The Lady or the Tiger

She had known she would be asked, she had decided what she would answer, and, without the slightest hesitation, she had moved her hand to the right. The young man stands upright and moves ever so rapidly across the empty arena ground. A wave of hushed voices spread throughout the arena, wondering what the fate of the man would be. As he approached the door, the audience was in silence; every breath held, hearts caught in a fast tempo, all eyes glued to this man. Without hesitation, he grabbed the knob and opened the door to find: nothing. There was a sudden outburst of of whispers, anticipating an immediate fate to be revealed from the door. The man turns around, a triumphant smile on his face, waving to the princess. She stands from her seat almost immediately, waving back to her lover. And for a split second, she thought that maybe, just maybe, she'll end up with him after all. But to her dismay, a loud crashing sound came through the door and just like that, the tiger ran out growling furiously, snatching up the young man by his torso. Caught off guard, he couldn't at least extend his life for a few more seconds by an attempt of escape. Just like that, the ferocious tiger sunk his teeth into the young man, splitting most of him in two. The princess, falling to her knees, let out a horrid screech at the sight of her lover being torn to bits. She knew that she had chosen this door of fate for him, but she hadn't fully anticipated the anguish that filled her at that very moment, and probably had no intentions of leaving her any time soon. The beast wrangler emerged from the door and made sure that the job was done before collecting the tiger. It was to be put in its cage, dwell there until the next time it was chosen to end the life of another cared and well-loved commoner. The princess clutched her chest, as though her heart was threatening to pound its way out.

Meanwhile, the door on the left opened, revealing the fair maiden who had thought it was her wedding day. She walks out, entering the empty arena ground, confusion splayed across her face. She immediately looks to her left and notices the blood and scraps of left over flesh. She too, shrieks in horror, seeing that her day had not turned out as planned. Agony filled her as she processed what had happened. She glances up at the princess through teary eyes, hoping she had nothing to do with this. After all, the princess tended to have the same barbaric personality as her father, the king, the man who started this whole tradition. The wailing princess took no note of the now-mourning lady. She got up with the remaining strength that she had, and left the arena with the assistance of her father. The lady collapsed to the ground, her wedding gown being soiled from the dusty ground and blood-splattered floor. Her love had been killed, not knowing that it was the woman she had shared the man with was responsible for this tragedy.