The Beast

Prompt: Freewrite for five minutes using this opening line: behind her, the noise escalated.

Behind her the noise escalated. She ran and ran but there was no escaping it. Once it had her in its sights it would vow to die hunting her. She tried to dodge it, and tried to hide. She tried everything she could think of to avoid this hulking beast that seemed to be shadowing her every move, never giving her chance to breathe. During this sprint she was forced to gather her weapons and prepare herself to conquer this monster. She knew this day was coming and yet she could never have prepared herself for the fear and uncertainty she was faced with. One would be surprised to hear that almost every human being has been faced with a sinister chase such as this. That terrifying beast we are to conquer is called the future. As a person entering the college age, I find myself stuck in a strange place between childhood and adulthood. As I sit on the fence between the two, I find myself stumbling. I’ve never been a person who feels like she has a solid footing on life. Every move I make I fear I’m about to stumble and fall into a pit, never to resurface. I imagine the pit would be something like not doing well in college, not getting a good job, watching all my peers move on as I stay in this limbo between the life I’m leading and the life I’m supposed to have. No one ever prepares you for this stuff. I think there should be a mandatory class for all seniors, preparing you for the harsh realities of life, and the tough decisions we’re about to make. Letting an 18-year-old decide what I’m going to be doing for the rest of my life frightens me to no end. Some people just have the future mapped out for them, I guess I’m just not one of them.