[ WP ] At age 18 you are required to go to city hall and have someone read you through a choose your own adventure style book of your life while you make the choices . The choices are permanent and will determine your life . You are the clerk reading the books .

“ Do you know why you ’ re here, Mr. Paterson? ” 
 
 “ Yes. ” 
 
 “ Could you explain to the court, please? ” 
 
 “ I read the endings. All of them. ” 
 
 A murmur arose from the spectators. I looked over at the jury box. Some jurors were frowning, others seemed visibly upset. One smiled. 
 
 “ Do you understand the seriousness of your crime, Mr. Paterson? ” 
 
 “ Yes. ” 
 
 “ Really? You seem... unfazed for someone who claims to understand. You upset the very balance of fate. ” 
 
 I sighed. The bizarre science behind the Book made the populace view it as a holy, unassailable item. The prosecutor knew better, but keeping this narrative would put the jury on his side. 
 
 “ Don ’ t be ridiculous, ” I said. “ I broke a rule. I ran an existential red light. No one got hurt. ” 
 
 “ This time. This time, no one got hurt. ” 
 
 “ No one ’ s ever gotten hurt. ” 
 
 I could hear the spectators buzzing. 
 
 “ Mr. Paterson, are you admitting to reading these endings multiple times? ” 
 
 I glanced over at the juror ’ s box again. The young woman on the far left side of the back row was still smiling. 
 
 “ Yes, ” I said. 
 
 The spectator area exploded into noise. I thought I heard a few expletives above the din, but they merged into the nonsensical roar. 
 
 “ And why did you do such a thing? ” 
 
 I cupped my hand to my ear and prompted him to ask again. 
 
 “ Why did you do it? ” 
 
 My eyes wandered around the courtroom. I looked at the spectators, first. They were nearly a mob already. One more push would send them over the edge. I looked at the jurors next. They looked angry. Save one, of course. She gave me the smallest nod. 
 
 “ Mr. Paterson? ” 
 
 I looked back to the prosecutor. 
 
 “ I had to read them so I could tell my clients how to get the good ending. ” 
 
 Luckily, it took the crowd a few seconds to process my response. That gave the bailiffs enough time to run me out of the courtroom. I glanced behind me and saw citizens pushing each other aside as they stormed over the guardrails toward me. The bailiffs forced me through the side exit and quickly slammed the steel doors behind me. 
 
 “ You shouldn ’ t have said that, buddy, ” said one of the bailiffs as he took my arm to lead me back to my holding cell. “ This ’ ll be the fastest conviction in the history of the court. ” 
 
 “ You think so? It would need to be unanimous. ” 
 
 “ We could put 200 jurors in the box. It would still be unanimous. ” 
 
 “ Maybe. ” 
 
 The bailiff shook his head. He led me down a second corridor and stopped in front of the holding cell. 
 
 “ This won ’ t end well for you, ” he said as he opened the door. I stepped in. 
 
 “ You're wrong, ” I said. “ This is the best possible ending. ”
