The wine was red.

It tasted of iron.

We drank.

We danced.

The music was loud.

It shook the floor.

It shook the walls.

It shook the bones.

I held my glass.

My hand did not tremble.

I was calm.

I was cold.

The room was full.

Faces blurred.

Smiles were wide.

Teeth were white.

They looked at me.

They saw a ghost.

I saw a man.

I saw myself.

I was not there.

I was gone.

The clock ticked.

One second.

Two seconds.

Three seconds.

Time was a river.

It flowed fast.

It carried me.

I let it go.

I did not fight.

I was tired.

So tired.

The night was long.

The stars were out.

They watched us.

They did not blink.

They were silent.

I was silent.

We were together.

But I was alone.

The party ended.

The lights went out.

Darkness came.

It was thick.

It was heavy.

I walked home.

The street was empty.

The wind was cold.

It bit my skin.

I pulled my coat.

The coat was warm.

It was old.

It was mine.

I wore it always.

It was my shield.

It was my skin.

I knew the way.

I knew the stones.

I knew the shadows.

I knew the dark.

I was home.

I was free.

I was wrong.

The door was open.

It creaked.

A sound like a scream.

I stepped in.

The hallway was dark.

I fumbled.

I found the light.

I clicked it.

The bulb buzzed.

It flickered.

It died.

Darkness again.

Total darkness.

I stood still.

I listened.

I heard breath.

It was not mine.

It was close.

It was warm.

It was wet.

I reached out.

My hand touched air.

Then fabric.

Soft fabric.

I grabbed it.

I pulled.

A gasp.

A cry.

Then silence.

I opened my eyes.

The light was back.

It was bright.

It was harsh.

It burned.

I looked down.

I saw the coat.

It was torn.

It was ripped.

It was dead.

I held the pieces.

They were cold.

They were stiff.

They were heavy.

I dropped them.

They hit the floor.

Thud.

Thud.

Thud.

I stood there.

I was shaking.

I was wet.

I was dirty.

I was changed.

I was not me.

I was something else.

I was a stranger.

I looked at the wall.

The wall was cracked.

The paint was peeling.

It looked like a map.

A map of pain.

A map of loss.

A map of me.

I saw my face.

In the mirror.

It was broken.

My eyes were wide.

My mouth was open.

I was screaming.

But no sound came.

I was mute.

I was blind.

I was deaf.

I was alone.

I was free.

I was cursed.

I knew the truth.

I knew it all.

I knew it before.

I forgot.

I chose to forget.

I chose to lie.

I chose to hide.

I chose to drink.

I chose to dance.

I chose to smile.

I chose to live.

I was a liar.

I was a thief.

I was a killer.

I killed my soul.

I killed my heart.

I killed my hope.

I was dead.

I had been dead.

For years.

For decades.

I was a ghost.

I was a shadow.

I was a memory.

I was a nothing.

I was a void.

I was a hole.

In the world.

In the dark.

In the night.

In the silence.

In the pain.

In the loss.

In the fear.

In the doubt.

In the doubt.

In the doubt.

I was the doubt.

I was the fear.

I was the pain.

I was the loss.

I was the silence.

I was the night.

I was the dark.

I was the world.

I was the all.

I was the nothing.

I was the end.

I was the start.

I was the middle.

I was the point.

I was the center.

I was the core.

I was the truth.

I was the lie.

I was the life.

I was the death.

I was the breath.

I was the stop.

I was the beat.

I was the rest.

I was the song.

I was the noise.

I was the music.

I was the silence.

I was the sound.

I was the voice.

I was the word.

I was the letter.

I was the mark.

I was the scar.

I was the wound.

I was the blood.

I was the bone.

I was the flesh.

I was the skin.

I was the hair.

I was the eye.

I was the ear.

I was the nose.

I was the mouth.

I was the tongue.

I was the tooth.

I was the jaw.

I was the cheek.

I was the chin.

I was the neck.

I was the shoulder.

I was the arm.

I was the elbow.

I was the wrist.

I was the hand.

I was the finger.

I was the nail.

I was the palm.

I was the back.

I was the spine.

I was the rib.

I was the chest.

I was the belly.

I was the hip.

I was the leg.

I was the knee.

I was the ankle.

I was the foot.

I was the toe.

I was the sole.

I was the heel.

I was the arch.

I was the bone.

I was the joint.

I was the muscle.

I was the tendon.

I was the ligament.

I was the nerve.

I was the vein.

I was the artery.

I was the blood.

I was the cell.

I was the atom.

I was the electron.

I was the proton.

I was the neutron.

I was the quark.

I was the string.

I was the loop.

I was the field.

I was the space.

I was the time.

I was the energy.

I was the matter.

I was the force.

I was the law.

I was the rule.

I was the order.

I was the chaos.

I was the system.

I was the universe.

I was the cosmos.

I was the infinity.

I was the zero.

I was the one.

I was the all.

I was the none.

I was the here.

I was the there.

I was the now.

I was the then.

I was the when.

I was the where.

I was the who.

I was the what.

I was the why.

I was the how.

I was the who.

I was the me.

I was the you.

I was the he.

I was the she.

I was the it.

I was the they.

I was the we.

I was the us.

I was the our.

I was the ours.

I was the self.

I was the other.

I was the same.

I was the different.

I was the near.

I was the far.

I was the close.

I was the distant.

I was the blind.

I was the sight.

I was the deaf.

I was the sound.

I was the mute.

I was the voice.

I was the dead.

I was the live.

I was the gone.

I was the here.

I was the lost.

I was the found.

I was the broken.

I was the whole.

I was the torn.

I was the stitched.

I was the cut.

I was the healed.

I was the blood.

I was the bandage.

I was the pain.

I was the relief.

I was the fear.

I was the courage.

I was the doubt.

I was the faith.

I was the hope.

I was the despair.

I was the joy.

I was the grief.

I was the love.

I was the hate.

I was the kind.

I was the cruel.

I was the good.

I was the bad.

I was the true.

I was the false.

I was the real.

I was the fake.

I was the pure.

I was the dirty.

I was the clean.

I was the stain.

I was the wash.

I was the dirt.

I was the water.

I was the fire.

I was the ash.

I was the smoke.

I was the air.

I was the breath.

I was the life.

I was the death.

I was the end.

I was the start.

I was the middle.

I was the point.

I was the center.

I was the core.

I was the truth.

I was the lie.

I was the life.

I was the death.

I was the breath.

I was the stop.

I was the beat.

I was the rest.

I was the song.

I was the noise.

I was the music.

I was the silence.

I was the sound.

I was the voice.

I was the word.

I was the letter.

I was the mark.

I was the scar.

I was the wound.

I was the blood.

I was the bone.

I was the flesh.

I was the skin.

I was the hair.

I was the eye.

I was the ear.

I was the nose.

I was the mouth.

I was the tongue.

I was the tooth.

I was the jaw.

I was the cheek.

I was the chin.

I was the neck.

I was the shoulder.

I was the arm.

I was the elbow.

I was the wrist.

I was the hand.

I was the finger.

I was the nail.

I was the palm.

I was the back.

I was the spine.

I was the rib.

I was the chest.

I was the belly.

I was the hip.

I was the leg.

I was the knee.

I was the ankle.

I was the foot.

I was the toe.

I was the sole.

I was the heel.

I was the arch.

I was the bone.

I was the joint.

I was the muscle.

I was the tendon.

I was the ligament.

I was the nerve.

I was the vein.

I was the artery.

I was the blood.

I was the cell.

I was the atom.

I was the electron.

I was the proton.

I was the neutron.

I was the quark.

I was the string.

I was the loop.

I was the field.

I was the space.

I was the time.

I was the energy.

I was the matter.

I was the force.

I was the law.

I was the rule.

I was the order.

I was the chaos.

I was the system.

I was the universe.

I was the cosmos.

I was the infinity.

I was the zero.

I was the one.

I was the all.

I was the none.

I was the here.

I was the there.

I was the now.

I was the then.

I was the when.

I was the where.

I was the who.

I was the what.

I was the why.

I was the how.

I was the who.

I was the me.

I was the you.

I was the he.

I was the she.

I was the it.

I was the they.

I was the we.

I was the us.

I was the our.

I was the ours.

I was the self.

I was the other.

I was the same.

I was the different.

I was the near.

I was the far.

I was the close.

I was the distant.

I was the blind.

I was the sight.

I was the deaf.

I was the sound.

I was the mute.

I was the voice.

I was the dead.

I was the live.

I was the gone.

I was the here.

I was the lost.

I was the found.

I was the broken.

I was the whole.

I was the torn.

I was the stitched.

I was the cut.

I was the healed.

I was the blood.

I was the bandage.

I was the pain.

I was the relief.

I was the fear.

I was the courage.

I was the doubt.

I was the faith.

I was the hope.

I was the despair.

I was the joy.

I was the grief.

I was the love.

I was the hate.

I was the kind.

I was the cruel.

I was the good.

I was the bad.

I was the true.

I was the false.

I was the real.

I was the fake.

I was the pure.

I was the dirty.

I was the clean.

I was the stain.

I was the wash.

I was the dirt.

I was the water.

I was the fire.

I was the ash.

I was the smoke.

I was the air.

I was the breath.

I was the life.

I was the death.

I was the end.

I was the start.

I was the middle.

I was the point.

I was the center.

I was the core.

I was the truth.

I was the lie.

I was the life.

I was the death.

I was the breath.

I was the stop.

I was the beat.

I was the rest.

I was the song.

I was the noise.

I was the music.

I was the silence.

I was the sound.

I was the voice.

I was the word.

I was the letter.

I was the mark.

I was the scar.

I was the wound.

I was the blood.

I was the bone.

I was the flesh.

I was the skin.

I was the hair.

I was the eye.

I was the ear.

I was the nose.

I was the mouth.

I was the tongue.

I was the tooth.

I was the jaw.

I was the cheek.

I was the chin.

I was the neck.

I was the shoulder.

I was the arm.

I was the elbow.

I was the wrist.

I was the hand.

I was the finger.

I was the nail.

I was the palm.

I was the back.

I was the spine.

I was the rib.

I was the chest.

I was the belly.

I was the hip.

I was the leg.

I was the knee.

I was the ankle.

I was the foot.

I was the toe.

I was the sole.

I was the heel.

I was the arch.

I was the bone.

I was the joint.

I was the muscle.

I was the tendon.

I was the ligament.

I was the nerve.

I was the vein.

I was the artery.

I was the blood.

I was the cell.

I was the atom.

I was the electron.

I was the proton.

I was the neutron.

I was the quark.

I was the string.

I was the loop.

I was the field.

I was the space.

I was the time.

I was the energy.

I was the matter.

I was the force.

I was the law.

I was the rule.

I was the order.

I was the chaos.

I was the system.

I was the universe.

I was the cosmos.

I was the infinity.

I was the zero.

I was the one.

I was the all.

I was the none.

I was the here.

I was the there.

I was the now.

I was the then.

I was the when.

I was the where.

I was the who.

I was the what.

I was the why.

I was the how.

I was the who.

I was the me.

I was the you.

I was the he.

I was the she.

I was the it.

I was the they.

I was the we.

I was the us.

I was the our.

I was the ours.

I was the self.

I was the other.

I was the same.

I was the different.

I was the near.

I was the far.

I was the close.

I was the distant.

I was the blind.

I was the sight.

I was the deaf.

I was the sound.

I was the mute.

I was the voice.

I was the dead.

I was the live.

I was the gone.

I was the here.

I was the lost.

I was the found.

I was the broken.

I was the whole.

I was the torn.

I was the stitched.

I was the cut.

I was the healed.

I was the blood.

I was the bandage.

I was the pain.

I was the relief.

I was the fear.

I was the courage.

I was the doubt.

I was the faith.

I was the hope.

I was the despair.

I was the joy.

I was the grief.

I was the love.

I was the hate.

I was the kind.

I was the cruel.

I was the good.

I was the bad.

I was the true.

I was the false.

I was the real.

I was the fake.

I was the pure.

I was the dirty.

I was the clean.

I was the stain.

I was the wash.

I was the dirt.

I was the water.

I was the fire.

I was the ash.

I was the smoke.

I was the air.

I was the breath.

I was the life.

I was the death.

I was the end.