The choice was easy, just tell the truth. She was a good person – didn’t lie or steal. The truth was known to her. She even knew all of the details. There was no mystery to the story. Everything was in plain sight. It would be a good thing.
Her conscious fell heavy. Bearing her soul meant that her lifelong, best friend would be convicted of a horrible crime and probably be sentenced to death. No one had actually confronted her yet and asked her any questions but other potential witnesses were slowly being eliminated.
Her best friend was a good and morale person – not prone to violence or fits of rage. However, the only witness to the horrible incident was her trusted friend, the perpetrator, and herself. No one else knew the truth – the whole, awful truth. She knew that revealing the details would sever their friendship forever and send her lifelong friend into a spiral of despair and sadness. Even her urging had not forced her friend to confess to the crime.
It was clear to all that the truth hinged on what she would reveal about her friend, even though her heart ached just thinking about the consequences. Her mind told her that telling the truth is a good thing. However, her heart knew that doing the right thing is not always easy.
She approached the witness stand, was sworn in and took a deep breath as she began to answer the obvious questions. Yes, it is good to tell the truth but not so easy when you know how the facts will affect your friend.