The Mask

Once there was a little girl who found a mask in an old trunk filled to the brim with vintage clothes. When she put it on, she felt powerful, like a completely different person. When the mask was off, she was herself, but more and more she wanted to wear that mask; in the mask she felt important and accepted. As she grew up, life happened and when she felt the need, she would put on her mask, taking the world by storm. She could be whomever she wanted to be, instead of the person everyone wanted her to be. Day by day, year by year, it got more difficult to leave the mask behind, as it had become a part of her. She would wear her mask and do marvelous things, things she didn't know if she could do without it. One day, someone asked why she wore it. "Why do you hide within yourself when you were made to stand out?" This made her think, and she took her mask off. No one even batted an eye, as they didn't know who she was. "The mask makes me 'me'", she replied. The woman looked at her and said, "No, it's what is inside of you that makes you beautiful and important. What makes you different is most often your greatest strength." She didn't know about this, as she wasn't sure who she truly was anymore, the mask had become her. Walking home in utter silence, she passed a broken window. Not having seen her face in a long time, it startled her. Thinking to herself, she said, "What makes me different is my greatest strength...." She turned to go, tenderly laying the mask down, allowing it to remain where it was, and she walked away. When she got home, she went straight to the mirror and saw the love and passion for what she did. She took notice of the lines on her face, traces of laughter and fear. But most of all, she thought of herself as beautiful and powerful in her own skin.