Tag: Writer

The Green Mask: Part Three

Just to recap, Matthew is surprised to see himself confronted by a boy his age named Goldie. They talk for a little bit, and Matthew quickly notices that Goldie is a more enthusiastic, positive kid than him. In addition, Matthew learns that Goldie knows about Bryan and his troubled time at his new school. Goldie assures Matthew that he’s only trying to help him, and Matthew finds himself trusting and believing in Goldie. He can’t explain why he trusts Goldie, but there was just this calming, comfortable feeling that Matthew had with Goldie. Anyways, Goldie leads Matthew to this treehouse filled with masks and a large mirror. Matthew sees a white mask with evil eyes, sharp teeth and a sinister smile. He tries to touch it, but Goldie quickly stops him and tells him to not touch it. Matthew asks why and Goldie explains that it’s for someone else with sinister intentions. Instead, Goldie presents Matthew with a green mask with a face and a big smile on it. Then, Goldie says, “This is the green mask, Matthew. This mask will help you in unimaginable ways, bro. All you have to do is give me your red sunglasses, for this green mask.”

Now, it’s time to get into “The Green Mask: Part Three.”

Matthew touches his red sunglasses and asks Goldie why he wants his sunglasses. Goldie responds, “Because they look so cool and amazing. I could rock those sunglasses with some of my masks.”

Matthew shakes his head, but Goldie continues, “I also know that those sunglasses come with a lot baggage and hurt. Those sunglasses are a curse to you, bro. Am I right?”

The sunglasses were a curse to Matthew, but he didn’t want to admit that Goldie. He just shrugs his shoulder and makes Goldie chuckle. Goldie adds, “I’ll admit that this green mask is a little bit of a curse, but it’s mostly a gift.”

“How can something be a gift and a curse?” Matthew asks.

Goldie laughs and says, “Wow, I forget how young you are, bro. My bad. But this mask is a gift for you. This mask was designed especially for you to help you, but it all depends on you if this mask is a curse.”

Matthew is confused with the “young” part because they were practically the same age. He looks at Goldie and asks him who he is. Goldie replies, “I’m just someone that just wants to help you, bro. I guess I just like helping people in a way.”

Matthew asks what Goldie means, and he replies, “Well, it depends on people really. I give people the opportunity to save or doom themselves depending on their choices with me.”

“Why not just save them?” Matthew asks.

Goldie tilts his head to the right and says, “Because some people don’t want to be saved, they just want to survive. What do you want, Matthew?”

“I’m not sure what I want really. I guess I just want to be happy,” Matthew says.

Goldie tilts his head to the left and replies, “Of course, you want to be happy. I can honestly help you with that, if you just hear me out, bro.”

Matthew wants to leave the treehouse because he’s getting a weird feeling with Goldie, but he reluctantly agrees to hear Goldie out.

Goldie is happy to hear this and says, “Great, so let me tell you about this green mask.”

Goldie goes on to explain how the green mask will provide Matthew with peace and tranquility. It’s a mask that will help Matthew be comfortable being alone, but never lonely. He will smile and laugh with ease thanks to the green mask. It will help him forget his worries and welcome a new, fulfilling perspective of life. It will mask his true feelings and create the illusion of positive feelings. The green mask will ultimately help Matthew find his happiness. It all sounded good to Matthew, but he didn’t like the idea of wearing a mask. It felt wrong and deceitful to hide his emotions. Goldie quickly says, “It’s not deceitful or wrong in any way. Everyone wears a mask, I promise you. It’s just that some don’t have the right mask, bro.”

Matthew still wasn’t sure about having to wear a mask on his face. Goldie tilts his head to the right and says, “Oh, it’s not gonna be visible at all in the public eye. You’re simply putting it on your soul.”

Matthew wonders how that’s possible, and Goldie tilts his head to the left and turns it to the mirror. He walks up in front of the mirror and looks at it. Then, he says, “All you have to do is look into the mirror. Look into it and allow yourself to be lost in your reflection. Then, you will see your soul in the mirror, and that is when you will put the green mask on.”

Matthew looks at Goldie and asks him why does he wear the yellow, tiger mask. Goldie straightens up and walks over to Matthew. He looks Matthew in the eyes, and he touches his mask. Goldie thinks about taking his mask off but he doesn’t. Instead, he laughs and says, “Like I said, everyone wears a mask. I wear this mask for a reason that I cannot explain to you. It hides what it needs to hide.”

Matthew understands, but he longs to know who the kid in the yellow tiger mask really is. Is Goldie truly trying to save him?

Goldie moves away from Matthew and faces the mirror. He says, “So, will you give me your red sunglasses for this green mask that will help you achieve happiness?”

“Why do I have to give up my glasses for the green mask? I thought you were trying to save me,” Matthew says.

“I am trying to save you. You have to give up something in order to gain something, you know. In order to be better, you have to change. There’s no middle ground, bro. You can either keep the red sunglasses or give them up for something better. Something that will change your life. Something that will give you hope. The green mask will do that for you. It will give you back what you have lost and forgotten. Please, take the green mask and let go of the red aviator sunglasses,” Goldie begs.

This is the end of “The Green Mask: Part Three.”

I will be posting the fourth and final part of “The Green Mask” on Thursday.

 

 

I Promise

Why does life have to be so hard?

I’ve relied on you for years to help me through the struggle, but you’ve gotten weaker.

You’re not as strong as you used to be.

What changed?

 

Can you tell me what I have to do with our without you?

I long to keep you by my side, but I’m worried you’re slipping away from me.

I’ve failed so much that I’ve forgotten what success was like with you.

You’re like a distant relative now, but you’re supposed to be my best friend.

 

I’m ashamed that I’ve allowed others to take your place.

These others want to hurt, kill and destroy me.

These others want me to cater to my lustful needs and desires.

These others don’t want me to reach my destination.

These others don’t want me to see that I have a purpose.

These others don’t want me to see you in my life.

 

I need to make you essential in my life because I can’t do it without you.

You’re the one that makes me who I am.

I can’t blame you for being weak when I’m the reason you’re weak now.

I should’ve catered to you constantly.

Instead, I treated you like a withered house plant.

I ignored you and didn’t you give you the necessary care to blossom.

 

I want you and no one else.

I realize now that if I don’t have you, I can’t have nobody.

You help me see the good and beauty of this world.

Without you, I only see the wickedness and the hopelessness that exists in this world.

 

Please, come back into my life.

Please, help me believe again.

Please, help me forgive myself for losing you.

Please, I need you.

 

You’re always going to be in my heart.

I promise that I’m gonna make you stronger again.

I promise we’re gonna be a team again.

I promise I’ll love you again.

I promise that you’ll be my strength again.

I promise.

 

This is the end of the poem “I Promise.”

What do you think this poem is about? Let me know in the comments what you think the poem “I Promise” is about and any other thoughts you may have. Also, if you’re following “The Green Mask” story in the Dark Colors series on my blog, this poem is connected with that short story. I will be posting part three and four of “The Green Mask” this week on Tuesday and Thursday.

The Green Mask: Part One

It’s the summertime for Matthew, but it is hard for him to enjoy the summer. He had moved from another state last year, and he had a rough year at his new school. It was the sixth grade for Matthew. He had a hard time making new friends and adapting to his new school. Although Matthew wasn’t bullied or rejected by others at his new school, he found himself tormented by his past at his old school.

At his old school, Matthew was bullied because he was different from others. The kids there would hurt him physically and verbally, and teachers could not or rather would not do anything about it. One kid in particular that pushed Matthew to the edge was Bryan. Bryan was like most of the kids at Matthew’s old school, but he had red aviator sunglasses that made him stood out from the rest. These red aviator sunglasses with a silver lining made Bryan royalty among his peers, and he was adored by them. Bryan would eventually cross paths with Matthew, and he would hurt him in ways that pushed Matthew towards vengeance. Matthew would eventually have his revenge, but it would come at a cost. Matthew would lose his innocence, condemn Bryan to a terrible fate and bear the red aviator sunglasses.

Now, Matthew is walking alone in his nice neighborhood. He sees nothing but a red world around him thanks to the red aviator sunglasses. For Matthew, it’s a blessing and a curse having these sunglasses. He constantly sees the true, dark colors of his world, and he can ever forget the truth. Even when he doesn’t wear the glasses, he still remembers the truth. It’s imprinted in his mind, and he longs for the red world to be out of his mind. Sadly, it’s impossible for Matthew. He can never escape the red world because of his experience at his old school. Matthew can only hope for a miracle to change his perspective of the world.

As Matthew is walking, he can’t help but think about Bryan, the reason he had these red sunglasses. Matthew recalls how Bryan was scared of getting suspended and being home. He cried that his father was going to kill him, and he was begging for forgiveness. Matthew didn’t care about his tears because he wanted his revenge. Now, Matthew worries about Bryan because he realized that Bryan had a genuine fear of his dad. Matthew didn’t know all the details, but he knew that Bryan’s father wasn’t a good man. He was a father that would hurt his son in unimaginable ways.

Matthew continues his walk, but he quickly notices that he’s about to pass Sal’s Ice Cream Shop. He loved the ice cream there, and he knew that he had to get a large, vanilla cone. He walked towards the ice cream shop and noticed there was a long line. Matthew went to the back of the line and excitedly waited for some of Sal’s ice cream. A few minutes later, it was finally his turn to order a vanilla ice cream cone. Matthew ordered a vanilla ice cream cone, paid for it and received it in seconds. Matthew took his ice cream cone and decided that he wanted to go to the park. He was considering to eat his ice cream at Sal’s, but he saw that he was making some people at the ice cream shop uncomfortable. So, he just decided that it would be best to eat his ice cream somewhere else.

Matthew walks to the park and notices right away that no one was there. He was thrilled. He was excited to have the park all to himself and to be alone with his thoughts. Then, Matthew goes towards the swings and decides to sit down on a swing. He starts swinging a little back and forth and continues to enjoy his ice cream. As he finishes it, Matthew hears the laughter of other kids having fun together. Matthew thinks to himself, “It must be nice to have friends.”

As the sun starts to set, Matthew takes off his red sunglasses and begins to cry. He tries to stop himself, but he can’t. His tears are uncontrollable. Matthew can’t understand why he’s crying all of a sudden, and he hates it. He despises the tears that are coming down his face, and he wants them to desperately stop. Matthew starts to have a hard time breathing. He can hear his heart pounding rapidly in his body, and he doesn’t know how to stop it. Matthew closes his eyes and prays to God. He prays for God to calm him down and help him pull himself together. Before he can finish, a hand touches Matthew’s shoulder and says, “Whoa, whoa, whoa. There’s no need for that, I promise you. I got you, bro. Just relax and take a deep breath.”

Matthew listens to the child-like voice behind him, and he starts to relax. Suddenly, a wave of relaxation and comfort flows through Matthew in ways he couldn’t imagine. Matthew decides to take a look behind him, and he sees a little kid. The little kid is around the same age as Matthew. The little kid is wearing some yellow tennis shoes, blue shorts and a yellow T-shirt. However, the little kid was wearing a tiger mask that was covered in yellow. It was weird and bizarre to Matthew, and he gathered in his head that this kid’s favorite color was yellow.

After Matthew takes in all the yellow the kid was wearing, he thanks to the kid for his advice and for helping him calm down. The kid responds, “Oh, it was no problem, bro. I’m happy to help. Do you mind if I sit next to you on the swing.”

Matthew tells him that it’s fine, and the kid proceeds to sit next to him. Then, he says, “By the way, my name’s Goldie, but a lot of people just call me the kid in the yellow mask.”

This is the end of “The Green Mask: Part One.”

Also, be sure to check out the short story “Red Aviator Sunglasses: Parts One and Two” on the Dark Colors series, if you haven’t already. That short story will provide great context for this short story, and each part can be found in the Table of Contents page on the Warfield Zone.

I will be posting part two of “The Green Mask” on Thursday.

 

 

The Girl I Never Want to See Again: Part Three

Just to recap, the black girl ended up telling me that her friend, Jessica, wanted my Snapchat. I went to get my phone in the break room, and I told my coworkers that the black girl’s friend wanted my Snapchat. My coworkers made so many distracting comments about me getting a girl’s Snapchat without saying anything. They had me in tears, and I couldn’t resist laughing. Once I got my phone out the break room, I went back to the kitchen and saw Derek trying to talk to the black girl. I could tell the black girl was uncomfortable, so I quickly came over, opened my Snapchat and started searching for Jessica on it. While I was doing this, Derek was telling the black girl that she needed to be careful with me because I was a player and constantly having really pretty girls throw themselves at me. I didn’t understand why he said this, but I decided to not think too much about it. After I got Jessica’s Snapchat, the black girl smiled and left. My coworkers congratulated me for getting Jessica’s snapchat. Monica asked me if I was going to message Jessica, but I wasn’t sure. Then, she encouraged me to give her a chance and remember that not every girl is like the Philadelphia Girl. I contemplated and decided to message Jessica. She responded, “Heyyyy, I’ve been waiting for you to message me! I’m so excited you messaged me!”

Now, let’s dive on in to “The Girl I Never Want to See Again: Part Three.”

After she expressed her excitement with me messaging her on Snapchat, I asked her what made her want my Snapchat. She responded, “Well, you were looking so sexy and hot in the kitchen, I just knew that I had to get your Snap. And when you looked at me, I like couldn’t believe it. I told my friend Vanessa that I needed your snap because you were too fine.”

I smiled and laughed as she was really making me feel myself. I told her how my coworkers thought that Vanessa was trying to get with me. Then, I said, “Yeah, I thought your friend Vanessa was pretty, too, but I was glad that you were feeling me because I gave you the look and all.”

She sent me laughing emojis and told me that I was funny. After that, she asked me if I wanted to come over her house. Now, this was a couple of weeks after the Philadelphia girl, so I wasn’t eager to go to a girl’s house. Plus, she was living with her parents. I didn’t know them or know how they would react with me if they were to ever catch me with their daughter, so it was better to be safe then sorry. So, I told her that I was good, and I would come over when the time was right.

For two weeks, I was messaging Jessica, and I found myself interested and annoyed with her. I was interested in her because of her serious interest in me, her humor and her eyes. She had really pretty green eyes that were just so hypnotizing, and I loved them. Jessica would always send me pictures of her mesmerizing eyes and pretty face, and they just always made my day. However, I was annoyed with her because she was constantly pressuring me to come over her house. Also, she needed my attention. Jessica would feel some type of way, if I didn’t message her right away or as soon as possible. She felt like I didn’t care about her, but it was just really about me being busy with work, summer school, projects, writings, art and other things. My world didn’t revolve around her, and it bothered her. In addition, Jessica didn’t like it when I complimented or talked about some of her friends on snapchat. She explained to me that it bothered her, and I stopped doing it. I had some very mixed vibes with Jessica, and I didn’t know what to do because I was interested and annoyed with her.

I decided that I should at least give her a chance but not too much of a chance. I asked her if she was busy on a Friday, and she asked me, “No, what you tryna do?”

I told her that I was thinking about having dinner and seeing a movie with some friends. I decided that I wanted to have a group date with her. There was some anxiety at the thought of being alone with her, and I never want to be alone with a girl that gives me discomfort. She agreed to have dinner and a movie with me and some of my friends, but she wasn’t excited about it.

On Friday, the day had finally arrived, and I was seriously nervous. I asked Jessica for her address so that I could pick her up, but she told me that she was good. I found this weird because she always wanted me to come to her house, but now she changed her mind just like that? I don’t know, it felt weird to me. Anyways, I explained that we were meeting at Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC) South Campus. Jessica told me that she understood, and she couldn’t wait to see me.

When I had arrived at CCAC South Campus, it was around 6:00 pm. My friends and I had all agreed to  meet up at CCAC at 6:15 to plan everything out. All of my friends (Jake, Stan and Nick) were at the school on time, while Jessica was not. I tried calling and messaging her, but she wasn’t answering me. I was worried that something had happened to her. I wanted to do more, but Jake told me that there was nothing more that I could do. I agreed with him, and I was just hoping that everything was alright with Jessica.

My friends and I ended up being at CCAC for over an hour to just talk and figure the restaurant/movie we wanted to go to. Once we decided the movie and restaurant, it was around 7:30. A minute later, Jessica responded that she was actually at CCAC South Campus for about 30 minutes and didn’t see me. So, Jessica ended up leaving and said she couldn’t believe that I stood her up. I was confused because my friends and I had been at CCAC South Campus for over an hour, and we never saw Jessica. I asked her if she went to the wrong campus, but she told me that she did not. It didn’t make sense to me. My friends were even trying to make sense of it, too. Then, I checked her story on Snapchat, and it showed that she was actually with her friends from 6:00-7:30. Jessica had lied to me. How could she do that to me? I messaged Jessica that I saw her story and wanted to know the truth with her. She didn’t respond right away, and I was a little upset. How could she stand me up, and try to manipulate me into thinking that I stood her up?

Instead of thinking about how mad I was with Jessica, I decided to enjoy the company of my friends. We ended up going to Eat-n-Park, and we went to see a great movie as well. After the movie, we all went our separate ways. As I’m driving home, I start thinking about Jessica and wondering what’s going on with her. When I make it home, I message her, “Look, all I ask is for you to be honest with me. That’s all I ask. Just tell me what’s going on. Were you not comfortable hanging out with me and my friends? If you weren’t, then I can understand that. Or if it’s something else, please let me know. I just don’t appreciate your dishonesty with me about why you were or weren’t at CCAC. I just want you to be honest and tell me the truth.”

A few minutes later, I get a message from her that read, “You’re right, I wasn’t at CCAC. The truth is I didn’t want to see you because you’re not trying to get with me. You’re trying to get with Vanessa, and you’re just using me to get to her.”

This is the end of “The Girl I Never Want to See Again: Part Three.”

I will be posting the fourth and final part on Thursday.

My Sweet Poison

I don’t know why I’m thinking about you right now.

I guess I miss you and hope you’re doing good.

Do you remember the times we had?

I remember them on my loneliest of days.

I miss them with a passion.

I wish we could have those times back once more.

I wish like Stevie Wonder.

I remember how much you loved him, my Cherie amour.

It was always special listening to him with you.

 

There are so many things I still want to do to you.

I still want to admire you and never stop admiring you.

I still want to look at you and never stop looking at you.

I still want to hold you and never let you go.

I still want to love you and never stop loving you.

Sadly, it’s not possible.

 

We had to go our separate ways.

I know we loved each other, but we weren’t meant to be together.

We could only be a short-term relationship.

I knew this, but you never did.

You thought we were endgame.

You thought we were meant to have a long life together.

You had this beautiful fantasy for us that I wanted to believe in.

It was a sweet dream, but I could never dream or believe in it.

I was stuck in the harsh reality.

 

I want to forget about you, but I can’t.

You were the worst, but I can only see the good in you.

You were toxic, but you were sweet.

You are my sweet poison.