The In-between

All she really remembered was the long, dark tunnel that had brought her here. She didn’t really know where ‘here’ was, but it was clear she was somewhere else. Somewhere she had not been before, somewhere new. Oddly enough, everything looked the same. Yet, everything felt different.

When she spoke to people, people she had known from before, they did not understand what she was saying. It was even as if some of them did not want to understand. Making something completely other than what she said, what she meant. Hearing only what they wanted to hear. Seeing only what they wanted to see. Twisting and turning her words, her truth.

What were they afraid of?

And the questions never seemed to end. Questions she had never thought to ask. The same questions, asked on more than one occasion. Questions she had already answered. Sometimes odd questions with difficult, jagged answers, or hunted answers. Even questions with an undertone, as if trying to find proof, or fault. Close enough to an interrogation. She started doubting herself, becoming more and more quiet, trying to find the right words. Words they would understand.

It was all very confusing, and tiresome. It had always been challenging, interacting with people, but this was a whole new level of exhaustion.

Her senses were elevated. Much more than before. She had yet to understand why. They were clearer, quicker, capturing fragments brought into full focus, with sharpened outlines, just before the shutter snaps the shot. Instantly reflecting beyond the maze of riddled words and the masks of feigned emotions. Exposing undisputed give-aways - detectable, noticeable.

What were they hiding?

She was oblivious as to why they were giving themselves such a hard time, when there was so much beauty to discover, in the world, in each other, in themselves. We have words to communicate, so why the maze? We have emotions to show what we feel, so why the masks?

"Look! Just look around you! So much beauty to discover, so many wonders to marvel at." But nobody looked up. Nobody saw. Nobody felt. Nobody listened. Nobody really wanted the truth.

Her frustration grew with those who chose this chaos over clarity. Disappointed in their lack of courage, for not wanting to listen, for refusing to feel, for resisting to see, for deflecting to know, for turning away from the truth. Impatient with their unwillingness to evolve, to improve, to grow. They left her no choice than to turn away. For she had no more time to waste.

Who are they hiding from?

Then there were rare moments where she might catch a glimpse of the little boy or little girl they once were—behind the maze, behind the mask - that made her time worthwhile. It made her smile. It warmed her heart. It gave her hope. That maybe someday soon they would also see, feel, and know.

Until then, she wanders. In stillness. In solitude. In silence. In a space where time is her only essence. Graced with the wonders she already sees. Sensing the warmth awaiting her. She wanders in the in-between.




About the Author

After 2020 rewrote my life when medical challenges brought my professional career to a close, I shifted focus to a purpose-driven life. Now dedicated to personal development and reflective expression, I believe that while we don't always choose our opening lines, we always hold the pen for the chapters that follow.