The Shadow

Since I was born, I’ve lived with a shadow, a monster, chained to me without escape. Nobody sees it, nobody cares about it, and that’s all to the good. I don’t want people to notice it because then those around me might actually start to be afraid of me. This monster, this shadow, is invisible not just because you can’t see it, but also because people prefer not to acknowledge it. Maybe it has even been created by this apathy. I was born chained to it and many times, I allowed myself to be swept along by it, until I realised that it shouldn’t have control. So I decided to embrace it with its red ribbon, which links us permanently, like the chain. Because ribbons are not as frightening as chains. And even if not everybody knows that it exists, now I am less scared of it. Perhaps that will also be the case for those who have the courage to look it in the face.