A Masked Future

The night was black and the world was dark. Madness struck when the sun went down and soon the already depressed city would be hardly recognizable from all the damage. Chaos raged through the cracked streets. Buildings burned, people screamed and ran. Children cried but no one swept them up in loving arms to dry their hot tears. Angry dogs chased people hungrily through the back alleys. Everyone argued and pointed their fingers in accusation at anyone that walked past. Bitterness and animosity was apparent on every wall where graffiti was scrawled in harsh colors. Above the unwelcoming city, a mysterious silhouette stood strong. This stranger’s sudden visit was unknown to the city’s destructive residents. They would never discover her identity either. The outsider, however, was not unfamiliar with the city. She was well acquainted with the hostile pattern of life that blanketed the city; for once it encompassed her own existence and actions. The austere silhouette did not flinch as yet another battered building exploded into severe yellow and orange flames. Shrieks erupted from the blaze and slowly did the visitor step through the brush towards the mayhem. She seemed to walk with little confidence but her intent was sure behind her disfigured mask which was partly visible by the flaming red glow. A young girl ran frantically, despite the heat that seared her smooth face, away from the inferno. Tears streamed down her face. She stopped suddenly and, with wide eyes, looked up at the masked stranger. The sorrow and dejection in her eyes reminded the child of the eyes of the mother she once had. The mask hiding the stranger’s face looked as if cold sand was blowing and pulling its features away. The curious girl wondered if the unknown yet compelling visitor that stood in front of her was native to her city. She recognized something in the tall uncomfortable looking woman; something unmistakable yet the girl could not for her life put her finger on it. The masked woman knew what the young girl was contemplating and did not want to be so easily discovered by such an innocent child as she that stood limply before her. Brusquely, the masked woman backed away from the child. She rounded a corner. Out of breath, she reminded herself of the reason she had returned to her childhood in the first place. The woman hesitantly pulled a small piece of paper out of her pocket. In her rough hands she held her own future. She knew what her future had been because it was her past. Even still she could not be tempted to open the paper and take a glimpse. Ahead of her was a depressing play lot with the swings broken and offensive writing on the faded slide. No children played there anymore but the mysterious woman knew her childhood was filled with memories of this park. In one of the plastic climbing tubes she slipped the folded paper. She slowly took off the mask that hid her scarred face. She could feel the hot flames as if they were chasing her once more. The great woman wept, remembering the fire that pursued her. The hot tongues of red and orange ran her out of her own home; away from her mother and towards the desolate play lot, her new home. She remembered the tears that fell down her face in rivers that felt refreshing and torturous at the same time as they flowed over the deep burns. Standing up, the tall woman tried to keep her composure even though no one was around to see her. Her life, as a child, would change soon and the masked woman knew everything would work out. Away she turned and began walking towards an unknown future that awaited her.

To a Non-Reader...

If you are the kind of person who, at the sight of a book, cringes and rears away…if you open a book and stare in confusion at all the letters and words printed on the page…if you scoff at those who always seem to have a book in their face and call them bookworms or nerds…this is a letter for you. Books are really nothing to be afraid of or avoid. They are mere pieces of cardboard and sheets of flimsy paper smooshed and glued together. And all those black letters and words are simply blotches of dried ink that, when put down together, form sentences and ideas. If it’s these sentences and ideas that are daunting to you, I assure you, there is nothing to worry about. Everything that is written down in these tree byproducts is familiar to you and often times, surprising as it may be, relatable. You see, all these ideas and sentences come from people, not unlike yourself, who imagine and create them for the flattering reason of sharing their thoughts with you and others. It truly is an honor and privilege to open an assemblage of paper and cardboard and know that what is printed on the pages is meant for your eyes. The wealth of information and knowledge on the pages should be inviting not intimidating. Imagine reading a book and coming away with understanding and wisdom you never expected; that is the value of being a reader. As for those bookworms and nerds, are they really that different? And for that matter, what’s so terrible about different? Do you, as a non-reader, want to live the rest of your life knowledge-less? Of course there are different types of knowledge, for simplicity—book smart and street smart. But how can you possibly deny yourself the versatile knowledge that only comes from reading the ink on those flimsy pieces of paper packed together between two pieces of equally impermanent cardboard? The things you gain from books can only improve your person. And, as I mentioned, books are a bit temporary—all that knowledge and information won’t stay there forever. Books are objects that don’t last for eternity. That is exactly why people like you must pick them up off shelves and tables, read them and hold onto their words and ideas in order to pass them along to others. By becoming a reader you can better yourself plus, casually help those around you—possibly the entire world! Books never limit your imagination. When you make the decision to become a reader and take on the world of books—one sentence and one idea at a time—the effects will be apparent almost instantaneously. No time is better than now to start reading. Think of the possibilities that await you! Best wishes from another reader.