The Open Door - Sean and Kaycee

A Word of Caution About the Truth

The truth can set you free. But it can also be a trap for you to fall into.

Ah, yes. You humans do love to believe that the truth is straightforward. In my experience, humans are notoriously arrogant. You hold in your hand a piece of the puzzle and believe that you've found the whole picture. The truth is, you will never be able to see the full picture. You may try, but it would be futile. The universe is fundamentally an enigma, impenetrable by human minds. And humans are doomed by their own perception -- what they see is all that they know.

Perhaps it is time to revisit our initial image of the door as a representation of the human soul. Think about this: when you see a closed door, what is your immediate reaction? If I were to guess, you would want it to be open. You would want to be inside. Above all, you would want to know the mysteries that the door is concealing. After all, few people are content with just staring at a closed door, never once wishing that they could see what is on the inside.

The same is true with souls. When we encounter a closed soul, our natural impulse is curiosity. We want to know what they are hiding. We desperately want them to let us in. And in some extreme cases, we will do anything to get the other soul to open up for us. To uncover the truth.

And let us not underestimate the uncanny power of human curiosity. Curiosity killed the cat, they say. But it can do much more than that. Curiosity can wreak unimaginable havoc. In our well-intentioned eagerness to see beyond the barrier, we often end up breaking down the door -- and thus, hurting the soul that we care so deeply about.

Why would someone do this, you might ask? Why would someone hurt the very thing that they seek to protect and to understand? The answer is simple: love.

Yes, love. It sounds counterintuitive, but allow me to explain.

Love is not blinding, contrary to popular belief. In fact, those who are in love can see perfectly fine. Their surroundings look the same on the surface level. In their eyes, nothing has changed.

But that, of course, is not the case. Love alters our perception in the subtlest of ways. We might suddenly be unable to find something that is right in front of us. We might grow blissfully unaware of our surroundings, seeing only the soul that we so love and value.

But most importantly, our actions suddenly have a shorter half-life when we are under the spell of romance. Lovers live almost exclusively in the present. Oftentimes, they end up forgetting the past and disregarding the future. And more often than not, this short-sightedness leads them to be uncharacteristically reckless, making decisions that they would regret once the initial intoxication of love has worn off.

You might be wondering why I am choosing to warn you of this right now. And here is why: as we carry on with our narrative, I am asking you, politely beseeching you, not to judge the actions of a particular soul who fell victim to the trappings of the truth. Who, for the sake of love, did something that he would later come to regret.

Because we are all fools in love. And the two souls in question were no exception.

**A/N Since this little excerpt doesn't really count as a chapter, I will be posting a second chapter in like 15-30 minutes. Stay tuned :)