two masked strangers
by Ines Goei de Piante
Two masked strangers become unmasked reflections of each other.
Two people, hidden behind their protective masks they built to shield themselves from the world around them, collide with each other, forcing themselves to be seen. A boy and a girl, used to putting on a version of themselves every waking hour, slowly crumble under the eyes of their onlookers. Dancing through life, marking each expectation with a smile, feeling safe underneath but never quite content or joyful. They are abruptly halted when they encounter someone just like them. Opposites of water and oil, fire and ice, instead fire met fire and water met water; they became one. Met with the same matter they were born into, something beautiful was created. Slowly their cages of societal pressures and fear of judgment peeled away. Beneath true power was revealed. A kind of power that could only be ignited together. Small beams of bright light began to shine through their rock solid exteriors, enticing each to continue breaking down the barrier they both knew each possessed. Hammering, drilling, clawing at each other’s burning minds they felt tied together. A single unbreakable string linking their souls into one.
Strangers to outsiders, but bonded by an invisible force only seen through their own eyes, a boy and a girl reflected each other’s biggest fears and dreams. Someone just like them scared the boy and girl. The safety of witty remarks and fake laughter comforted the girl and the power of carelessness and avoidance empowered the boy. However, her persistence and his gentle nature scratched the surface of their masks. The masks that they had slowly been building throughout their lives, perfecting and adjusting the shield anytime something shook their unsteady routines. Sometimes they even changed their masks completely, if something so violent shook them to their cores that they believed they had to reinvent themselves. Anything to cover up their true selves. The constant craftsmanship of their masks was weighing down on them. The careful detail, the precise presentation that came with human nature. The necessity to appear indifferent and higher than those they surrounded themselves with. But most importantly the power behind perception. The terror and intimidation to be perceived in a light that they didn’t want to reflect. The terrifying knowledge that no mirror was the same, no pair of eyes saw what they requested be seen. This tired the boy and girl. Secretly both wished for someone to rip away their masks, even if it left scars and blood. To take away what brought the most comfort but also the most pain.
But they were lucky. They found each other, the universe’s gift. She gave them both reason and drive to uncover themselves, let a stranger see their most raw and naked selves in daylight. To allow a pair of eyes that were not their own to scrutinize their faults, omissions, indiscretions. For all of it to be carefully thrown into the open with no safety net below.
The freedom of candor enlightened each.