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no sleep
lack of sleep
tired
energy
no energy
lack of energy
life
no life
lack of life
...
lack of sleep
tired
energy
no energy
lack of energy
life
no life
lack of life
...
November 17th, 2006
Once up on a time in a land far away, a boy was about to turn fifteen. Now it was custom in this land, that everyone older than fifteen wore a beautiful mask. So as a rite of passage, children received a mask on their fifteenth birthday, which would mark them as adults rather than the children they once were.
This boy wasn’t known to be very bright since he’d always asked question about things he didn’t understood. Even as a little boy he harassed his parents asking them ‘why this…’ or ‘why that…’ His mother usually lost her patience with him, so when the question ‘why does every adult wears a mask?’ came to his mind, he was a bit of reluctant to go ask her. But he saw his father sitting and enjoying a beer that day, so he figured he might give it a try.
So he went to his father en asked him why everyone older than fifteen would were a mask. ‘Ah,’ said his father ‘that is because we are civilized. Behind the northern woods lies a country were people do not wear masks. And they are always at war. They rape their women, they beat their children, they kill each other… Always at war…dreadful boy, you are lucky to be born here.’ And the boy gazed at his fathers masks, still not totally satisfied. ‘So we wear it because we are civilized?’ ‘Yes’, answered his father, but not the Northern Witch’, he said, ‘she not civilized at al. Never go there boy…’ and he took an other sip from his glass, nodding his head.
The Northern Witch. The boy has heard tales about her, ever since he was little. She was ugly as hell and every child was warned never to go into the Northern Woods, because the witch might curse them and their families. It was hard to believe she once lived among them civilized people. So now the boy was considering going into the Northern Woods in search for an answer.
He slipped away after lunch and hours later he found himself lost between sky high trees, tripping over rotten wood and crawling thorns. And he sat down on a tree trunk, sighing and feeling like a real imbecile. Even more when his eyes spread wide open, staring into the black pools of a horrible creature in rags with snakes swirling around it. He realized, there it was, the most hideous thing ever created. The twisted face of the witch, covered with traces of death and decay, and sucking every molecule of oxygen out of him. She moved in circles round him, gazing at him with those flaming eyes and he turned and turned and turned, to scared to stand with his back at her. Suddenly she held still, lifted her chin up in the air and pointed at him. “You…”, she whispered coldly, sending a shiver right down his spine. “What brings you here…They never warned you…?” And in a solemn moment of bravery the boy uttered his question. “Why do you wear that ugly mask?” She started laughing and her voice shaked the trees and ground he stood on. “To keep stupid boys like you away!” But the boy wasn’t satisfied and in another brave moment (ah yes, the first one wasn’t the only one) he asked “Why do people wear masks?” “To protect the children”, she hissed at him, “Now get lost!” And the boy didn’t hang around for a better explanation, especially since one of her snakes had glided down and moved rapidly in his direction. He lifted his feet and found a source of energy he never even knew he had.
For some reason the gods took pity on him and within half an hour he stood at the border of his village, the sun already gone and the lights behind the windows welcomed him back. His mother wasn’t too happy but spared him in the spirit of his coming birthday. But during dinnertime, the boy again had been quiet and thinking and he chewed on his question and on the answers given. Still, he did not understand.
And when his father send him to sleep, he didn’t go to bed but instead he slipped out of the house en kneeled at the neighbors house, peeking trough the window. Cause before sleeping, he knew, people took their masks off….
They had always been very kind to him, inviting him in after school for tea and cake, so he felt a bit ashamed when he secretly gazed into their well known kitchen through a small opening next to the curtain. He saw his neighbor taking of his mask, laying it down next to the sink, before he poured himself a glass of water. The boy frowned his forehead as he saw the man’s beard and wrinkled face. ‘There’s nothing to see’, he thought and contemplating about that, he wandered further down the road to the next house where a couple had moved in. He could already hear them, before he climbed into the nearest tree. The man just moved his head at the right time for a whiskey bottle to hit the hall mirror behind him. And the boy jumped down after he saw the hatred on the woman’s face. He went to his friend’s house only to be seized by the grieve the mother carried for the baby she lost last winter. His favorite teacher seemed more dead than alive, showed no expression at all, so very much unlike his inspiring class. The old lady from the sweetshop had ulcerations all over her face that made his stomach turn upside down.
He went from house to house to house. But every time he moved slower, hesitating with every footstep, forcing himself to it. So when he reached the little house near the village stream where the new girl in his class lived with her aunt, he couldn’t help but smile, thinking about her golden hair she always carried in a ponytail, and her tiny hands holding her pencil when she wrote in her notebook, her angels’ voice lifting up the church during Sunday morning sermons and her laughter on the playground…
She wasn’t there and he was in the difficult process of deciding what he should do, when she stormed into the room and crawled onto her bed, jerking of the mask that hide her beautifully bruised, scarred face, blood dripping nose and the burning red cheek that would eventually turn blue, yellow and brown…
When the sun rose over the village and marked the beginning of the day, the boy woke up and found his wrapped birthday gift on his bedside table. From that day on, he would never be seen again without his mask on.
His birthday was celebrated by the whole village and the festivities lasted even after nightfall. But the boy was glad when the day was over and he wished his parents goodnight and went up to his room.
Deep in the Northern Woods, by the light of many candles, the witch was reading in an ancient book of wisdom with one of her cats in her lap, when she remembered the strange boy she encountered in her sanctuary. Out of curiosity she pulled the purple veil off her crystal globe and searched through space until she found the boy sitting on his bed with his mask on the sheets next to him, staring out of the window. His eyes were wide open and filled with sorrow and sadness. His grim face reflecting all the horror in the world….
The Northern Witch decided she too should go to bed. And she placed her ugly mask in it’s special box and combed her long black hair, while she sang to the forest. Her green eyes sparkled when she wished her cats goodnight and the crystal globe mirrored her fair face when she fell asleep. Her cats watched over her as she traveled trough a world of dreams.
And they lived happily ever after…
This boy wasn’t known to be very bright since he’d always asked question about things he didn’t understood. Even as a little boy he harassed his parents asking them ‘why this…’ or ‘why that…’ His mother usually lost her patience with him, so when the question ‘why does every adult wears a mask?’ came to his mind, he was a bit of reluctant to go ask her. But he saw his father sitting and enjoying a beer that day, so he figured he might give it a try.
So he went to his father en asked him why everyone older than fifteen would were a mask. ‘Ah,’ said his father ‘that is because we are civilized. Behind the northern woods lies a country were people do not wear masks. And they are always at war. They rape their women, they beat their children, they kill each other… Always at war…dreadful boy, you are lucky to be born here.’ And the boy gazed at his fathers masks, still not totally satisfied. ‘So we wear it because we are civilized?’ ‘Yes’, answered his father, but not the Northern Witch’, he said, ‘she not civilized at al. Never go there boy…’ and he took an other sip from his glass, nodding his head.
The Northern Witch. The boy has heard tales about her, ever since he was little. She was ugly as hell and every child was warned never to go into the Northern Woods, because the witch might curse them and their families. It was hard to believe she once lived among them civilized people. So now the boy was considering going into the Northern Woods in search for an answer.
He slipped away after lunch and hours later he found himself lost between sky high trees, tripping over rotten wood and crawling thorns. And he sat down on a tree trunk, sighing and feeling like a real imbecile. Even more when his eyes spread wide open, staring into the black pools of a horrible creature in rags with snakes swirling around it. He realized, there it was, the most hideous thing ever created. The twisted face of the witch, covered with traces of death and decay, and sucking every molecule of oxygen out of him. She moved in circles round him, gazing at him with those flaming eyes and he turned and turned and turned, to scared to stand with his back at her. Suddenly she held still, lifted her chin up in the air and pointed at him. “You…”, she whispered coldly, sending a shiver right down his spine. “What brings you here…They never warned you…?” And in a solemn moment of bravery the boy uttered his question. “Why do you wear that ugly mask?” She started laughing and her voice shaked the trees and ground he stood on. “To keep stupid boys like you away!” But the boy wasn’t satisfied and in another brave moment (ah yes, the first one wasn’t the only one) he asked “Why do people wear masks?” “To protect the children”, she hissed at him, “Now get lost!” And the boy didn’t hang around for a better explanation, especially since one of her snakes had glided down and moved rapidly in his direction. He lifted his feet and found a source of energy he never even knew he had.
For some reason the gods took pity on him and within half an hour he stood at the border of his village, the sun already gone and the lights behind the windows welcomed him back. His mother wasn’t too happy but spared him in the spirit of his coming birthday. But during dinnertime, the boy again had been quiet and thinking and he chewed on his question and on the answers given. Still, he did not understand.
And when his father send him to sleep, he didn’t go to bed but instead he slipped out of the house en kneeled at the neighbors house, peeking trough the window. Cause before sleeping, he knew, people took their masks off….
They had always been very kind to him, inviting him in after school for tea and cake, so he felt a bit ashamed when he secretly gazed into their well known kitchen through a small opening next to the curtain. He saw his neighbor taking of his mask, laying it down next to the sink, before he poured himself a glass of water. The boy frowned his forehead as he saw the man’s beard and wrinkled face. ‘There’s nothing to see’, he thought and contemplating about that, he wandered further down the road to the next house where a couple had moved in. He could already hear them, before he climbed into the nearest tree. The man just moved his head at the right time for a whiskey bottle to hit the hall mirror behind him. And the boy jumped down after he saw the hatred on the woman’s face. He went to his friend’s house only to be seized by the grieve the mother carried for the baby she lost last winter. His favorite teacher seemed more dead than alive, showed no expression at all, so very much unlike his inspiring class. The old lady from the sweetshop had ulcerations all over her face that made his stomach turn upside down.
He went from house to house to house. But every time he moved slower, hesitating with every footstep, forcing himself to it. So when he reached the little house near the village stream where the new girl in his class lived with her aunt, he couldn’t help but smile, thinking about her golden hair she always carried in a ponytail, and her tiny hands holding her pencil when she wrote in her notebook, her angels’ voice lifting up the church during Sunday morning sermons and her laughter on the playground…
She wasn’t there and he was in the difficult process of deciding what he should do, when she stormed into the room and crawled onto her bed, jerking of the mask that hide her beautifully bruised, scarred face, blood dripping nose and the burning red cheek that would eventually turn blue, yellow and brown…
When the sun rose over the village and marked the beginning of the day, the boy woke up and found his wrapped birthday gift on his bedside table. From that day on, he would never be seen again without his mask on.
His birthday was celebrated by the whole village and the festivities lasted even after nightfall. But the boy was glad when the day was over and he wished his parents goodnight and went up to his room.
Deep in the Northern Woods, by the light of many candles, the witch was reading in an ancient book of wisdom with one of her cats in her lap, when she remembered the strange boy she encountered in her sanctuary. Out of curiosity she pulled the purple veil off her crystal globe and searched through space until she found the boy sitting on his bed with his mask on the sheets next to him, staring out of the window. His eyes were wide open and filled with sorrow and sadness. His grim face reflecting all the horror in the world….
The Northern Witch decided she too should go to bed. And she placed her ugly mask in it’s special box and combed her long black hair, while she sang to the forest. Her green eyes sparkled when she wished her cats goodnight and the crystal globe mirrored her fair face when she fell asleep. Her cats watched over her as she traveled trough a world of dreams.
And they lived happily ever after…