Or do we just assume they're good people?
Are we all not a mix of kind words and harsh opinions?
Of good acts and wicked intent?
Of sweet love and lecherous thoughts?
And how wide is this invisible line between good and evil?
How thin is that veil between the dark and the light?
The Argument
Nightmare # 71:
I lifted my head and found myself in a Roman Catholic church. My one hand was leaning on a pew made from red oak and an open missalette was in the other. The Gospel reading came to a close and a loud bustle of commotion ensued as the whole congregation took to their seats. The priest stepped off the altar, genuflected and took a seat in the front row. From the vestibule entered a thirty-something man with thick, blond hair and Clark Kent glasses. He walked with a limp to the podium.
Clearing his throat, he introduced himself as Dr. Jekyll. I scanned the immediate area wondering why I was the only one a bit startled by his name. Those around me sat in an attentive manner - never flinching - their eyes fixed on our speaker. This so-called Dr. Jekyll raised his right hand into a fist, as if he were summoning an army behind him. He brought the fist to his upper torso and pounded his chest with such force and so many times, I thought he might knock himself out. Instead, he stopped his penance abruptly and moved both arms out to his sides. When he addressed the congregation, he spoke in a boisterous voice and in true form of evangelists everywhere.
"It is no longer enough to just be aware of evil in this world. You must acknowledge it, embrace it, and confront it. You must look evil square in the eyes, not with fear or even pity, but with a confidence so extraordinarily strong that it cowers from you, turns away, and runs with its pointed tail between its legs."
He paused, allowing us time to take in his words.
Then he asked, "Are you aware of the evil in your life? Of the evil in you?" His voice raised another octave. "It is important to remember that evil takes on many forms, but so, too, does goodness. And in the words of Ellen: Be kind to one another."
A malicious cackle filled the church.
My attention wavered from the good doctor to the source of the chuckle. It came from a menacing-looking creature that had entered from the back door of the church. The creature slithered through a few of the pews, like a criminal scoping a mark. It made its way up the aisle, resting in front of the now open-mouthed congregation.
A trail of white slime followed its path and congealed in its wake.
A baby bawled in the background.
The creature was both handsome and hideous. It stared at me with dead eyes. I stared back, angry with myself for being unable to break its trance. Its complimenting features included a tall, slender build that held onto a very crisp suit, complete with tie and cuff links. Muscle mass bulged in all the appropriate areas and in perfect proportion. From what I could sense, he emitted a scent like cherries.
And in the next moment he changed.
Just like a hologram, he shifted into a leathery, wart-like creature with a thick, reptilian tail that jutted out the bottom of his suit jacket. His skin took on a melted feature and he winked at me. I made no movement, but continued to stare like an onlooker of a horrific car accident.
"Mr. Hyde," the evangelist at the podium growled. "You are not welcome here."
"My dearest Jekyll," Mr. Hyde replied, his hologram facade swaying back and forth from divine to deformed. "If I may be so bold as to remind you that without me you couldn't exist. You would be undervalued and ignored. You would be as boring and as bland as food without salt; as a sauce without spice; as a cookie without sugar." Hyde chuckled louder this time, his cackle bouncing off of the walls and all around those assembled.
"You need me. You need me even if it's nothing more than a reminder to know that you are true at heart. And as hard as it is to admit, I am inclined to say that neither of us could exist without the other. Don't you see? We are cast from the same shadow. We are forged from the same signature. We are forever intertwined, you and I."
And the organ rang out.
And the baby cried again.
And I made a sign of the cross.
Written by: Deevious
Just what are we capable of?
I would like to think that we, as humans, are born basically good. That evil is an after thought.
Perhaps each of us is a little bit of good and evil;
a little bit of both the light and the darkness;
a bit of sweet and sour;
a little bit of Jekyll and Hyde.
Your thoughts?
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