The Mind Flayer

David wondered if the plants were real and if his pondering on the validity of their existence, defeated the purpose of including them at all. The Mind Flayer interrupted his rumination as if she heard his inquiry telepathically and asked in a monochrome calm, "Perhaps this would be a good time to get to the... Er... proverbial, heart of the problem... David." Her tone, unfortunately while calm, had been slowly succumbing to the irony of pairing artificial lighting with outdoor plants since the moment David walked in. He just couldn't help but correlate the plants to himself, a plant in need of sunshine, bathing in a world of fluorescent lighting. A world without love. "So..." She continued. "Tell me about Gaia." The dreary sepia that covered davids soul burst into an eruption of vivid sangria green and for the first time since David stepped into the office, he lived. Noticing that she now had his full attention, the Mind Flayer continued. "You... described her as... Let's see here... Ah, a 'breath of fresh air' in our conversation over the phone." David chuckled, and by reflex looked up at something that couldn't have possibly been present in an empty room. "She wasn't a breath of fresh air. She was the act of drowning. An overcoming sensation of when too much of a good thing becomes deadly. The inclination of gasping for warmth, while accepting the unknown. She was... my world. Or perhaps she was the vastness beyond reach that I hoped to explore. The world I chose to live in." As he spoke David noticed the Mind Flayer's eyes were fixed on the locket Gaia gave him years ago. He suddenly understood what she meant now. David lived in an artificial world. A world where emotions were prescribed, individuality was a commodity, opinions were sold and love was a series of calculated transactions. Somehow in this artificial world David had found the one and only natural occurrence. And this Mind Flayer had referred to her as a problem, which in itself... Was a problem.

In this world marketing strategist have unlocked methods of manipulating an audience's neurotransmitters so effectively, that professionals world wide have deemed it indiscernible from modern day mind control. However their abilities paled in comparison to that of a professional Mind Flayer. "The world you chose to live in?" Continued the Mind Flayer. "Yes." David replied flatly. "So you lived in her world, and that was YOUR choice?"  She continued. "Is english not your first language?" David jabbed. The Mind Flayer responded with an unfathomably blank stare that suggested that english was indeed, her first language. She then begin to write in the gold gilt black journal she had been holding. "Watcha drawing?" Asked David sarcastically. The Mind Flayer ignored him which David realized was probably for the best. It's said that every word a Mind Flayer uses distorts reality by at least one degree. As much as he would prefer to keep silent he was also aware of how observant the Mind Flayer was. As soon as he shifted from engaged to a lack of participation she started writing. Without looking up the Mind Flayer spoke. "So... Which... One of you, purchased... The... Umm.." "The locket?" David interjected. "Yes.. The, locket..." She continued. "It was Gaia." He replied. "Of course." She giggled thus proving that this was a motor function Mind Flayers were capable of. "Why is that funny?" Demanded David. She answered, "Because it is irony, irony is funny due to it being related to a prior idea that was set, while still being completely unexpected. It's almost like..." David barked, "I KNOW HOW IRONY WORKS! WHY IS IT FUNNY THAT I LOST THE LOVE OF MY LIFE!" The Mind Flayer finally looked up, "The love... Of... Your, life? As in the life... That you own?" David was aghast, "Yes! The life that I own, I'm announcing ownership of my life! Sorry if that doesn't align with your.." "Let's choose our words carefully from this point on. Shall we?" Interrupted the Mind Flayer with an almost contagious level of indifference. With a jolt David became acutely aware of his predicament and decided to take her advice without forgetting that she is, without a doubt, an actual Mind Flayer.

The Mind Flayer sighed as it continued, "So... Does... Gaia? Have a similar locket?" David's voice cracked, "I'm sUre she does, eh ehm." The Mind Flayer barked "I'M SORRY?" David's voice cracked again, "I sAiD I'm sUre she does!" "So after three years, THREE years, you believe that Gaia is, umm... Adorning, a similar locket?" Pressed the Mind Flayer. For some inexplicable reason this line of questioning struck a nerve with David and he realized that the Mind Flayer knew this. He was so paralyzed by this particular question that he felt as if he had inadvertently turned to stone. "Is it correct... For... Me, to assume, that... Gaia's face can be found in that heart shaped locket of yours? The one that you said she gave you? And with that being said... Would you admit that the locket that... Gaia, is... Adorning has your image within it? Would you also state that she... Gave... Herself a heart shaped locket, with your image, within it?" David was exhausted, and for the life of him could not seem to form a response. He frantically looked for a clock in the room.  Any indication of passing time that could allow him the hope that this will be over. His body begged him to look behind him to ensure the door he entered from was still present. He ached to search for an exit. "She doesn't have a similar locket, does she? Because that wouldn't make sense, would it? You said that she was the world you chose to live in, yet you never stated... A, single instance... Where you've made a choice. You said that she was the... Love... Of YOUR life, right after stating that you lived... In HER world, you said..." David's anxiety got the better of him, "You know using my own words against me as an argument only shows that you, yourself have not come up with a reasonable argument!" The Mind Flayer sifted through the pages of her white journal while preparing to respond. "So... Do you agree that these are your words?" David snapped, "I don't agree on how they're being used." The Mind Flayer sighed, "Do you agree that the sky is blue?" David snapped again, "That depends on what time it is, say, what time is it?" "If you can't even agree with something as trivial as the sky being blue... then how will we ever come, to an... understanding?" Begged the Mind Flayer. "What is it that I so desperately need to understand?" Asked David. She continued, "Well... That's, simple. You need... To understand... What you are wearing. You claimed that you are wearing a silver locket..." "No. That's what you stated." Interrupted David. "I'm sorry?" Begged the Mind Flayer. "You stated, that I was wearing a silver locket after claiming my love for Gaia was a problem." David proudly confirmed. David felt some reassurance with as he felt it was a moment where he reminded the Mind Flayer that he was completely aware of all of his reality. "David..." Continued the Mind Flayer. "I never said that... You did... That's... That's why your here David... You don't have a grasp on... The reality... Of the situation..." She finished. David laughed in disgust, "Haha you would love for me to believe that wouldn't you!" She calmly continued, "Speaking of love, David... Would this person that you claimed loved you... Would they have you wear a glorified dog collar, and convince you it was a locket? Do you see how... Love... Can be dangerous David? Especially when you convince yourself that you feel it, when in reality..." "Your telling me how i feel now?" David screeched through grinding teeth. He had become so enraged by this accusation that it took every fiber in his being just to remain seated. "No David... Gaia is telling you how you feel, she is so obviously telling you that you love her... I'm just vocally pondering on whether or not love is real... and if our pondering on the validity of it's existence... defeats the purpose of including it at all.

'I understand.' Said david reluctantly. David knew that he could never outrun a Mind Flayer and decided that perhaps hearing her out would not be that bad of an option. He realized that the Mind Flayer's objective was to take sufferers of mental dysmorphia and help them become functioning members of society. In the modern day the economy was at a relative all time low, it was nearly impossible for youth to secure even the most basic of employment without at least a PhD level of education. Simultaneously the cost of education had been increasing at ridiculous rates for the last hundred years. Most occupations could be completed by drones and droids and those who were not deemed efficient were disregarded by society. The price of living outweighed the average workers salary ten to one. Certain emotions were weeded out by the government for the benefit of the child, however David was a rare instance of a child evading this process. Perhaps he had trouble expressing his emotions at an early age which allowed him to stay under the radar, or perhaps he was just fully aware of the world he lived in. Either way the jest had finally come to an end. When david was young he heard stories of the governments Mind Flayers. How they weren't truly human entities but had such a grasp on manipulation that they could even control a persons perception. A blind man once told David that he who controls a man's perception controls his reality. That always scared him. The idea of someone having that much control over him. David prided himself on his independence and he realized all at once that when it came to Gaia, he was codependent. The rebellious friends of his youth used to warn him, that the longer a mind flayer talks the less you see. And that if they speak long enough you'll never realize that you stopped hearing them from your ears and started hearing them in your head. This terrified him when he was a child but now he realized that the Mind Flayer, was just a glorified therapist.

At the end of the meeting David got up, thanked the therapist for her time and finally turned around. He finally had full view of the exit however it looked blurry as if submerged in water. He reached up to rub the sweat from his forehead just to realize it was dry and this precipitation was coming from his eyes. He hadn't even realized he had been crying for the first time in decades.  David walked down the street which had looked completely uninhabited. He could've swore it was busy when he walked in but at the moment there wasn't a soul in sight. He carried on for some time until it started to bother him. He had walked nearly two miles and he had not even seen drone surveying the area yet. All at once a deep surge of loneliness filled david. He looked up at the sky and cursed Gaia's name, cursed her for wasting his time, cursed her for fooling him. All this time she had been the true Mind Flayer making him believe that she was one of the few like him, who truly loved. Religion had been outlawed along cars some time ago but david was one of the few people left to have grown up with an idea of god. His understanding of religion wasn't too in depth but he understood that during certain emergencies people would ask god for help. As David's very began coursing with loneliness, confusion and unbridled rage, he looked towards the overcast sky at what could possible be his one last answer. He screamed st the sky like a feral wolf, his rage so visceral, it tore the veil between vision and pain. He filled the sky with the wild reds and cold blues of anger he demanded love, and in return... He got rain.

David returned home to a shared apartment which for some strange reason had been completely empty. He sat on his mattress soaking wet from the storm he had just walked through, and thought about his day. He reflected on just how trapped he felt by his emotions and wondered if it was even worth having them at all. He knew their were prescriptions readily available to immediately annihilate any feelings of love or heartbreak he is suffering from. This to him did not seem like a bad idea. However, he had a precatory longing to feel the full spectrum of his emotions. To David, the heartbreak is what gave the love its value. Although, he hated the idea of being controlled by his emotions, and he lived in a world where emotions were deemed so dangerous, that the government had created counter steps to eliminate them. He realized that emotions were such a terrifying aspect of life that even Mind Flayers were wary of them. The entity that he was once so afraid of but bravely faced head on, was terrified of being controlled in a prison of emotions. Terrified of it's body being a cage and its mind a shackle. As david thought this he realized he was grasping the heart shaped locket this entire time. He felt the shape of the heart in his hands, and shifted the peeling gold paint. He felt comfort knowing without a doubt that love existed. He then felt the chain that connected to the pendant and for the first time in years realized that this was in fact a chain. A chain connecting him to a heart that didn't belong to him. He questioned his reality and wondered if the chain was real and if his pondering on the validity of it's existence, defeated the purpose of including it at all."

Said the Mind Flayer.