Short Story

Directions: Although this is a short story, it is also a game. To play the game, you will have to make choices, some trivial and some life-changing. Your first choice, choosing the white bus or the black bus, will dictate which path your life follows for the rest of the story. Within the white path and black path, you will make choices to determine your own survival. I am the writer of this story, but you will choose how it ends.

Beep! Beep! Beep!

Your alarm rings loudly, indicating that it is 6:30 a.m. Your body aches for more sleep, but you force your feet onto the cold, grimy floor and hoist yourself off of the bed. Rubbing your eyes, you stumble into the bathroom and reach for your toothbrush. You squeeze a dollop of chalky white paste onto the brush. It is flavorless, not fresh and minty like you’re used to. Then, you wash your face with a handful of cold tap water, the faucet rusty and speckled with stains.

You stare at yourself in the mirror and take a deep breath. It’s time for work.

As you walk into the kitchen, you look down at your wristwatch – 6:42, it reads. No time to eat. Better hurry to work.

You put on the first pair of socks you can find and quickly lace up your shoes. They are dirty and riddled with holes. You should get some new ones.

As you leave your home and lock the door, you contemplate which bus to take to work today: black or white? Well, the black bus is closer to work, but it travels through a heavily trafficked area, so it might take a little longer. The white bus takes a longer route to get there, but the traffic won’t slow you down too much.

Which bus do you take?