Chapter 3: Which way to what is right?
Shannon was sitting on a golden staircase and wearing a white dress. She looked around. Apparently, she was floating in the clouds. At the top of the staircase was a huge golden gate, and standing in front of it was Boone.
"Shan, come with me, it's for the better," Boone was trying to convince her to climb to the top of the stairs and enter the gate.
"No, Shannon, came back to me," Shannon jerked her head towards the bottom of the stairs. Sayid was smiling there. At the bottom of the stairs, behind Sayid, was and island.
"I don't want you to be around him," Boone said, not loosing her temper at all.
"Don't listen to him, I need you. We all want you to come back," Sayid was trying to convince her to come back to the island with him.
"I hate the island," Shannon stood up and looked from Sayid to Boone and vice versa. Boone and Said were both smiling sweetly. "But I hate Boone too." Shannon couldn't decide, she knew that if she went back to the boring, scary island then Boone would be there anyway, but if she went through the gate Boone would be gone, but so would Sayid.
"It shouldn't be hard to chose. Up here you can watch over our baby," Shannon began to lean towards Boone. "That's it. Now just come up the rest of the way."
"No Shannon!" Sayid didn't get mad or sad, but stayed content. "You can't go there, for you it might not be a happy place. You might not be headed to heaven." Shannon didn't even think of the possibility that she might not be headed for heaven, but hell.
"I'm coming Sayid," Shannon started to descend the staircase.
"Shannon! Our baby needs you to help her more than Sayid needs you now," Boone walked slowly towards Shannon.
"Go back up there, I've already chosen," Shannon shooed Boone.
"You want to go live on that filthy island with people who don't even appreciate you?" Boone interrogated her. She stopped. Going back to the island meant dying there too.
"I want to live, just not on the island," Shannon pouted.
"You Shannon, you can save the other castaways if you come to the gate, but for you it's too late," Boone dropped his head. Shannon could save her "friends" if she entered the gate, or she could join Sayid and live on the island with her "friends" and the others where there is a possibility she might die early anyway.
"Shannon come dow with me, for your daughter," Sayid reached out to her. Boone also reached for her. "Down here, your daughter is alive."
"Yes, but down there you can't protect her," Boone said as Shannon looked at him.
"I need to protect my daughter. That's what being a mother is about," Shannon grabbed Boone's hand and they climbed the staircase. When they got to the top, there was a sign in sheet.
"Shannon! NO!" Sayid called from the bottom. The bottom now seemed at lot farther than it had before.
"Boone, I can't sign in," Shannon floated back to the middle of the stairs. "I don't know which path to chose!"
"If you came this way you will meet our God. Everyone will come here in the future, so why not now?" Boone retried to convince her. She was on the brink of death, and didn't know which way to go.
"Which path is the right one? Am I needed more on the island, or in heaven?"Shannon prayed.
"You can't pray here, but if you like you could meet God, as I said before, by joining me," Boone extended his hand again. Sayid also extended his hand. Shannon sat back down.
"I'm not ready to chose yet. I need more time to live and think," Shannon cried.
"Please don't cry," Sayid told her in comforting words. "You said you needed to live. Join me and you can." Shannon stayed put.
"I don't want to live or die right now, I just want to be," Shannon began to cry silently again.
"You can't be for very long, Shan. You only have the time on this watch," Boone pulled a golden pocket watch from his white pants. The watch was hooked onto a golden chain.
"What is it with heaven being the place of white and gold?" Shannon asked Boone. He tossed her the watch. It had one day, four hours and twenty five minutes left on it. "I have about a day and a sixth left." Boone nodded solemnly.
"If you came up here you time is unlimited, but if you go down there, in a long time, you will be faced with this same choice. You could just get it over with now?" Boone's hand was still out stretched.
"I just don't know," Shannon put her head down.
"We'll give you time, but when the clock runs out, your future is in Jack's hands," Boone waved his hand and an image of Jack operating on her appeared, in the end, she died.
