ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴅᴇꜱɪʀᴇ ʟᴇꜰᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴜꜱ | 𝕸𝖆𝖓𝖊𝖘𝖐𝖎𝖓

ᴏɴᴇ

  The sun was beginning to set behind the bridges, plunging into the water, its orange shards stretching there like threads of gold, filling the atmosphere with a pleasant warmth despite the fact that it wasn't spring yet.

  Passers-by covered their eyes with one hand to protect themselves from the reflection of the sun in the river, their mask not being a sufficient barrier against the rays which stung their retina like little needles. The venice carnival had barely started and the streets were already crowded with a shapeless mass of colors.

  Masks were an essential part of this carnival, they were there to guarantee the anonymity of the participants and allow them to be someone else for a few days. This is why each mask was unique in its own way. Some covered all the face, making any form of facial expression impossible, others hid only the eyes, revealing the pretty mouths full of red lipstick of the women, or the beards of the men. But the difference was not only in the shape of the masks, but also in their composition : a golden frame would show a sign of wealth (alleged or not), while colored feathers would rather express a form of lightness, of grace.

  The goal of all this equipment was only to play a character and that the others conform to it: if it pleases you to ignore those you rubbed shoulders with the day before, or to pretend to be from the high society, do it. No one will be able to contradict you: you are just a blank piece of paper on which you write your own story. Unlike the actors, the masked ones had at least the choice of their role.

  But anonymity does not only bring benefits to its passage... Well, that's what some think. And by "some", I'm talking about the catholics, of course. If the masks allow you to play the emperor or the jester, what do you think of the joys of debauchery and adultery ? How could we resist to the pretty women in long dresses who drag their fingers a little too long in the hollow of their neck, with an air of satisfaction on their faces? If they call to sin, do not think that men are left out, their unbuttoned shirts a little too low do not fool anyone, especially when a drop of their wine escapes their lips and begins to slip down on their creamy skin. But the evil does not always come from where we expect it... Homosexual relationship? Masochism? or even, why settle for a single partner when you can be more than two and spice things up ? The number is not important as long as we are having fun. Some people will therefore take advantage of their new identity to test their limit, live their sex life fully before returning to their boring monosexual and heterosexual relationship.

  How ironic that this carnival, with such a religious influence, is driven by so much lust and excessive pleasures. Because if sex is important, the abundance of alcohol and food is just as much, to hydrate and satiate the guests from all across the world. Whether it is the English, the Germans, the French or even the Russians, everyone hopes to have at least a taste of the festivities.

  In the middle of this bustling crowd, there seemed to be an anomaly, a stain in an almost perfect setting. A form was moving clumsily, jostling some people in its path, and a few didn't refrain from throwing hurtful words to the person's back, but at this point it was as if they couldn't hear anything as they continued to walk quickly trough the crowd. Their face was uncovered, showing to all their delicate features distorted by anxiety and anger. People turned to see this intriguing presence, so small and fragile that you would have thought you were seeing a child in the middle of a crisis. But it was actually  a young woman, in her twenties, whose eyes were swollen with tears that made her makeup flowing down her cheeks in thin black lines.

  Anyone who saw her would have thought she was a freak, overcome with such sadness that she wanted to show it to the whole world, begging for some attention. But the truth was quite different, shame rather giving her the need to go and hide in a corner for a few hours, maybe she would rethink her actions this way.