A Small Choice

It was a quiet and chilly morning in the countryside. Jiang YingYue was awoken by the rooster's early call. The morning sun gently graced her delicate features, as her eyes fluttered open. Slowly getting up, she moves towards the large glass door that led to the garden and opened it to let in the fresh air. Taking a few moments to take in the beautiful sight of spring and sunshine, she then moves towards the bathroom to prepare for the day. Unfortunately for Jiang YingYue, fate has not followed her wishes for a peaceful day of work, as an intruder has entered her quiet house.

"Xiao Yue! Xiao Yue!" screamed a young lady jumping on her feet staring impatiently at the serene woman ignoring her to prepare breakfast.

"Xiao Yue! Do not ignore me! Do you know how hard it was for this young lady to come visit you in this desolate area! The wind! The dust! The sun! Do you know how bad this place is for my delicate skin!" ranted the lady dressed in a yellow blouse her voice full of accusations, sounding very pitiful.

"I did not ask you to come here. Xiao Lin, why have you come to bother me again?" YingYue let out a deep sigh as she foretold a large headache coming with the arrival of Lin Chun.

"Xiao Yue, I know that you are upset with the passing of your grandparents, but that doesn't mean you should move into such a rural area to live the rest of your life. You are still young, you should be living vicariously, without a care in the world. You are only twenty-five years old, not sixty-five! Save this kind of lonely and quiet lifestyle for when you have turned grey and wrinkly." Lin Chun pouted as she followed Yingyue into the garden to collect food for breakfast.

'But what if I don't want that kind of life anymore? I am tired, tired of people, tired of life....' thought Yingyue as she smiled wryly at Lin Chun.

Seeing Yingyue's smile, Lin Chun let out a deep breath wishing she could breathe some life back into her once lively friend. "I know that the more I talk about it the more you are going to ignore me, so I'll give up for now. So, how have you been?" Lin Chun said pouting as she glared heatedly at the herbs and vegetables Yingyue was harvesting. Lin Chun has always despised vegetables with a burning passion and as her best friend, Yingyue made it her duty to force as many vegetables down Lin Chun's throat as possible before their friendship was broken by a carrot.

"Wonderful, as there are no annoying bugs like you to annoy me on a daily basis here." said Yingyue grinning mischievously as she held up a pile of dirt-filled leeks next to Lin Chun's face. Screeching and cursing about how rough her life is with a demon of a friend like Yingyue, Lin Chun ran away before tripping into a pond of fish and lilypads. As they made eye contact, the two beautiful girls burst out laughing.

The day passed quickly and before the two girls knew it, the moon was high in the sky and Lin Chun was in her car ready to leave. "Xiao Yue are you sure you want to stay here? It's so far away from people and there are so many bugs! What if something happens? You would die without a proper corpse! You know you can always come stay with me, it would be like a never ending sleepover." Lin Chun said as she peered up into Yingyue's face. With the moon peacefully lighting their conversation, Yingyue looked like a goddess. Her eyes sparkled with fondness for her best friend, her elegant black hair softly flying in the wind, it was a picture for the museums. Illuminating it further was a soft smile and her serene temperament. She was the human form of the moon.

"I know you are worried about me, but it isn't that bad here. Everyday I wake up to the rooster's call and the sun shining down on me. The water is clean, the air fresh, and best of all, no people to deal with. I eat what I grow and do what I want. Nobody is around to judge, scheme, or harm me. It's my paradise. I feel at peace when I'm here and when I'm bored I take out my favorite books and read or play my instruments. Also, who would come here in this desolate area," she said comforting her best friend.

"Crazy idiots like you," sighing she turns on the car's engine, preparing to leave. "Look at how much stress you are giving me! I can practically feel my hair turning grey," giving Yingyue one last hug Lin Chun drove her car into the night and its twinkling stars.

Perhaps if Yingyue had left with Lin Chun that night, she would have never had to take the risk she never wanted to take. It was amazing how a small choice could affect a person's entire life.