A Puppet Show

I woke up this morning with a strange feeling. I didn’t know what it was or how I felt. It was just different, unlike anything I had every felt before. The moment I got down from my bed, I felt a jerk. I felt my body was being pulled behind, a sharp pain at the back of my neck – as if somebody was pushing a needle through it. My elbows were stiff and my back was rigid. My shoulders were pulled back and my knees hurt. I touched myself but found nothing. My face hurt. I felt suffocated as if I was being wrapped with plastic. There was nothing pulling or being pushed into my body, but somehow I could feel the burden. It was heavy – heavier than anything I had ever carried.

There was nothing and yet I could feel the pain.

I looked into the mirror – just stood and stared into it. My eyes refused to believe what they saw. Was this even possible? I understood the reason for the pain. The sharp pains at the joints were needles and the reason for the stiffness were the strings attached to my body.

I had turned into a puppet. Or was I always one?

How could that be possible? I always got what I needed. I did what I liked to do. I ate what I felt like eating.

I looked closely into the mirror. I noticed the string attached to my right shoulder was broken.

NO. I got what was given to me. I did what I was told to do and I ate what was served on my plate. It was true. I was always a puppet. I continued to stare into the mirror. My cheeks were wet, I could feel the tears rolling down – I just couldn’t see them. My heart cried like a baby and yet I could see myself faintly smiling.

I guess it didn’t matter if one string let go of itself. I have to wait for all of them to break and let go of me. Till then I will be trapped in the body of this puppet.

It’s just a matter of time.

For all those waiting to break free.