The Man in the Mirror

"Write about someone pretending to be someone or something he is not."

Jesse looks in the mirror as he spends another few minutes getting ready.  It is the same every day and the betrayal is written all over his face as he studies the mirror looking for which of the two faces will take over on this day. Look at that smug little smirk lurking behind the lines of agony that seem to be washed away the second he walks out the door.

He is trapped, trapped in a world that leads him to believe he can't be himself. The laughter is a great mask. The smile is a way to pull away from who he was. And the only time he sees his treachery is when he looks in the mirror, like it is trapped away in another world.

But every once in a while, he can't step outside his house, for his torment finds a way to chain him to the house and all he can do is break down without stepping out.

Take 2
He looks in the mirror as he spends another few minutes getting ready. His hair always takes a few minutes longer than it should because he spends so long mesmerized by the pain in the mirror. Look at that smug little smirk lurking behind the lines of agony that seem to be washed away the second he walks out the door. The monster of a man he feels locked inside always seems to show his face first thing in the morning. Glaring eyes and glistening teeth, as if ready to take a bite out of the mask he wears around each day.

The betrayal is written all over this monster's face staring back in the mirror. He begs for the chance to step out of the house and not be locked in this dungeon of a house with the monster. Some days, he can escape and put the mask of happiness over his eyes and share with the world a better version of himself. A world people believe is his own, how gullible people are.

He is trapped in his house or trapped in a world that leads him to believe he can't be himself. The laughter is a great mask. The smile is a way to pull away from who he was. And the only time he sees his treachery is when he looks in the mirror, like it is trapped away in another world.

But every once in a while, he can't step outside his house, for his torment finds a way to chain him to the house and all he can do is break down without stepping out. A way to take over a bring agony to the man on the other side of the mirror.

Four years ago, Jesse never saw this monster. It wasn't until Stephen Lynch came into his life and ripped away all the good. He will never forget that day. Jesse's wife Sam and young daughter, Danette, and Jesse went to the park. They met some friends there, an easy thing to do when your daughter has a smile that can change the world. There was this man, Stephan, there with his son, Tony, who always played with Dani. Sam got the idea of inviting them over for dinner as Dani didn't want to leave poor Tony alone.

They gave Stephan their address, got dinner prepared and were on their way to setting the table, when the doorbell rang. Tony ran in and Dani's smile returned again. Stephan brought a wine and helped set up the table, giving each of them a glass. The dinner was a roasted chicken, Sam's speciality, with mashed potatoes and a green bean casserole. Yet after grace was shared and they said cheers, the world went black.

Jesse woke up to Sam's screams and Dani's cries. "What happened?" he thought. His head was ringing, he was dazed but as he opened his eyes, he witnessed the horror. Jesse was caged to a chair, locked up as he saw Sam's skin rip from her flesh under Stephan's prying fingers and slippery knives. Jesse quickly looked around for his daughter. Was he too late. He found Danette taped to her highchair with Tony keeping her company, petting her head. Jesse spoke to her, tried to get her to look away from Mommy but it wasn't possible, not when the screams tore through the air. It was at that moment he knew, the smile would never come back to her eyes, if they survived.

Jesse tried to break out, he tried to save them... but it was too late and by the time the police came, he was the only one left. The girls tore to pieces, blood all over their house. Stephan and Tony, he later found out were hunted in a few different states and the blame shadowed him every day.

As Jesse gets ready each morning, the sun doesn't seem to shine as bright, no one's smile can outdo the one in his mind that he will never see again. And every once in a while the monster of despair and pain takes over making leaving the house and facing the day unbearable without the family he had and with the new memories he shares with one sick and twisted man.