“His opponent was coming in for another attack, and Devin, in one fluid motion, pulled his shield up to block the oncoming halberd and slid his sword into the boy’s belly. Devin looked into the boy’s eyes. They were filled with pain and disbelief. The block and thrust of the sword and shield had felt so natural. His muscles seemed to know exactly what to do, and Devin knew that all the gym work and the junior ring fights had made it easy to complete that move, but his mind couldn’t catch up to what his body had just done.”
I like this particular part because it shows how quickly life can change. Before this moment, Devin determined he didn’t want to die. That decision subconsciously allowed his training to work uninhibited, but it didn’t mean that he would be prepared emotionally for the consequences of that decision. It is immediately evident on his way home from the fight.
“Even though he knew it had just been a dream, he couldn’t forget what his dad had said, or the look of disgust on his face, like Devin, was some sort of monster. Devin put his face in his hands and cried.”
I have put myself in Devin’s place over the years as I have created this story and wondered what I would have done under such circumstances. Even after years, I’m still not sure what I would do. A part of me feels like I would fight. But I’m not sure that fight would lead to me being able to protect my life over someone else’s. I think that’s the beauty of this story. Hopefully, we will never have to make a choice like that. I do, however, have to make choices every day about the battles that are raging right now in my own life and how I’ve chosen to react to them.
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