Resonance - A Short Story by Shining Light Journal

Dear reader,

This story represents my life in a way that one might relate to. Every time I read it, it makes me teary-eyed, but I hope it brings a glimmer of hope to you, as I share my experience of feeling utterly lost only to find a shining light, in the form of a person, at the end of a dark tunnel that once was my unfulfilled life.

The following story is a second-person, partially fictional short story. It has no connection to any other person other than me, the author. Any correlations in the story to the reader are purely coincidental.

OK, here we go...

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Imagine, you grew up with a big family and you always seem to get lost in the background at every outing and gathering.

One day, you play hide-and-seek with your cousins and your small self hides for hours. They eventually get bored and forget to keep looking for you, at least that's what you tell yourself. It isn't until your mom gets home after a hard day at work that she almost reports you missing before she finds you napping inside a crevice between the two couches in your childhood home.

Everyone was upset with you because you picked too good of a place to hide for the last six hours.

At that moment, you replaced a physical hiding place with a facade that you wear every morning you wake up and forget to take off every night.

This new identity of disconnectedness and loneliness becomes who you are. It creates new friends and broken relationships. And because you are so used to hiding yourself away, you never lost anything when they were gone.

After many years of wearing this mask for all the world to admire, you meet someone that leaves you feeling different. Sometimes the new sensations are good, but most times they're uncomfortable. Uncomfortable because it forces you to show your true self.

This unique person in your life creates newfound courage in you. They make you think differently (or maybe, the way you always thought) and challenge you to face your emotions.

One day, this person asks you to take off the disguise they have noticed on your face all along. Your hands reach for the mask, but your fingers stop underneath your jaw.

The person gently grabs your arms and guides your limbs to the mask that no longer fits you. They smile at you. You furrow your eyebrows, worried they will regret asking you to remove it.

Slowly, the disguise comes off. After months of sharing beautiful moments together, you breathe a sigh of relief for the first time in your entire life.

Removing the mask gives you a fresh perspective on this new person in your life. The things you found annoying about them no longer seem quite as irritating. Your negativity lingers but this person makes it easier for you to deal with it.

They finally see all of you and they are still there for you years later. You laugh together, cry together, you even resolve issues together, unlike any way you are accustomed to.

After all of the bad you could get away with while you wore the mask, this new experience makes you wonder if you are even worthy of such a fulfilled life. You may find yourself slipping back into your old habits, but no matter how many times you do, they are always determined to hold you tight. And you, for once, hold onto them.

You look forward to spending the rest of your life with this person as you finally feel the resonance of your long-awaited dream: to be loved.

FIN

Moral of the story: Often, it seems the world has brought out the worst in people that they are forced to hide behind an expressionless facade, but when the right person comes along, one can finally feel like themselves again.