The world holds such color.
With such a vast amount of hues, it almost seems an endless horizon of
possibilities. Then again, if you look
at it from another angle, the human eye only sees the one shade lucky enough to be
reflected, despite the many hundreds of colors that failed to meet the mark and
show the world what they had to offer.
Life can be like that sometimes.
So many lives pulse through the veins just beneath the earth’s surface,
yet only a few solitary souls make a reflection that the
human eyes can see. If you look at it
that way, your horizon seems a little cruel, doesn’t it? Try and keep that in mind, if you really want
to understand what I’m saying. No, I'm not a deep thinker, really.
I’m not even complicated. And don’t
bother asking who I am.
You already know me.
That’s right. I’m
your worst nightmare. The big bad wolf –
come to eat your pigs or your grandmother, depending on which moral you feel
like learning today. If that’s not good
enough, I’m also the evil witch that cuts your hair of freedom or gives
you poisoned apples of jealousy. That’s
right, I’m the evil stepmother too; the one that made you a slave in your own
home. If I ever offer to help you or act
like your friend, don’t be fooled. My
motives always work towards a single being, and that would be myself. I’m the creator of conflict – the sole
character that no story can be without.
I am the villain.
Don’t look so scared.
I left my spinning wheel at home today.
You’re the one that asked to see me, remember? I’ve already lost, and it seems you’ve got a
sick desire to kick the loser while he’s down. You want to understand me? Don’t be
arrogant. Your story hasn’t earned a
master villain of complex mind that takes effort to comprehend. This fairytale has just one villain, and its a pretty
simple one. I already told you who I am,
but if you really want to understand, just look at who I was. Ask me that, if you
want. No one else knows better than I do,
anyway.
Still want to know? Fine
then. I’ll tell you, since you
asked. I was that beggar you just
ignored on the street. I was the boy in
the market that all the other children teased for having crooked legs. I was the girl that never had a father to
quiet my cries at midnight, when the nightmares closed in. I was the knight that never had a lady to
fight for. I was the princess who lost
her lover to someone just a little fairer.
I was the farmer who lost his living to drought. I was the widow that could never quite stop
regretting my beloved’s passing. I was
the thief trying to feed a starving family.
I was the innocent framed for murder.
I was the one weeping beneath your window, begging the heavens for a
better life while you slept on your bed of luxury. Don’t look at me like that. It shouldn’t surprise you so much. All big bad wolfs start as abandoned
pups. It’s the simple truth of life, just
like those colors I told you about that never get reflected. That’s just the way it is. Simple facts.
Show me that happy ending or yours, and I’ll give you a glimpse of my
wretched beginning.
No, I don’t want your pity.
Give me sympathy and I’ll give you another taste of my apple. Sure, I started innocent. Don’t we all?
But that’s the sort of thing I let go of a long time ago, when I took on
the dark crown and evil smile act.
It’s too late to act charming towards me. I’ve well earned these chains you put on my
wrists. I deserve a lot worse, but you
don’t really have the stomach for it, and let’s be honest: this is a children’s
story. Real justice is too graphic for
the genre. Since shackles are the
worst I can get, I’ll take them. Just
lock me away and forget I ever rested after the "Once upon a time" of your fairytale. No, I don’t want your compassion. The person I was might have taken it,
but I certainly won’t. If you really
want to do something for me, than I’ll ask you for one favor. Just one, then I want to get locked in that
tower you have just for people like me.
Give the next beggar a little money – a smile wouldn’t hurt
either. That’s right, I want you to pick
up that stray puppy and take him home before he grows into something nasty
that will haunt your children. Stop
fretting over the villains you’ve defeated and take care of the ones that
haven’t found their weapons of malice yet. I
don’t care how dirty that little girl’s clothes are; if you see her crying, then
at least ask her if you can help. You’ll
be the only decent human being she meets, I guarantee. If you don’t reach out, no one will. Think of it as saving yourself, if you can’t
get enough motivation from the idea of putting a fallen soul back on their
feet. You don’t want to fight the sort
of villain they’ll become. Take it from
someone who knows. The desperate always become the devious. Little hurts of childhood form the grand characteristics
of evil that make children shudder. Of
course, small gestures of compassion can go a long way too. If you can’t afford to save, then just
inspire. Show them a little kindness,
and they won’t forget that the world has that sort of thing. That’s all there is to it, really. It isn’t complicated. Just a simple cure for the dastardly villains
of the future. You can start with that crippled
boy sitting on the street corner behind you.
That’s right, the one with the crutches and the sad eyes. Yes, he certainly looks pathetic, doesn't he? Don’t let it fool you. He’ll be the conniving wretch that wreaks
havoc in the lives of the next generation. He’s got that look of bitterness lingering beneath the despair in his
eyes. That sort of thing will take you a
long way down the path of sinister intentions, crooked legs or no.
Trust me, I know.
