Voices

• Joel Hunter, Grade 6
• Short Story
• 2014

I hear voices in my head, they talk to me, they understand. They hear my pain and sadness. They make me feel like none of my problems matter anymore, like I’m on top of the world. They bring me no anger or envy, they bring me peace. They make me feel like I could do anything, be anything. These voices in my head, they lead the way, they show me the light when everything is dark. These voices, they are my best friend; they know everything about me, even my darkest secrets. They teach me to feel no anger, no sorrow, and no pain. They teach me to forgive when I am sinned against, and to apologise, when I have sinned. They teach me to feel no regret, but to move on from my wrongs, and take with me my rights.
These voices in my head, I can’t control them, I often find myself fading away from reality, like I’m in my own world. This leads me to wonder, what if these voices in my head make me lose all sense of reality, and forget all the things I have loved. What if these voices change me? What if they lead me to do dark and terrible things that I couldn’t bear to imagine?
Maybe these voices are not just good, but dark and evil. I sometimes hear deafening screams ringing in my ears, desperate to be heard. I even find myself struggling for breath, like I’m drowning and can’t get to the surface, like I’m restrained by, by fear, terror. It feels like I am beginning to struggle to find happiness or joy, but am beginning to feel angrier, sadder and weaker. I can’t seem to find trust in myself or in anyone around me. I can’t tell anyone about these voices in my head, they’d say I’m going crazy. But these voices in my head are definitely real, and they are taking over my mind.