The Child Who Wore the Mask

'Alter Ego' by Val Byrne'

I heard what you told me yesterday Mask. I heard every word of it and now those words haunt me, crawl inside me like a cancer that you yourself confess to have become. I thought of you as a child, a selfless, loving being who respected my hospitality and here you are, wishing me to die, with no self respect left in the world. You are a parasite Mask, you are more selfish then I ever was, you did more harm to me then I did to you and now you wish exploit my decayed mass. I am appalled.

That fateful morning outside the school gate when I stood rooted to the ground with fear, I was not the dieing old man you see now, I was a little child. I stood exposed to all the evilness that abounds this world. I had closed my eyes and my heart had refused to beat and then with the inherent primal instinct I gave birth to you. The child was innocent, can’t you see that? The child was abused and yet he wanted to live. The child did not know that what he gave birth to was his adulterous alter ego. You abused my spirit just as you created the façade of saving my body. Day by day, with each reducing breath, you made sure that the child got addicted to your charms, to the mirage you created.

It was never me who asked you to lie, you know I was hypnotized. It was never me who was drinking off the cup of success and glory. I was always the one doing all the introspection, fighting for survival against the odds you kept on stacking up against me. The more I fought, more were the beautiful lies that you created for me, the never ending, ever expanding wave of intoxication.

I am a selfish yet righteous man; I want all the happiness in the world. I want it all because I have worked hard for it, I deserve it. You were not just discovered in a corner of my soul, I invented you. I gave birth to you, nursed you day by day and fed you off my own blood and spirit. You are a part of me Mask and what is a part of me must die with me. You must die with me. If I owe you all that I have, like you had said, you owe me your existence. Let me at least die in peace with my pride intact.

I am crying now Mask and I can feel you smiling, happy as you said feeling my tears satiate your skin. I must speak the truth too, since you finally did as well. I will not die today Mask, I died as a child all those years back. My innocence and goodness was my soul and you tore it to shreds, I died then. I am now waiting to be buried and be born again as a child, with the hope that I will never give birth to a sinful alter ego, never again.

I am crying now, come out of your deep, dark corners Mask and hide my tears from the world. Come and smile for me, will you? It is another beautiful day.

Me.