure and the pain that threatened to overwhelm me, I forced myself to lift the crystal into the air, refusing to let any predetermined fate dictate my actions. I took one last deep breath in knowing that the time was still ticking down, 3… and smashed the crystal onto the marble floor. The crystal shattered, and a wave of emotions and white light shook the building. 2… The walls looked like they were going to collapse. 

1…  All of a sudden, the world went blank.

Epilogue:

“How long have the flashbacks been going on? How did you find the stone? What did you do to stop the explosion?” A throng of newscasters and cameramen surrounded Evelyn and me, flooding us with questions. 

All I remember was smashing the crystal and a strong wave of energy shaking the world. It turned out, breaking the stone was all I had to do to stop the explosion. The wave of energy sent out the information about The Stone of Happiness’ long-forgotten legend to everyone and all of its joy was spread too. Soon after Evelyn and I recovered from the shock, everyone caught up with what was going on. 

“How did you stop the explosion when you weren’t ‘The One’? When you weren’t destined to save the world?” one reporter asked me as another photographer flashed pictures of us.

It was true; I wasn’t ‘The One’... so how did I stop the explosion? The questions were perplexing to answer at first. Then as I flipped through my memories over the past few months, I realized they said I wasn't 'The One,' that my destiny lay elsewhere. But I proved that destiny is not a title, it's a choice

Finally I responded, “At first, I also thought the same way. The voice warned that I wasn’t ‘The One’ and would only make things worse. At one point, I even decided to give up and just leave this mission to Evelyn, who was ‘The One.’ But now, I realize destiny isn’t a path laid out for you; it's a path you forge with every choice you make.