I walk up to the pond behind my house, sighing. It's a while away, but I always find it peaceful, but people don't get why. Why I enjoy going there.
Basically, ever since I was young, I had a facination with the distorted, the creepy, the "insane" as some would say. But I'm not insane, I just... see things differently than other people. In mirrors, glass, water, anything I can get reflections from, I see the "Other."
What's the Other? Well, basically, it's just like here, but instead of our flesh we who see, we see what's really behind those masks of skin and meat, we see real.
At least, I think that's it.
Every time I see a reflection of anyone their body is destroyed, mangled, or their eyes are beady and black, some people having no lips and just bloody, jagged talons of what you'd call teeth protruding from their mouths, people would scream "Monster!" if they ever saw what we who see saw.
But I don't. It's what I'm meant to see, it's why I'm here. I love it. Rarely you'll see some really good people, who just have... scars. Of what they used to be. And they'll be real people, good people, they don't hide their good or bad. They're true to themselves so I see no monster in the mirror.
But now I'm kneeling, on my knees, beside that pond and I look over the edge and see the one thing that haunts my nightmares, the worst of them all...
I sigh as I look down at my horrible reflection, those bloody, dripping scratches running blood down my cheeks, the jagged, lipless jaw with horrible, yellow, broken teeth protruding from it, gums raw and bloody, and my eyes, the worst part, made of clear glass, or so it looks. I can't stand it. I can't stand that I'm some horrible creature. Should I ever look in a full mirror I see a grotesque, clothless body that grows abnormal, useless limbs everywhere, with scratches all down my sides and hands around my neck, a fat, hanging body that drips blood, and the legs that keep me up are no longer existent.
I hate this. I can't stand being so horrible. I don't know why I'm such a bad person, what do I do? I'm too selfish, that's it... I eat too much, that's it too.
The vision in the pond just gets worse and more grotesque, and it's obvious to me that in the other it's raining now, I see the drops on the water.
Why, why am I such a monster?
I just keep staring at that face, that face that haunts it all.
Then I feel two, strong arms wrap around my waist and pull me into a warm chest, then a face comes next to mine in the reflection, his beautiful, scarred face, and pretty blue eyes as he smiles softly at the reflection and tells me "That's not you, Kai."
"You're ly-"
"No... I'm not, Kai. You're the most amazing person, why don't you listen to me? I love you, you're no monster."
"You don't see what I do..."
"I don't have to," he holds me closer, kissing my cheek. Kulo always was a comforter. "You're never a monster and never have been. Never will be. I've told you countless times," he brings a hand to my cheek, and I watch as it touches the scratches and blood, "How many more do I need to say it? That image you see is not what you are, my beautiful love, it is what you think if yourself. Please, my love... you are not some grotesque monster. You are everything good in this world."
I sniffle and my tear drops onto the rippling water, and that's when I finally see it. Those scratches that tear open my cheeks, they came from the inside. Those scratches come from inside myself.
And I finally believe my amazing Kulo, and watch as those scratches go away and purge themselves, my teeth shrink and my face cleans itself up, leaving nothing but faint scars behind, my flush pink lips forming over my nicely done teeth, those glass eyes filling with color and forming into pretty shades of sea green, my formerly matted and torn hair going to black, tossled hair that fits my head perfectly, my tan, scarred skin. And a smile breaks on my lips as I lift a hand up to my cheeks, tracing those faint scars that mark where I had torn myself up, mutilated my soul, and I smile even more as I see my beautiful love's face break into a grin as he whispers into my ear
"I told you so, my love..."
