Categories > Original > Fantasy > Don't look up.
It’s not easy to be so quiet all the time. It’s hard to always have to act like a piece of furniture or a wall, as if you’re supposed to blend in with everything, with everyone. It’s like living a life in darkness, but Red is used to it. Of course he would be, he’s been doing it his whole life!
“Don’t let them see you.” his mother had said, giving him a calculating look. It was as if she wanted to make sure he was capable of understanding so much. He had to hide from society. He wasn’t normal, not like everyone else.
A monster?
Far from it. But that’s definitely what some people would think if they looked at Red.
In Red’s eyes, at the time, he was terribly confused. Why did he have to hide? Hide from what? His mother’s words weren’t making sense to him, and he struggled to give her an answer as he sat stock still in his chair at the kitchen table.
Instead he played with the table cloth in front of him, crossing the patterns in the material with his index finger, covered in black nail polish.
His mother sighed, and brought her fingers up to her temples, and then rubbed them in a circular motion. She looked a little agitated, a little worried, a little apprehensive.
“Look, whatever you do from now on, don’t let anybody see your face." she paused then, shifting her gaze away. "It’s hideous and nobody will like you if they see it.” she let out in a breath, her tone unusually harsh, much unlike the soothing tones she usually spoke in.
Red looked up in shock, to see his mother calmly studying one of her nails. Her expression was emotionless, but if you were to look closer, you would have seen the slight tremble of her lips as she spoke.
‘Hideous.’
It was a lie, of course, but Red was gullible, and he wasn’t all that confident in himself to start with, so he believed her. Why would she lie like that anyways? She certainly wouldn’t say something like that if it wasn’t the truth, and Red could feel his hands starting to shake as he continued to play over what she said to him in his mind over and over again.
‘It’s hideous. Don’t let anybody see your face.’
“Don’t let them see you.” his mother had said, giving him a calculating look. It was as if she wanted to make sure he was capable of understanding so much. He had to hide from society. He wasn’t normal, not like everyone else.
A monster?
Far from it. But that’s definitely what some people would think if they looked at Red.
In Red’s eyes, at the time, he was terribly confused. Why did he have to hide? Hide from what? His mother’s words weren’t making sense to him, and he struggled to give her an answer as he sat stock still in his chair at the kitchen table.
Instead he played with the table cloth in front of him, crossing the patterns in the material with his index finger, covered in black nail polish.
His mother sighed, and brought her fingers up to her temples, and then rubbed them in a circular motion. She looked a little agitated, a little worried, a little apprehensive.
“Look, whatever you do from now on, don’t let anybody see your face." she paused then, shifting her gaze away. "It’s hideous and nobody will like you if they see it.” she let out in a breath, her tone unusually harsh, much unlike the soothing tones she usually spoke in.
Red looked up in shock, to see his mother calmly studying one of her nails. Her expression was emotionless, but if you were to look closer, you would have seen the slight tremble of her lips as she spoke.
‘Hideous.’
It was a lie, of course, but Red was gullible, and he wasn’t all that confident in himself to start with, so he believed her. Why would she lie like that anyways? She certainly wouldn’t say something like that if it wasn’t the truth, and Red could feel his hands starting to shake as he continued to play over what she said to him in his mind over and over again.
‘It’s hideous. Don’t let anybody see your face.’
Sign up to rate and review this story