By Lauren
I'm thinking about entering this one in a writing competition, but I'm not totally sure it would count as a short story, more of a piece of writing. I don't know. Anyway, I got the title from one of the six-word stories in a previous post (they really are great for first lines and writing prompts). I hope you like this!
I am the monster under your bed. I am the shadow in the corner that looks like the assassin from your nightmare as you wake up, sweating, in the middle of the night. I am the spaces between the stars, the dark corners where people do the things they don’t want others to see, I am the side of the moon that you will never know. But more than that, I am the shadow over your eyes when you turn your head to hide the tears, the lone witness to all the times you’ve cried yourself to sleep, the only thing everyone feels comfortable showing who they truly are around. I am Darkness.
I have no true form, how people see me depends on them. But if I got to pick, I’d be a teenager. I’d have black hair and pale skin, my eyes would be that rare violet colour and my lashes would be long and dark. I wouldn’t be very tall, or overly smart or strong, but I’d give everything a go anyway. That is my ultimate dream, the dream that’ll never come true.
I think I would like to be a teenager because of all the teenagers I’ve fallen in love with. Boys and girls alike. All those beautiful people hiding who they are in the darkness.
“You are beautiful!” I want to tell them. But no matter how loud I scream, they will never hear me. Sometimes, they think nobody loves them, sometimes, nobody does. But that doesn’t mean nobody would. They are beautiful people, I see that. “I love you!” I tell them, “I see you! Why don’t you see me?”
Sometimes, I get angry and frustrated. But then I just scare them away. I have to be careful not to do that, because while it hurts me, I am sometimes the only place people feel safe to be who they really are, and if they lose that, they lose themselves. I hope they feel my company. I hope they know I think they are beautiful.
I often hate who I am. It is a cruel existence I lead. Forced to see the rawest, purest parts of people, without any power to help except a companionship they often don’t know is there. I am eternal, and will never have any relief. Sometimes, I dread the night as much as those who are afraid of me do. I am there for everyone when they need me, but no-one is there for me when I need them.
So, the next time you need to show a world that’s not watching who you really are, know that I am there. When you’re crying silently into your pillow in the darkness of your bedroom, or standing in a field screaming at the night sky, know that I am there. Know that when you need me, I will always be there, and when you learn to love the darker parts of yourself, know that you are learning to love me.
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