A Choice Sorting

A Choice Sorting

Two boxes sit before me. Not really boxes, more like...small treasure chests. They're identical except for the colors. The one on my left is bright red. The fastenings, edges, and handles are golden - or at least gold-plated. The one to my right, however, is a dark green. All the metal on this box is silver. I look around me, but all I can see is the two boxes, the plush chair I sit in, and the wood table in front of me. The walls and floor are both polished wood, and I can see no doors or windows leading out.

"You must choose...before you leave this place, you must choose between the two. Fear not, for time does not pass in this place the way it does in the world outside, but know that you will stay here until you pick one. Open them both and look at what's inside - and then pick the one you prefer. Do not make a rushed decision, for the choice you make here will affect your whole life."

The voice stops. I glanced around, trying to find the speaker, but there is no one there. Sighing, I move to open both the chests. They both pop open immediately, before I've even touched either. I shuddered - this was a little creepy.

I peeked inside the chests. They both seemed to be the same, with an equal amount of stuff inside each. I decided to just look at both at the same time, and tried to dump out the contents. Everything came spilling out, and for a moment I was afraid they would mix. Magically, not only didn't they mix, but the items came out in a symmetrical pattern. This was getting creepier by the moment.

I picked up a silver snake charm from the right pile with my right hand. Another charm whizzed into my left hand - a golden lion. I looked over at the left pile - it came from the corresponding spot. I examined the two charms, and then dropped them both. They slid over the table into their original spots. Creepy, but cool.

A silver moon charm drew my attention next - its correspondent being a golden sun. I looked at them both...but there was something about the moon that drew me to it.

There were other things that I found intriguing about the contents of the green chest. Besides the black velvet lining and the crystal-studded mirror inside it (which I found much nicer than the white plush and regular mirror of the red box) I found lots of things in silver - rings, necklaces, even a set of matching pentacle earrings and a necklace (the thing's I'd wanted for a long while.) There was a gorgeous peacock feather - a black feather with an eye in all shades of green.

There was a paper splattered in words, in all colors and many beautiful calligraphy styles. Success, ambition, cleverness, analytic, loyalty, friendship, underhandedness, freedom, idealism, stubbornness, perseverance, defensive, cunning, ability, and power were some of the words written there. Those words were all qualities I knew I possessed, or wanted to possess. Out of curiosity, I glanced over at the paper from the other box.

Loyalty, friendship, bravery, nobility, truth, power, stubbornness, ability, idealism, courage, audacity, brash, bold, aggressive, opinionated, one-sided, and a few other words that I couldn't quite make out were on that paper, written in different colors, but the calligraphy was more readable and less beautiful. I thought for a second - the two papers held some similar words, but the words they didn't share were radically different. The two weren't all that different, yet something inside me said that they were. I heard a laugh.

"So, you have discovered what others have never figured out. That the difference is all in their minds and that there really is no true difference between these two categories. That those who are truly great belong in both, and at the same time, neither." It was the voice that I had heard when I first arrived here.

"Tell me what I'm doing here, please?" I asked it. It just laughed again.

"I knew I was right in bringing you here. Now, go ahead and make your choice. Don't forget to think very carefully about which category you really want to belong to before you choose."

I nodded, and turned back to the boxes. I remembered the pentacle jewelry that I'd seen earlier, and looked for the counterparts. I saw jewelry made out of gold - it was the cross of Christianity.

Going along with what I already knew of the categories, I figured that the cross symbolized deep faith in some higher power. It symbolized the belief that you were in the right, and anybody who disagreed was in the wrong. It showed a lack of equality between the males and females, and that their one God was great, never wrong, and always justified in his actions.

The pentacle, however, symbolized faith in oneself. It symbolized belief in not one, omniscient, male God, but two, male and female, with the female holding the higher priority. It showed love for one's body and for nature, and the belief that a woman belongs to herself and not her father or mate. It was independence and rebellion. The pentacle meant thinking for yourself and questioning the beliefs of those before you, and always wondering how life would be if it was different.

"You are truly wise beyond your years, my lady. Of course, it is only expected that a Wicce coming from a world of Christianity and Judaism would have learned to see what is behind the mask, and to look for the deeper meaning in everything. Are you ready to make your decision yet, lady?" the strange voice asked.

"Just give me a few more minutes. I think I have almost decided," I replied to it. I thought I felt it nod, but then dismissed the thought from my mind.

I gathered up the items and put them back in the boxes. I started to reflect on what I had seen.

The red box's category seemed to be the one that would be more greatly accepted by society. One from the red box would be a conformist, someone who built his or her ideals around what others would think of them, while hiding his or her true self. The men of the red box would think only for themselves, while the females would attempt to get ahead, but subside if somebody didn't believe in her.

The green box's people were different. While both shared the ambition and drive to succeed, those from the green box would not let anybody stand in their way. The person would put all of his or her abilities to their best potential, and never give up their ideals. They treated each other as equals, but they knew inside that they were clearly superior to the others, who were not from their category, because they were independent.

"So, you have made your decision?" it asked. I nodded.

"Well, if you're sure then, have a good seven years in SLYTHERIN!"

I was back in the Great Hall of Hogwarts. As I lifted the Sorting Hat off my head, I heard it speak to me. It was saying that I would do great things in Slytherin, but to remember what I had learned in that room, to never forget how though two groups may be warring enemies, they're really the same. It told me to be grateful for my choice during the Sorting. I smiled, and as I handed the Hat off to McGonagall, I knew it was right. After all, that had been a choice of a Sorting.

10/5/2003