A Poisoned Mind (A Short Story)

A POISONED MIND

Sometimes it's hard to remember who I am.

I am a good person, I am kind, I am compassionate...

I tell myself that I can do better. That I can beat this.

I am strong, I am bold, I am courageous...

But then there are the voices. The temptations. The Shadow whispering in my ear, drilling into my head, telling me to give up.

You'll never be anything. All you will be, all you are, and all you have been, is a slave. A slave to me. A weak, pathetic slug.

No...

Give in. I can promise-

Shut up.

I'm always here, always lurking...

QUIET!

With great difficulty, I resist his whispers by relying on the Adam.

The Adam is like a crutch, a white knight, who fights with me against the whispers of the Shadow. The Adam is my friend. He is my protector. Only he can help me get through my journey.

"He's back," I tell the white knight, who strode next to me. "I can hear him."

The Shadow promises greatness, a better life, but never delivers. All he does deliver is fear in the hearts of man. Destroys and kills everything in his path.

The Adam tells me that I should stay away, and I trust him, because he has never let me astray, and never let me down.

The Adam put his arm around my shoulder. I felt safe next to him.

"What do we do when we hear the Shadow?" he asked me.

"We keep walking," I respond, smiling up at him.

"That's right," the Adam smiled back.

And that's what we did. We kept walking.

The forest around us creaked from the cool breeze blowing through it. Sticks from trees crackled, and leaves crunched beneath our feet. Birds in the air cawed; and little animals, like rabbits and fawn, ran across our path several times during our journey.

It was a pleasant feeling to be surrounded by life. It was quiet, peaceful, and joyful. Being surrounded by the good sometimes made me forget of the nagging in my ears. The tugging at my heart. The dark force telling me to leave the Adam. To leave the good things, and surround myself in eventual darkness.

"What's going through your mind, kid?" asked the Adam.

He didn't even look back at me. How did he...?

"Thinking of the past," I said.

"Tell me."

Silence.

"I can't help if you don't tell me."

What he said was true.

"Okay..." I sighed.

...

There was a time where I was partnered with the Shadow. Lived with him in his castle, as I used to serve him. At the time, I knew him as Jack.

In the midst of my servitude, Jack would tell me grand tales. Tales of those who had served. The riches, the spoils, the treasures that he generously gave, if the servant was obedient to him. Hearing the stories allowed me to give in to his words. So I obeyed without question.

With time, that's what I would recieve from Jack. Riches. Spoils. Treasures.

One day, someone ran up to me as I was sweeping the castle floor. I didn't know who it was, but as I saw her, I was disgusted. She was ghostly pale. She looked sick. Not like the rest of us servants. Our skin was a bronze color, and we had bright, white teeth. But not hers. Hers was black.