The Mask Maker of Forgotten Emotions

In a silent workshop lit by candlelight, a mask maker shaped faces from porcelain—joyful, sorrowful, furious, calm. People visited her not to hide their emotions but to reveal the ones they had lost. A stoic man who had not cried in decades wore a mask of grief and finally wept. A woman hardened by misfortune wore a mask of laughter and rediscovered her smile. But the most unusual visitor was a young boy who asked for a mask with no expression at all. The mask maker hesitated but crafted it nonetheless. When the boy put it on, he saw in the mirror a face that fit him perfectly—because he had never been allowed to express anything. She created for him a new mask each week, each revealing a different feeling. Over time, the boy’s true face learned to shift on its own, no mask required.