Deception: Kevin Ch’ng (First Prize

written by Kevin Ch’ng, Year 8

You hold the business card in your hand. The card reads ‘Deception’. Beneath it, ‘Lawyer, Consultant, Anything you want.’ Turning it over, you read the instructions on how to reach him. ‘Deep, deep, down.’ It is a delicate situation, and you must handle this craftily. Deception is the only one who can help.

And so, your journey begins.

You travel down for a seemingly long time before stopping to rest. Approaching from a distance, you see an old man. You instantly recognise him as Truth. It is not entirely unexpected that he is the first to have crossed your way. You rely on him so much, so very much, for both guidance and counsel in times of need. Should you listen to him now?

No, not this time. He just would not be able to offer the advice that you need. Only Deception can help you.

So you back away.

But Truth is not going to let you off so easily. With surprising speed, he reaches out and grabs you. For just that moment, you consider letting Truth in and accepting the consequences. He will always lead you up the righteous path. Whereas Deception would lead you down the more comfortable direction.

As you prepare to let Truth take charge, a young girl skips up towards the both of you. You know her as Imagination. Someone who would always fill your mind with joyful dreams. Someone who would come up with something wondrous and inventive, and occasionally useful. Someone who would help you deny Truth for a while.

So, you let Imagination take your hand, in the hope that she would lead you to Deception. They work closely, after all.

In that instant, you see a vision that the young girl has painted for you. You, smiling from ear to ear, skipping through rows of shimmering green grass. Best day ever! If you would only choose Deception over Truth, this would happen.

Powered by Imagination, you spring away from Truth. Deception is the only one that can save you now.

And so, the journey continues.

You trek along for quite a while until you reach the base of a cliff. Looking up, you spy a teenager, in a ragged school uniform, teetering along the edge. You wonder if he is about to fall, before realising, to your horror, that he is contemplating jumping. He looks shameful about something that he had done.

You feel sick and nauseous about the fact that you cannot do anything for him from this distance.

But as you study him longer, you realise that he is guilty. He thrives by making you regret all your choices and by attacking your morals. You know that the only way to get past Guilt is to ignore him as best you can, however heartbreaking or unconscionable it may be. He will always be lurking in your mind, but as you begin to walk away from him, you can at least try to dull the sensation. You decide to focus entirely on Deception, to help you forget that you ever met Guilt.

And so, the journey continues.

And as you continue further down, you see Deception. His dark silhouette is all that you can see. Lightning trails behind him whilst rain beats down upon the pavement. You hear a loud burst of thunder. The street along which he walks is lit by flickering street lamps. Cold wind blows, carrying all manner of rubbish flying around, as well as causing nearby trees to flail violently.

This moment could not be more clichéd if you tried. It’s quite understandable, really. Your mind has always been filled with nightmares and dramatic scenes. This has all been manifested to mirror your thoughts.

He approaches and beckons to you, but you back away, suddenly unsure. Are you certain that you want to do this? Perhaps you should think about your alternatives a bit more and consider what you could do instead.

He senses your wavering and leaps towards you.

You feel Deception merging into you, as you both become one. You feel power. Power that you have never felt before, and you understand the extent of Deception’s influence and intensity. An evil smile spreads along your face.

Guided by Deception, you begin the trek back up to the top of your mind.

Finally, just as you are about to reach the top, you meet Anxiety. She is the last line of defence, the only thing standing between you and your actions. She shares traits with Imagination, but you know the difference.

Anxiety shows you the worst possible outcomes and guides you to a path you feel comfortable with. Imagination, on the other hand, shows you all the possibilities, good or bad. He is unbiased about the path you take.

However, now that you are powered by Deception, none of this matters. She takes away all the possible choices except one. You stride past Anxiety easily.

“MUM! I’m coming in half an hour, just gotta finish this essay!” you shout back. You then look back down at your phone, scrolling through your socials, while Deception smiles.