DON MARIANO MARCOS MEMORIAL STATE

UNIVERSITY Mid La Union Campus

City of San Fernando, La Union College of
Education BACHELOR OF SECONDARY EDUCATION

Name: BASILIO, FRANCIA NEIL TUMBAGA

Year & Section: BSE 1C

The Man Behind the Mask

Staying up late at night, staring at nowhere like there is nothing left inside
my head. Barely breathing, as I inhale a little amount of air that surrounds this
empty room wrapped by ash gray smoke coming from my cigarette as I lit it up.
Then it burned all my problems and filled up my emptiness.

Birds are chirping from the branch of a tree that extends at my

windowpane. That gives me a signal that it is time to open my eyes again and
indulge myself to the world painted with black and white. “It is too early,” I
complained to myself, while deciding if I should get up or just lay on my bed for
the whole day. This is my morning battle where I struggled every day; I’m sick of
it! Wishing someday something can motivate me to exist productively. A minute
after, someone throw a pebble at my window. That severely caused a crack on
it, which stopped me from daydreaming. So, I am forced to get up and check
who is that weirdo trying to disturb my momentum. I bitterly opened my window;
trying to extend my patience for whoever that person is. I look out the window
still wearing a calm face and to my surprise, no one is there. Only the presence
of an empty street and a little bit touch of streetlight reflecting from the stocked
water on the ground. I spread my eyes hoping to catch any clue who is that,
but I saw nothing.

So, I turned my back to return on my bed. My eyes become twice bigger

than its normal size. My heart beats faster than the speed of a running horse. My
stomach got an adrenaline rush, and my fair complexion becomes lighter like a
vampire. “Who are you?!” I shouted. I cannot figure out what is it or who is it. It is
sat down on the edge of my bed- facing to my direction. It is a human-like
creature with long nails, wearing a black cloak and now it is coming closer and
closer towards me. I am frizzed from standing. I cannot move any single part of
my body. The cold air gradually embraces me as this creature coming nearer to
me. It murmurs words I cannot and never I will understand. It’s coming. I am
trying my best to close my eyes, but it is frozen. Now, I shiver from cold and I am
talking only in my mind. I hope someone can rescue me. Someone can hear my
silent scream. Someone can witness me how I suffer from the monster- from the
monster I don’t know, nor I wish to meet someday. “Help me!!!”, I screamed
without opening my mouth. No one have heard it. The echoes only bounce
inside my head. Now my cold tears began to fall from my dried eyes. “Please
stay away,” I begged from this monster trying to pull me closer to its darkness,
but I can’t help it.

I’m being stuck inside these four corners of a room with a metal railing
guarded by the white coated people. And here I am staring up the ceiling of
this empty room crumpled by thoughts, fighting my wishful battles, overcoming
my fear from the flood of tears, starving for help, and having a hard time to
remove the mask that I’ve been wearing for a long time.