The Voice Within-

Walking down the narrow, dimly lit hallway, Missy suddenly stopped. Beads of sweat dripped down her forehead as she pushed strands of long, black hair behind her ears. Her eyes darted back and forth while she waited and listened. Listened for the voice. She whipped around as she heard it again. Her eyes skimmed the still life paintings bursting of colors of greens and yellows lining the walls next to her until she paused in front of the oval mirror.

Oh man, I’m really losing it now, she thought. I’m not only hearing voices, but now I’m seeing things, too. She turned toward the distorted shape. Within a split second the wavy object transformed into a face. Missy stepped back, shaking with hands clenched.

A muffled cry came from the entity, “Help me.” The image couldn’t escape the grasp of the glass as if trapped in a cage.

Silence.

Again, the voice said, “Help me.”

She swallowed hard and whispered, “Who are you?”

“I’m not sure. But I think you know.”

“How would I know?”

The face distorted into a scowl. “I don’t know-just a feeling I have. “You can help me.”

“Help you how?”

“Make it stop.”

“Make what stop?”

“My existence. I say and do bad things. I don’t mean to.”

Her pulse racing, Missy eyed the face with sudden derision. “How do you hurt people, and how can I end your existence if I don’t know what or who you are.” The whole conversation begged for her sanity.

“You know who I am.”

Missy looked at the freakish, hazy thing staring back at her. She felt drawn to it. Slowly, ever so slowly, she reached through the glass. With light, sweeping strokes, she touched the distortion, and it molded into her hand as if a part of her.

“You still don’t know who I am?”

She looked into the mist and replied, “Yes, I suppose I do. I need to let go and forgive you, don’t I?”

“And, do you?”

Closing her eyes with head down, she whispered, “Yes.” Tears streamed down her face. “Yes, yes, yes, I forgive you.”

The eerie apparition whispered, “thank you,” and slowly evaporated.

Missy eased down to the floor and cried. She allowed herself to feel pain, anger and sadness for her past mistakes. And, as she wiped her tears away, she wiped away her shame and pain.

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