In her mind she felt chained in a cold, dark, small room, all alone with no way to escape. She was played with like a puppet on strings, bound by the master's will. Though the strings have been cut, she unable to move forward. Chains, those stupid chains. Up until today she is still being restrained and tortured by those stupid chains.
Locked up by the chains of her past.
All those years ago, after the first time it happened, the most confusing thing occurred.
He looked in the mirror and didn't recognize what was staring back at him. Every year after something in the mirror changed. What he sees now isn't the same guy from before everything happened. Nor is it who he really is. What he sees is what took years to create, after the incidents.
His reflection, something he loves and hates. What his eyes see is irrelevant to him, but it's the only thing that shares his mindset and everything he's been through. Its inanimate and it's something he controls. He turned to it every single day. It's something that was always there, something he overlooked.
His reflection shows him the vessel of who he is. It showed his progressive and ultimate damage he intentionally created. He manipulated himself. He physically and mentally destroyed himself. Its not something he intended from the very beginning, but things don't always go as how planned.
Everything confused him. He eventually put an end to his changes, let the result be as it will. He gave up long ago and simply stopped caring. All that was left was questions.
There's a constant clash between his thoughts on his reflection and his shadow. In his mind a shadow is a dark figure that only appears and follows him when life is light.
His shadow is so dark and empty he can only see it as a reminder of bad times he's stuck with. His reflection is something he created but is unable to completely understand. Everytime he sees it a bunch of questions of himself come to mind. None of which he can answer.
Though it makes no sense, he is a reflection. A reflection of who he used to be and what he is now.
He reflects upon himself.
Unrealistically speaking, a mirror is his main holder. Life broke it, but he himself is fragmented. His past made him lose track of the placement of the mirror. It means not only broken and fragmented, but he's also lost.
But when she looked in that mirror she couldn't help but to notice the chains yet again. They imprisoned her. No better then a cell. Restrainment.
Her only lullaby at night being her memories. From when she was a puppet. When someone else controlled her.
Her strings.
She found a way to cut them. She thought that would free her.
But just because you stopped your past from being your present doesn't mean it never happened.
That is what her chains represent.
When your past still has power over you. But this time she is the one letting it control her. She caged herself.
Locking everything else away by locking herself away. Alone in a room with chains she created to protect her, even though they hurt her.
Protection is pain. Ignorance is a punishment. Depression is a truth.
This is him. It's how his mind works. It's his life now. He hides himself.
Why do we always do that?
We let things control us. In order to avoid pain we create it. In order to heal we hide. In order to not care we pretend. We fear death instead of life.
We let our emotion control our action. Then our actions go against our better judgement. We throw sensibility out the window to meet expectations. But we also assume before knowing. Then doubt our own decisions. But we also have expectations of our own. Then judge others who don't meet them. This causes the cycle to start again.
Lonliness.
Isolation.
Vulnerability.
Anxiety.
Depression.
Fear created these things. Then disposed of others.
Freedom.
Happiness.
Hope.
Faith.
Trust.
Why must it always be one or the other? We insist on trapping ourselves into what we think is our only choice.
We all have our fears. Our doubts.
She has her chains.
He has a reflection and a shadow.
With every gain there is a loss. But what is it you are willing to lose just to gain something else?
Who are you?
If you already lost yourself then how can you gain anything anyways? What is there to gain?
She's clueless.
He's stubborn.
They don't think ahead. Always so trapped in the now that they can't see their own future. Or even know if they have one.
Paranoia.
She has it.
He has it.
We are all life's pawns. Toys.
We go to war with each other. We battle with ourselves. But for what?
We can all relate to each other. We are very similar in our own ways. We all have stories and are trying our best to survive through them. But instead of getting along we use it against each other. We get defensive and we build walls. Believing all you truly have is yourself. You're just caging yourself.
She knows.
He knows.
They both felt like half a person. Broken. Torn. Split in two.
Maybe they would have completed each other. Or maybe meeting would lead to their downfall.
They are the same and yet so different. They could change each other. Help one another.
But they don't.
Because that's life. They are too busy hiding themselves from themselves to even notice their missing half.
Can you even imagine how it would be to feel like you're always missing something?
To feel so... incomplete.
Like you've lost something huge and important, but don't know what it is.
To constantly live a life of loss.
She's trapped.
He's gone.
They stand back to back. With a mirror in between them. If they were to turn around whose to say what they'd see.
Themselves? Each other?
Perhaps someone they don't recognize?
Maybe someone they do?
But they won't take that chance.
Because of their fear and paranoia. They are too scared. Scared to face the truth. Scared of what they might see. Scared how they might react.
Are you wondering what could have happened to them?
They are too.
Life and time brought their lullaby.
A lullaby is a quiet, gentle song sung to send someone to sleep.
But their lullaby sends them underwater. It chokes them. Suffacates them. Taunts them.
Would you want to take the chance and turn around to look your fear directly in the eyes?
Her lullaby involves strings and chains.
His lullaby includes shadows and reflections.
Yet they are the same.
Their lullaby comes from inside them, but is heard through that mirror that separates them.
The mirror represents their past. Their lullaby represents their memories.
So just one more question.
Imagine that this mirror was in front of you. And you can feel your lullaby inside of it. But your eyes are closed.
You are given a choice.
You can open your eyes and face it head on. Or you can turn your back and walk away.
Would you leave?
Or...
Would you look?