You are falling.

The city is a grid of iron and soot. It is midnight. Rain slicks the cobblestones. You run.

Your lungs burn.

You are Margaret. You are fifty. You are a widow. You are a ghost in your own life.

The man chases you.

He is tall. He wears a top hat. He carries a cane of polished mahogany. He is not a man. He is a mirror.

He speaks.

"Margaret," he says. "You have forgotten the rules."

You turn a corner.

You enter the alley.

The smell of rot. The smell of old meat. The smell of freedom.

You stop.

You breathe.

The man is there.

He leans on his cane.

"Look at me," he says.

You look.

His face is yours.

It is your face from twenty years ago.

It is the face of the woman who left you.

The face of the woman who chose the music.

The face of the woman who chose the stage.

You hate him.

You love him.

"You are dead," you say.

"Am I?" he asks.

He smiles.

It is a cruel smile.

It is your smile.

"I am the cost," he says. "I am the price of your silence."

You remember.

The piano.

The velvet curtain.

The applause.

And then the silence.

The quiet room.

The cold bed.

The safe.

The bank account.

The husband.

He was good.

He was kind.

He was boring.

He died.

You did not cry.

You bought a dress.

You bought a hat.

You bought a life.

You were safe.

You were free.

Or so you thought.

The man steps closer.

The rain stops.

The moon breaks through the clouds.

It shines on the wet stones.

It shines on his face.

"You cannot have both," he says. "The stage and the safety. The voice and the silence."

"You are lying," you say.

"Am I?"

He holds out his hand.

In his palm is a coin.

It is gold.

It is heavy.

It is real.

"Take it," he says.

You do not move.

"Why?" you ask.

"Because it is yours," he says. "It was always yours. You just forgot to spend it."

You look at the coin.

You see your reflection in it.

It is small.

It is old.

It is tired.

"I am tired," you say.

"Yes," he says. "And you are afraid."

"I am not afraid."

"You are."

He steps back.

He fades.

The rain returns.

You are alone.

You pick up the coin.

It is warm.

It burns.

You put it in your pocket.

You walk.

You walk into the city.

The city is waking up.

The baker opens his door.

The milk cart rumbles.

The newspapers blow in the wind.

You are invisible.

You are seen.

You go to the theater.

It is closed.

The sign says Closed Indefinitely.

You push the door.

It is unlocked.

You enter.

The dark.

The smell of dust.

The smell of old sweat.

The smell of fear.

You find the stage.

It is bare.

The curtain is torn.

The orchestra pit is empty.

You sit on the edge.

You take the coin out.

You hold it.

You look at it.

It is not gold.

It is lead.

It is heavy.

It is worthless.

You laugh.

It is a dry laugh.

It is a broken laugh.

You throw the coin into the pit.

It clangs.

It echoes.

It is gone.

You stand up.

You are light.

You are empty.

You are free.

You walk to the back.

You open the door.

The night air hits you.

It is cold.

It is sharp.

You breathe.

You are alive.

You are not the woman on the stage.

You are not the woman in the mirror.

You are Margaret.

You are here.

You are now.

You walk to the park.

The bench is wet.

You sit.

You watch the sky.

The stars are out.

They are small.

They are far.

They are bright.

You are not bright.

You are dark.

You are quiet.

You are safe.

Is it freedom?

Is it a prison?

You do not know.

You do not care.

You are tired.

You are old.

You are you.

A man sits next to you.

He is young.

He has a book.

He looks at you.

He smiles.

"Rough night?" he asks.

You look at him.

You see the mirror.

You see the man.

You see the coin.

You see the lie.

You smile back.

"It was a long night," you say.

"Is it over?" he asks.

You think about the coin.

You think about the stage.

You think about the silence.

You think about the voice.

You do not speak.

You nod.

"Yes," you say. "It is over."

He nods.

He opens his book.

He reads.

You look at the sky.

The moon is full.

It is round.

It is complete.

It is cold.

It is beautiful.

You are cold.

You are beautiful.

You are alone.

You are not alone.

You are with the night.

You are with the rain.

You are with the memory.

You are with the fear.

You are with the hope.

You are with the self.

You are with the other.

You are with the void.

You are with the light.

You are with the dark.

You are with the sound.

You are with the silence.

You are with the cost.

You are with the price.

You are with the freedom.

You are with the cage.

You are with the key.

You are with the lock.

You are with the door.

You are with the wall.

You are with the window.

You are with the sky.

You are with the earth.

You are with the water.

You are with the fire.

You are with the wind.

You are with the stone.

You are with the bone.

You are with the blood.

You are with the breath.

You are with the heart.

You are with the mind.

You are with the soul.

You are with the ghost.

You are with the spirit.

You are with the demon.

You are with the angel.

You are with the devil.

You are with the god.

You are with the man.

You are with the woman.

You are with the child.

You are with the old.

You are with the young.

You are with the dead.

You are with the living.

You are with the past.

You are with the present.

You are with the future.

You are with the time.

You are with the space.

You are with the place.

You are with the world.

You are with the universe.

You are with the nothing.

You are with the everything.

You are with the self.

You are with the other.

You are with the truth.

You are with the lie.

You are with the reality.

You are with the illusion.

You are with the dream.

You are with the waking.

You are with the sleep.

You are with the night.

You are with the day.

You are with the dawn.

You are with the dusk.

You are with the morning.

You are with the evening.

You are with the noon.

You are with the midnight.

You are with the hour.

You are with the minute.

You are with the second.

You are with the moment.

You are with the now.

You are with the ever.

You are with the never.

You are with the always.

You are with the nevermore.

You are with the perhaps.

You are with the maybe.

You are with the yes.

You are with the no.

You are with the if.

You are with the then.

You are with the but.

You are with the and.

You are with the or.

You are with the so.

You are with the yet.

You are with the still.

You are with the always.

You are with the never.

You are with the now.

You are with the then.

You are with the here.

You are with the there.

You are with the this.

You are with the that.

You are with the who.

You are with the what.

You are with the where.

You are with the when.

You are with the why.

You are with the how.

You are with the can.

You are with the may.

You are with the must.

You are with the shall.

You are with the will.

You are with the would.

You are with the should.

You are with the could.

You are with the ought.

You are with the dare.

You are with the need.

You are with the needn't.

You are with the need to.

You are with the need not.

You are with the want.

You are with the want to.

You are with the want not.

You are with the like.

You are with the like to.

You are with the like not.

You are with the love.

You are with the love to.

You are with the love not.

You are with the hate.

You are with the hate to.

You are with the hate not.

You are with the fear.

You are with the fear to.

You are with the fear not.

You are with the hope.

You are with the hope to.

You are with the hope not.

You are with the faith.

You are with the faith to.

You are with the faith not.

You are with the trust.

You are with the trust to.

You are with the trust not.

You are with the belief.

You are with the belief to.

You are with the belief not.

You are with the doubt.

You are with the doubt to.

You are with the doubt not.

You are with the question.

You are with the question to.

You are with the question not.

You are with the answer.

You are with the answer to.

You are with the answer not.

You are with the problem.

You are with the problem to.

You are with the problem not.

You are with the solution.

You are with the solution to.

You are with the solution not.

You are with the cause.

You are with the cause to.

You are with the cause not.

You are with the effect.

You are with the effect to.

You are with the effect not.

You are with the reason.

You are with the reason to.

You are with the reason not.

You are with the result.

You are with the result to.

You are with the result not.

You are with the beginning.

You are with the beginning to.

You are with the beginning not.

You are with the end.

You are with the end to.

You are with the end not.

You are with the middle.

You are with the middle to.

You are with the middle not.

You are with the start.

You are with the start to.

You are with the start not.

You are with the finish.

You are with the finish to.

You are with the finish not.

You are with the open.

You are with the open to.

You are with the open not.

You are with the close.

You are with the close to.

You are with the close not.

You are with the up.

You are with the up to.

You are with the up not.

You are with the down.

You are with the down to.

You are with the down not.

You are with the in.

You are with the in to.

You are with the in not.

You are with the out.

You are with the out to.

You are with the out not.

You are with the on.

You are with the on to.

You are with the on not.

You are with the off.

You are with the off to.

You are with the off not.

You are with the over.

You are with the over to.

You are with the over not.

You are with the under.

You are with the under to.

You are with the under not.

You are with the above.

You are with the above to.

You are with the above not.

You are with the below.

You are with the below to.

You are with the below not.

You are with the front.

You are with the front to.

You are with the front not.

You are with the back.

You are with the back to.

You are with the back not.

You are with the left.

You are with the left to.

You are with the left not.

You are with the right.

You are with the right to.

You are with the right not.

You are with the here.

You are with the here to.

You are with the here not.

You are with the there.

You are with the there to.

You are with the there not.

You are with the this.

You are with the this to.

You are with the this not.

You are with the that.

You are with the that to.

You are with the that not.

You are with the these.

You are with the these to.

You are with the these not.

You are with the those.

You are with the those to.

You are with the those not.

You are with the these.

You are with the these to.

You are with the these not.

You are with the those.

You are with the those to.

You are with the those not.

You are with the these.

You are with the these to.

You are with the these not.

You are with the those.

You are with the those to.

You are with the those not.