In This One...

In this one, you are sweating profusely.
Your hands are shaking.
Your heart is thumping hard and fast in your chest.

The man before you, the kind cashier at the gas station near your home. . .
His eyes are wide
His hands are raised in surrender
He's yelling
Pleading
Begging you to put the gun down.

In this one
You smile, because you know...
No, you understand
That this man's life is in your very hands.

Just a moment ago, this cashier was smiling.

He was overly thankful that you walked in and knocked out the robber who was waving a gun and demanding money from the cash register. You knocked the thief out with a swift karate chop to the back of the head. It was the first time you'd put that black belt training to use, and it felt good. You reached down and snatched the gun from the robber's limp hand.

And in that very moment,
Upon feeling the cool steel of the gun in your hand,
After living such a monotonous and boring life...
You want to know what it was like,

... to rob, shoot, and kill an innocent man.



From 2012 Women of Color Writing Workshop. Writing prompt: (5 minutes) Begin a story with "In This One..."

I've done this before, and it is one of my favorite writing prompts. It even gave me a chance to write something in the 2nd person point of view.