The Unwritten

A story that is so horrible it can never be told. That is what I have in my head. It is an evil prophecy of doom with a sinister life of its own. And telling it would only lead to disaster. This festering story that I hold in my mind is my burden, and my burden alone to keep. The only thing that could ever come of revealing it would be a deep horror and resentment that could never be forgotten.

It all began in one shockingly ghastly dream I had as a child. Many of my stories are inspired by dreams. Ask any author, and you'll discover that many of them are inspired by their dreams. Dreams can be a very powerful inspiration for artists of all kinds. But it's the nightmares that are the most interesting. The most inspirational are the worst kind of nightmares, the ones that seem so real while they are happening, and you remember so vividly even after you awake. But this one went even beyond that.

I still remember it all as if it had all happened only the night before. I knew upon waking that this was not just some ordinary nightmare. I knew this dream was to become reality. What a horrible thing for a ten year old boy to know. It was a prophecy of death and destruction the likes of which no human being had ever seen! This dream dealt a very horrible and specific tragedy in particular for one person that I know very well.

Do I tell this person what I saw? Can I give a warning that will prevent these events from coming to pass? The appalling answer to that is a clear and definite, "No!" I know better than anything else I have ever before known that telling this person will only lead to their destruction ever more swiftly! The only thing that will keep this person safe for as long as possible is for me to keep silent and to maintain my secret affliction. And how could I be so monstrous as to try to transfer this burden on to another?

And what of the world? Do I try to warn the rest of the world of a massive cataclysm? Would anybody listen, or would they think of it as the rantings of a madman? I think I know the answer to that. And how would I give that warning without giving away the part about that person who is so close to me? It would all be for nothing except more pain for me, ridicule from outside, and more pain and resentment from a person that I know.

The only thing left to do is to keep my mouth shut, and to never give away any more than I have already told. This torturous burden is only for me to have to bear, and I know I can never share it. It is the weight of the world, and the fate of a friend. But I'm tired. How can I keep it to myself any longer? If you had such a horrible burden, what would you do?