Decisions.

"Jump," said the pale man, standing at the edge of a nearby building, "don't even think about it, just jump."

"But... what if I don't make it?" Enquired a young man, average in build with short, ruffled black hair. The air about him exuded both determination and reluctance, with a strong desire to prove himself but a sense of fear pertaining to the task at hand. "It's a long way down..."

"If you don't make it, then you are a coward." Came a quick retort from the pale man, who stood with his back to the sunlight, outlining his figure with a golden glow that shielded the younger man from the sun's blinding rays. This didn't help the pale man's argument; the younger man had a clearer view of the rooftops and the impending danger that they proposed.

The younger man held his breath and slowly paced back towards the dark stairwell from whence he came. Slowly, he made his way to the stairs and then he slowly turned to feast his eyes upon the sunset for the last time that night. However, the pale man was still standing on the adjacent rooftop, staring at him intently. At a second glance, the young man could have sworn that the gap between the buildings seemed shorter, and at a second glance, the stairwell looked more menacing and ominous than it had seconds earlier. Reluctantly, the young man shut the stairwell door and locked it, then slowly walked towards the edge of the roof.

"Good. Excellent."

"Why do you want me to jump? What meaning does it hold?" The young man asked defiantly., his voice increasing in volume with each word, finally escalating into a yell. "What the hell are you staring at me for?"

"I'm telling you to jump because you fear it," replied the pale man calmly, "your fear holds you back on so many levels Jason. You fear death, yet try to live a risque and exciting lifestyle. You fear commitment, yet you complain incessantly about the impermanancy of one night stands and meaningless flirtation sessions. You live a trite and meaningless life, Jason, and I am here to stop that, one way or the other."

"Is that a threat?"

"No, it's a potential outcome based on the rammifications of the choices you will make before this sun sets."

"And what if I'm standing up here by sunset?"

"You'll die. The security systems in the building I am standing on arm at 8:30, which is the expected time of sunset this evening."

"And my building?"

"You just locked it." Said the pale man with a maniacal grin on his face and a gleam of sadistic pleasure in his eye.

"Sh*t!" Shouted the young man, realizing the situation that he put himself in.

"Do you see it now Jason? That is your first decision and you have already blocked off several possible escape routes for yourself. What do you intend to do?"

Backing up and preparing himself for his leap, Jason clapped his hands and attempted to focus himself. He stared at the ground a few feet in front of him and began to observe the situation from a physical sense. "Gravity... 9.8 meters per second per second," he thought to himself, "velocity, distance, AH forget it! That's too complicated." Then he broke out into a stride and held his breath.

"Don't mind the pipes on the ground." Said the pale man, causing Jason to panic and lose balance. Then he laughed as he watched Jason pick himself up, scowling at him.

"Don't do that." Jason said, glaring at the pale man before observing the ground more carefully.

"But that's the entire purpose of this exercise, to teach you t-"

"Exercise!?" Screamed Jason in a fit of rage. "Exercise?! This is life and death!?"

"Didn't your mother ever teach you to never interrupt a man when he's talking?" Enquired the pale man, feigning a sense of rejection and offense.

"Don't feed me that bullsh*t," retorted Jason defiantly, "you're trying to kill me."

"If I were trying to kill you, Jason, you'd already be dead." The pale man said, pulling his pant leg up to reveal a handgun, custom from the looks of it, that glistened gold from the sinking sun. "Now, if you don't act soon I won't need to kill you."

Jason started his process over again, closing his eyes and saying a prayer to his God before he made a mad dash for the edge. When Jason neared the midpoint of the rooftop, the pale man shouted his last words of wisdom before departing down the open stairwell. "You need to want the jump. You can't make a decision halfway through, just bite the bullet and go for it."

Then Jason jumped.