A Reason to Live

Prologue

This is the tragic story of the boy without a heart.

There once was a boy who was different from the rest of the children of his age. He simply lacked the heart to take in the emotions of others and understand them. But the absence of a heart allowed him to notice things that other people wouldn't.

While all the children would play merrily in the playground, the boy would just stare at them blankly, wondering why. Why do they look so happy? Unable resist his curiosity, he went over to the group of children to play, but for some reason, the happy looks on their faces seemed almost fake. He noticed the difference right away and wondered; why? Why did their smiles seem like they told lies? There was something sinister about those smiles that perturbed the boy greatly. With questions clouding his mind, he went home.

The boy couldn't take his mind off of the fake smiles and the unsettling faces the children had towards him. So he went to ask his parents. He could hear their voices coming from the kitchen, but through the slightly opened door, he peeked in and saw that his parents had the same happy expression as the children did in the playground. Why do they look so happy without me, he wondered. Will they have the same expression if I went? Can I bring out their smile and happiness?

His parents turned around with a warm expression and gave the boy a hug. But the boy's face remained still and watched them silently. There it was again. The smile seemed almost fake. A face full of lies. A mask. Something he couldn't understand. Why were they wearing a mask? Because they were pretty? Because they were convenient? Or to hide something behind it?

Confused and disoriented, the boy left his house, and wandered the streets. Lost in his deep thought, he failed to notice a car driving towards him from the corner. The driver panicked and tried to stop the car, but it was too late.

He didn't feel anything, but he noticed he was on the ground, staring into the sky. His vision shook and began to dim. A crowd of people were looking at his unmoving figure, gathered like a circle of reapers. They had looks of pity, sadness and concern.

But the boy knew, "Why are you all wearing masks?"

Those were his final words as his breath gave out. It was that moment when the boy realized; it was all just a mask play. They were all trying to act like someone they were not. Knowing that, he smiled, slightly in relief. Little did he know, it was all an act to maintain their outward appearance, a façade.

The world we live in is filled with hypocrisy and lies. We often have issues that we do not particularly like dealing with and we simply end up turning a blind eye towards it. We do it not because we want to; we do it because society tells us to. But hypocrisy and lies don't necessarily have to be bad; they are what makes us human; intelligent and cunning. Sometimes, we have to lie in order to protect someone or something. It's all just a matter of intention.

From that day on, the victim of this tragic accident was named as the boy without a heart and the tragedy was soon forgotten as time moved forward...