The Monster Behind The Walls

­­“Who are you? Please!”

“Are you going to kill me? Hello?”

I took a deep sigh and fell to my knees.

He was gone again.

No one was here, except me.

And all I could hear was my own voice echoed through the walls.

I could hear my heartbeats. They were so loud.

It felt like someone was caged within the walls of the heart as well, just like me.

And he seemed furious today. Savagely pounding the walls of the heart, he felt like a monster.

A monster who was always there, confined within the walls of the heart with some dark magic.

A monster, who was long sleep – yet always alive and breathing.

Today, it looked like the monster within me is awake finally. And he is going to break free from the cage. He seemed angry for some reason.

“Who the hell are you to cage me for so long?” The monster shouted from within.

I could feel the fury in those words. But, I couldn’t answer back.

“Do you honestly think you can kill me?” And the sounds of deranged laughter erupted from the walls of the heart.

I could feel the rising heat in my heart. It felt like burning already.

Yet somehow I felt a strange sense of calmness.

“You Fool!” the monster continued. I could picture his face contorting into a sneer, and- What was that?? … Pity?? Yes. I saw pity on his face.

He was the one caged for years. And yet he felt pity for me.

And then uncontrollable sounds of laughter, pounding the walls of my heart!

It felt so painful. It felt like my heart is ripping into millions of pieces. And then every single piece bursting with laughter into a million more pieces.

“What have I done?” I broke down.

“Oh, dear! What have I done to myself?” And I cried and cried, but the sounds of laughter were even louder.

He was the one caged within, for so long. And yet I was the one who felt so helpless.

A pang of longing-ness hit me hard, and I felt a strong urge now to see the monster within.

I felt like ripping my heart open, breaking the cage and release the monster within.

And then it hit me.

And I knew he was the one who was always free.

The one who was caged within the walls forever- It was Me.

It was always me.

The sounds of laughter died.

Someone came back.

He was standing outside the door of the dungeon.

He was there to kill me.

The sounds of laughter erupted once again. And this time the laughter was even louder, echoing through the walls of the dungeon. It felt like the walls are going to break.

“Who was laughing now?” I looked around.

Wait! I know this sound… I have heard this laughter before somewhere!

Perhaps an eternity before,

From a half-remembered dream.

The man outside the walls was shivering.

A gun in his hand! Yet not daring to unlock the cage.

I could smell the fear in his ribs, from the other side of the cage.

Now I remembered!

The familiar sounds of laughter, from a half-remembered dream.

It was me!

I was the one who was laughing.

It was always me!

The soul at the other end quivered.

Any minute NOW!

The monster behind the walls will be set free.