• “Welcome to the turning point! Ok, so you’re on the road of life. Which way would you like to go?” a young anthropomorphic cat man greets you as you get to the end of the road you were on. “You can go turning here to the left, which you can see leads to some lovely meadow with a clear blue sky…Or,” he pauses, switching his pointing finger from the left to the right, “you can turn right. On your right is a path leading to the dark woods, with a gray foreboding sky. So which will it be?” he asks happily, hands down to his sides once the pointing is done. You notice he has gray fur with a plain brown mop of hair on the top of his head. He is wearing a worn down brown trench coat-like suit, a bowler hat, and some old brown shoes. Sure, he wasn’t dressed that nicely, but he had the job of directing you down one of two important paths in your boring life, so he must be important, regardless of his shoddy garb. You stare at him, wondering which path to take for a moment. You pause.

    “Can you tell me the outcome of going down either path sir?” you ask innocently, staring down both ways, trying not to ‘judge the book by its cover’ as they always say.

    The cat man answers your question. “Can I? Yes. Will I? No. You see, that would be cheating, and you can’t cheat life. The decisions you make affect your own life. You can’t let others tell you what to do or have them tell you what’s going to happen if you do a certain thing. That’s all up to you and fate. Decisions are permanent things. We can‘t give away the answers to something as big and delicate as that,” he replies, smiling gently.

    You are a bit taken aback. You surely weren’t expecting an answer like that. “I see,” you say, thinking. “Well then, may I ask you another question?”

    He seems a bit surprised, but nods.

    “I see two paths here. Both are traveled by many people, I am guessing, since the dirt looks very worn down. Now my question is this. Where may I go to create my own path?”

    The cat man laughs lightheartedly. “In all my years of having this job…No one has ever asked that. And you know, I’ve waited so long for someone to finally do what you just did. So you want to make your own path, eh? You want to lead your own leash that life gives you, not taking one of the already-made paths? It will be difficult and you may get lost. Do you still want to go through with it, knowing that?” he asks, beaming with happiness at your differences to the other people he would normally direct.

    You nod, smiling as well now. “Yes sir. I know the risks. I don’t want to follow a set path. Just like you said, I want to make my own path, lead my own life, be different, and be a leader. So how do I go about creating a new path?” you repeat to him, curious.

    He motions a hand around, and your eyes follow. “Look. Don’t you see? You’ve already made the path. Now all you need to do is keep walking. Walk wherever you like; the decision is yours now.” The man in the frayed suit bows to you.

    Indeed, the path is already made, you notice. And now, all you have to do is walk. Walk into the unknown and live a life that no other has ever pursued. You smile one last time at the man before beginning to walk away from both of the selected paths behind him, making a new bit of pathway with each step you take. But you must turn around first. There is one last thing you need to ask him.

    “Sir? Your name?” you question the cat man one last time.

    He adjusts his cuff links and gives you a grin. “Crossroads. You may call me Crossroads.”

    “Thank you Crossroads!” you say, beginning on your way again.

    “No, thank you. Thank you for having a mind of your own.” he replies, leaning on the sign post that is still pointed in the two directions of the set paths.

    You turn around again, to wave one last goodbye, but are surprised. The cat man is gone, along with the two paths he was watching over. You smile and laugh. There is no turning back now. You are going down an unknown path, with only yourself to lead, but you are not afraid. Not at all. You walk toward the horizon with a steady step.

    “Crossroads. The infamous Crossroads of Life.” you whisper one last time, smiling, and look up to the sky as you walk onward.