Villains

Erica stood on stage and stared out into an audience of empty seats. The stage was dark, not a drop of light penetrated the thick veil of darkness that was strung across the theatre. Erica was the last one left in the theatre. Rehearsals had ended and everyone had gone home, ready to spend the Friday night with family. Erica checked her phone. The bright light burst through the darkness and Erica had to wait a few seconds for her eyes to adjust. There was a text message waiting for her.

"Mom's late. Typical."

As she waited, Erica imagined performance day. From her place on stage, Erica could see the dark silhouettes of the audience chairs, but in her mind, they were filled with anticipating faces. She imagined a stage full of set pieces and bright spotlights. Soon she was lost in the imaginary performance. A lonely soul in a dark world, entranced in her dreams.

Hours passed. The darkness grew denser as the sun switched her guard of the sky with the moon. Erica had finished running through the play, yet her mom had not come for her.

"Uhh mom, where are you?" Erica grumbled nervously.

It was half passed midnight. Her mom had never been this late. It was starting to seem as though her mom was never planning to come. Erica checked her phone one more time: still no messages. She sent her mom another message; this was her 10th message. There was no answer. Dejected, alone, and scared, Erica sank to her knees. Her mom was not coming for her. She was trapped, alone. The silence in the theatre suddenly seemed to press down on her. Erica thought she would be pressed into the floor by the overwhelming sound of silence. Suddenly, a voice broke through the silence:

"All alone? Of course, you are alone."

The voice sounded like the villain in her play. Her dream was coming alive! Erica looked up with a start. Had she just imagined it? No, it came again:

"Your mom didn't forget you. She left you!"

Now Erica was on her feet, searching the darkness for the source of the sound. How could the villain be talking to her? There was no other person here! Fantasies could not actually come to life, could they?

"Where are you? Who are you? Stop saying those things!"

"You know who I am. Stop doubting yourself"

Erica slowly walked down the stage stairs. Although it was not visible in the dark, her face was pale and her limbs were shaking. More voices joined to form a chorus of depressing taunts. In a matter of

seconds, all of the side-kicks had joined the Villain. The voices seemed to be coming from all around. As Erica traveled up the aisle, between the chairs, the voices seemed to intensify and multiply.

"No one would ever want you. You are a worthless being. Why are you still here?"

The voices hissed and jeered and taunted and sighed. Their words tore at Erica from all sides. She ran up the aisle and through the rows of chairs. The voices grew louder and louder and stronger. Soon they echoed in her head until no single voice could be told apart. Erica kept running, thinking she could escape them if she only could gain enough speed. But to no avail. The voices did not go away. They kept screaming and taunting and tearing. Erica collapsed. The voices had penetrated to her heart. Soon there would be nothing left.

"Stop! Please..."

"Boring, stupid, useless, weak."

Every word weakened her heart. Every hurtful word burned into her brain. Erica lay on the floor in the aisle of the theatre. She was too weak to continue. She had no will to get up. The voices were winning. She had no fight left. The voices kept eating at her until there was almost no girl left. Suddenly another voice entered into her head: her own voice.

"Don't listen to them! You have to decide what is true. These villains are certainly not telling the truth! That's why they are called villains. You are letting them win. Where is your fight? You are a strong girl; you are the star of the show. Stars fight the dark."

Erica stirred on the floor. She had to listen to her own voice. Slowly she attempted to get up. She would have more power when she was standing. Alas, her knees buckled and she fell to the floor again. The voices of the villains were still too strong in her head.

"Get out of my head! You are wrong!"

"Are we though? You listened to us. You must think some of what we said is true."

"No! I don't have to listen to you anymore! I am stronger than you are."

"You don't know what you are saying. You are a weak little girl. You know nothing!"

Erica was convinced now, however. She would not let her fantasy characters take over her life. The actors who would actually play them were kind-hearted and loved her. That was all that mattered.

"I'm telling you one last time, get out of my head! I am a wonderful person and I do have worth. You are nothing but liars."

There was no response. The villains were silent. There was clearly nothing they could do to bring her down. Erica had fought the darkness.

"Erica?"

Erica looked up. Standing at the door, was a tired looking woman holding a brown paper bag. Her hands were shaking and her eyes searched the theatre frantically.

"Mom?"

"Honey, I'm so sorry!"

"Mom! You came! You didn't leave me!

"Of course I didn't! I just got lost...again"