Life Over Death

Tom Roddin, a successful Nashville architect, awakes one morning to find a cryptic note on his bed providing him the power to make life and death choices for people of his own choosing - the gift of Hope. Confused and in doubt about the origin of the note, Tom is confronted by an unexpected visitor who confesses knowledge of the note and presents herself as a fellow gifter and his instructor. Leveraging an approach she learned from her own instructor, Marina Kostitsen engages Tom in a discussion about the gift's purpose and how her own choices have had a significant impact on the life of her recipients and herself. The story follows Tom on his journey to use the gift and justify his choices. His strict Christian upbringing almost cripples his ability to make decisions of death, but as time and hope arise from each choice, Tom begins to accept the responsibility of the gift. Dealing with the power of the gift and the consequences of his choices takes him on a soul-baring journey that tests his moral foundation and redefines the boundaries of situational ethics. Seemingly confident toward the end of his journey in his role as a gifter, Tom's world quickly unravels with a series of events that forces him to dig deep into his pure heart before making his final two choices. Revenge, sympathy, and a promise are intertwined as he makes a final attempt to hold true to the pureness of his heart and the ultimate purpose of the gift...the validation of Hope.