It's that side of us we try to keep hidden.... |
Close your eyes, can you see me? I'm there haunting your every thought. It's impossible, stop trying! You can't shut out my existence! The very essence of your life is me. I lurk menacingly in the deepest, darkest and coldest corners of your mind and feed on your fears. What's that sound? Listen! It's me breathing, I'm alive and my presence will forever linger over the bare plains of your imagination. I'm that thing you see at night when the moonlight has faded away and when all is still. When there's no one but you, surrounded by darkness. Shivering, your heart hammering madly in your chest, the sound echoes through the deafening silence towards me. I can feel your blood pulsing, sweet crimson, rushing through your veins. As I draw closer, the walls of your intestines start to tighten, you put your hands to your throat, clutching it because it's difficult to breathe. I'm almost there now, just a bit more. My arm outstretched trying to make contact with you, parting the icy air between us. Glued to the spot, you can't move. I can see your pupils contract as your eyes strain to look into the shadows while cold beads of sweat take forever to roll down your forehead. Trying to appear brave and fearless even though your body trembles, you cry out " I'm not afraid of you. Show yourself!" And as you wish, I reveal myself in all of my splendor. Behold, before you now stands the ugliest, most gruesome, mutilated image of a man. Pieces of him missing and the rest clinging loosely to his rigid frame. One of his eyes is hanging from his hideous face and where the other should be, is nothing but fat, squirming, flesh eating maggots that give you goosebumps and make you retch with scorn. Unable to control your breathing and shocked into silence, your knees buckle and give way under the tremendous weight of fear. You feel like throwing up as the putrid smell of rotting flesh reaches your nose. Looking away, unable to view the rest of this unsightly figure, you hug yourself and rock back and forth on your knees with hot, acid-like tears streaming down your cheeks leaving red streaks where they burned your tender skin. Sobbing uncontrollably, you long for this to all be just a bad dream but even the worst nightmare would be much more anticipated than this. It's real. The question written across the dark walls of your mind, I read, " Where am I?" It's so obvious. I let out an ear splitting, reverberating shriek that chills your bones and shatter the windows of whatever happiness you have left to smithereens. " Look around!" I say, " Do you not recognize this place? Is it not familiar to you?" Shaking your head slowly, you already know the answer. We're inside your head and I'm what you've become, a dreadful monster fashioned by your fears, despair, morbidity and dejection and evil thoughts existing in a realm of insanity. Horror struck, you collapse completely. You're not dead, yet still you can never wake up. You are nothing. I am no one. We are alone and forgotten. |