The Masquerade

There is something fragile about the way the sun lowers itself over the ever expanding horizon. The way the sky can turn that perfect shade of dark blue, slowly blending itself into Mother Nature’s blood. It seems almost as though it is whispering, reminding all the earth of the delicacies contained within the ordinary miracles of everyday life. She thought how picturesque it must look, her silhouette almost lost in the background of infinite skies. The dark shadows below her, a menacing escape from all she’s ever known. Someone looking over might inhale deeply and appreciate the beauty enclosed in this moment. If only they knew.

As she stared at this sunset, like it was the most glamorous of films, she thought of her life. She thought of what she had learned, and wondered how much was still to learn. She did not understand the ins and outs of life, why we are put here, or indeed if we are put here for a reason. But she knew some things. She knew that life was a Masquerade, everyone hidden behind a mask, behind something that may not even be mildly close to a representation of who we really are. A slow dance that seems so alluring, yet leads us not into temptation, but cleanses us of the sins that run through our veins. Her mother would say there was a curfew, “be home by ten”. Sometimes she managed to escape the curfew, and other times it nagged in the back of her mind, and it is then she knew it was time to retire for the night, time to go home. Then she takes that mad dash for the door, for a breath of fresh air. The body heat of everyone stuck together like sardines is almost suffocating, giving a light-headed dizziness. The fresh air is so close. She collides full force with the locked door. Stuck in her own prison. Forever a part of the Masquerade. Unless... The only escape, a window high. The soft music a sickly screeching in her mind. The pounding footsteps of the dancers imbue her ears. She climbs. To jump or not to jump? Yes, life was a Masquerade alright.

And now she stands. Toes curling over the edge of the cliff, rocks crumbling, giving way beneath her feet. The window of the Masquerade. Her only escape. To jump or not to jump?

The night was perfect. Each and every star gazed at her from the Heavens. The last thing she saw – simple beauty, nothing more, nothing less.
But even a sunset must fade eventually.