Sharing my writing publicly is a challenge. I am often too afraid of diving into things without a perfect plan and that has held me back. But, I have given myself a task and I plan to see it through to the end.

Here is part two of my short story, The Mask.

Hope you enjoy!

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I lived in my own sphere. It was a mist that steadily showered onto my surroundings. Everything around me was covered in a low cloud. I could feel it on my skin as if my dimension was a shade colder. This was something I learned from my mother. She kept herself wrapped in a warm blanket of substances. Functional enough, but always distant. Something was missing in her gaze.

She bartended every night in pursuit of the only passion she had. I was always alone. I think she resented me. I was an accident and a reflection of her pain and failure. She couldn’t be a parent to me. 

Isolation makes solutions seem impossible. Certain things can’t be dealt with alone. I didn’t believe that though. 

Shame bubbled inside of me. That rat was me – low, dirty, deranged. I took each step with purpose. I made an even pace out of the front entrance to the school. A storm raged inside my throat. How dare she? 

As I walked I felt the mist clear. Suddenly, I felt too much. My steps became hurried, my legs shook with every step. I finally broke out into a run across the parking lot toward the wooded area along the edge. The trees yawned open and called me in. I ran and ran until I crashed straight into a tree. I gripped the bark with my fingernails, painfully scratching at my nail beds. I bashed my hands against the trunk until they were raw and let out a scream.

My carefully crafted matrix came crashing down. I threw my head back as tears streamed down my cheeks. I don’t know how long I stood there until the shuddering came to a stop. A different kind of coldness took over, the cold reality of clarity. My shadow felt heavy. 

Finally, I heaved deep breaths until it steadied. I let my eyes take in the view of the grass and trees. A stream trickled lightly further ahead. My legs felt weighted as I slowly walked forward. My head was as silent as the trees. The water was the only sound I could hear.

I knelt into the damp mud next to stream, feeling the dirt and moisture through my jeans. I stayed there with my red and burning hands resting on my thighs as I gazed into the stream. Minutes ticked by but rage hummed inside me. How dare she?

Who decided I deserve this? I should be the one who decides. Except revenge doesn’t work for people like me. If I could get away with it just once, I would never be bothered again.

There I was, still as stone, channeling the heat inside my blood through my eyes. Until, suddenly, I saw past the surface of the running water right into the shallow bottom of the stream. There laid an opaque silicone mask. It was disturbingly smooth and clean as if the ground underneath had not touched it. The gaping eye and mouth holes led to pitch darkness, three black holes. 

It jolted me out of my stupor. I felt goosebumps rise on my arms and back as it looked into my eyes. It glowed slightly, calling me to reach forward. My hand stung as I dipped it into the cold water and grasped that slimy smooth surface. 

It was bone dry out of the water. That should have been enough for me to understand that something was wrong, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away from those unexplainable black holes. It was meant for me. I needed to take it home. 

I tucked it into the waistband of my jeans and left.