It’s out there, vast, formless and soulless. It chips at the walls as I sleep, trying to gain entry to my sanctuary. Why, I don’t even know. How can one comprehend the impossible? This creature can’t possibly exist; it defies logic, physics and most of all, belief. Its size is so great that it fills not only this universe, but also seeps into others. Yet it stands at the height of six feet and occasionally, when my defenses are weary, it peels off my face and wears it.

My face… The hair has brown re-growth peeking through the unconvincing black, the face bearing the unruly stubble of a week’s worth of not caring, the ears sporting three rings and two studs, haphazardly self-pierced. The nose almost proudly displays a crater-shaped chickenpox scar amid a menagerie of blackheads, and the bottom lip’s skin is striped with ripped skin. The eyes are a warm, dark brown. It’s almost comforting. Almost.

But it turns into another face. Perfect black hair, hanging straight and beautiful, down to its shoulders. The face perfectly smooth except for an even, well-trimmed goatee, of the same shade of black. The ear still has the same piercings, but they are even and not lopsided, and there are more along the tops, plus two small bars through the corners of the bottom lip. The nose is smooth and clear, the lips unscarred and full, of a beautiful red hue. The silvery grey eyes pierce straight through me, leisurely analyzing every aspect of my soul. The effect is of a dangerous animal restrained only by itself.

Beautiful or approachable, why is there a difference?

It is not only the very antithesis of me, but also everything I desire.

And, well…

Me.