You cannot change your fate. Those were the words my mother always told me when I began to doubt the Creator’s plan. “The Creator has a plan for you, for me, for all. You cannot change it, Renee, and the sooner you realise that, the happier you’ll be.”
That was years ago before the fire that took her from me. Her last words as she lay dying on that hospital bed were, “This is the Creator’s plan for me, my daughter. Do not cry.”
That was when I lost all faith in the Creator. Why would someone so all-powerful let my mother die? Why do they allow such tragedy in the world? It was then that I decided to forge my own path. Afterall, fate is really only affected by our decisions, isn’t it?
My uncle raised me when he had time. He spent a lot of his time at work and the rest of it at home reading up on missions that were in the process of being completed. He didn’t have much time to look after himself, much less a child, so really I raised myself.
I didn’t believe in soulmates and true love. As a teenager, I made it my life’s goal to leave a trail of broken hearts behind me. I had three boyfriends that I kept playing with until the day before my birthday. “It was fun, but you’re nothing to me. Just another checkmark on my list.”
As an adult, I worked at the local bar as a bartender. Sometimes I would seduce one of the patrons for a while before viciously breaking their heart.
That’s how I got you, my little star. One forgetful night and a little too much to drink, and you were conceived.
I don’t regret having you though. You brought true happiness to my life where once I had merely pretended to prove a point.
I spent as much time with you as I could, already well aware of just how short and fragile life could be. You would run to me when there was a monster under your bed, come running out to hug me when I came home from work, and in return, I helped you with your homework and read you stories.
One tragedy after another happened that year. I was at work when you became trapped in the pool. You spent hours swimming and trying to get out. I returned just in time to watch the reaper take your soul onward. “How dare you? He was only a child! My child!”
The reaper didn’t respond. It wouldn’t have mattered if he did, my little star was gone.
At my next doctor’s appointment, I was told that I could no longer have any children. “It would be dangerous to your health. You would most likely leave your child alone in the world.”
I continued working at the bar, and on my way home, I would often stop and look up at the stars. “Why?” I would demand of the Creator who seemed to mock me with tragedy no matter what I did to avoid it.
I spent the rest of my life alone, watching mothers and fathers play with their children in envy. How I wished it was you and me playing together.
How I wished you would still come running to me for advice. How I wished I could watch you fall in love. Instead, I attended your funeral rather than your wedding.
I was nearing the end of my life when I saw her. She was young yet seemed older than she appeared. The girl approached me and sat down beside me.
“I know who you are, Renee,” the girl said. “You tried so hard to fight against the Creator’s plan that you ended up following it.”
“Who are you?” I was outraged. How dare this child say such things?
“I am called many different things in many different places, each with a different face,” the girl said cryptically. “Here, I am called Raven, the Creator’s voice in this world.”
“You? You are merely a teenager.”
Raven laughed. “There are many things you don’t understand, Renee. I am one of them, but there is something I suspect you have learned.”
I sighed, not wanting to admit what I knew now. Raven smiled before standing and walking away from me. The last thing I heard from her was carried to me by the wind.
“You cannot change your fate.”
A/N: This was written for the Sims 4 short story challenge for July.
