The mask of Phantes
In a distant land lives a peaceful man called Phantes. His house is nice and cosy. It was built by a gifted fellow before Phantes was around. Nobody knows for sure who that person is. Whispers echo in the night. Birds sing of a peerless hunter. Mist permanently covers a part of the forest. Not even the wind blows in that direction, as if it is trying to avoid someone. Traces still exist. A lingering presence is always felt. Wolves act strangely whenever they get close to it. The land never forgets. Ask the oak trees: they are aware of everything, though they only speak to those who are prepared to listen.
Phantes did not meet this mysterious figure. All the information he has comes from a letter he found once he woke up from his slumber. He keeps the letter in his pocket at all times. He still reads it from time to time, hoping to discover some hidden meaning.
I found you unconscious in the woods and brought you here. You have been sleeping this whole time. Three months have passed already. Somehow you are still breathing.
Where did you come from, lad? I cannot tell.
I named you Phantes: he who reveals. I hope you like it.
I am writing this message because I must serve a higher cause. The hour of my summoning draws near.
My house is yours. The garden outside will supply you with all the vegetables you need. There is more food in the forest. Use my tools to survive. I shall be watching from afar.
Whatever you do, remember that sometimes your only option is to destroy who you are.
Phantes does not remember anything about his past. He has been a gardener since his awakening. Every day he follows the same routine: tend to the plants in the morning, walk around the woods in the afternoon, and sleep early at night. Phantes has not seen another part of the world. He has not met anybody else either.
Walks are his only form of adventure. In a nearby cave, Phantes discovers intricate drawings of human figures. He compares his looks to them. His self-image comes from the mirror he has back home. The figures are forming a circle around a person whose face emits light. Phantes does not know what it feels like to be with others nor can he comprehend the event on display.
There are many such paintings. Each depicts a social activity of some kind. Among them are a few that trigger in him a sense of dread. Others bring inner peace. “IN MUTUAL RECOGNITION”, reads an inscription, “SHALL YOU SHARE SOMETHING IN EARNEST”. Below those words are six people and four dogs having a meal together. Phantes does not understand the full extent of those words. His has been a solitary existence.
“Where can I find others?” he asks in desperation. The entire forest stops moving all of a sudden. All eyes are set on Phantes. “Why can I not be seen by some other person?” he wonders as he bursts into tears.
The night is upon him. Phantes is still crying. “Please, help me!” he begs on his knees while facing down. A voice from the sky breaks the silence.
Easy now, young one. Everybody wants to be seen. You are no different. Even when others are not around, I am still there for you. I see your every move and feel your every emotion.
Phantes hears speech for the first time. He is confused. No-one is there. “Show yourself!” he demands.
You have no power to issue orders, boy. Now listen carefully to what I will tell you. Appreciate all you have. It is not yours to keep. What you wish for may not be the blessing you imagine. Go now. Get some rest. Continue what you have been doing. Everything is going to be alright.
Phantes is not satisfied. “Wait, I have so many questions!”… The voice is not responding. Phantes is left to his usual solitude. Though something has changed inside of him. He no longer desires to go home and relive the same moments. A newly felt sense of indignation is moving him now.
He remembers an underground passage behind the waterfall. It leads to an ancient tomb. At the entrance are three phrases, engraved in red, forming an arc from left to right. “ALL NOTICE THE MASK”, informs the one, “IT IS WHAT THEY LOVE” states the other, “NONE ESCAPES” writes the third.
Phantes is hopeful that this mask can help him find the others. Whatever ominous warnings must be exaggerations. His thinking is that he can use the mask to lure people into noticing him. Then he can take it off and seek to become friends with them.
As he walks into the tomb, he sees the mask hovering over a skeleton. It glows in a bright green light. Phantes cannot contain his excitement. He cannot get his eyes off the mask. “It is so beautiful!” he exclaims. He knows this is his chance to change his life forever.
The mask laughs for a few seconds. It then starts moving erratically around the room, only to stop in front of his nose. It then quickly attaches to his face. Phantes shouts at the top of his lungs. He experiences an overwhelming force coursing through his body that knocks him off balance. He gets up and ventures back to the surface.
Upon exiting he runs into people for the first time. A jubilant crowd cheers at him from a few steps away. He cannot discern any faces just yet. This is too much for Phantes. Amid the noise he catches phrases of admiration. All are about his radiant beauty.
“I will have so many friends now”, he thinks to himself, “they love me already”. Something is amiss. He notices that no-one is getting close to him. The crowd keeps a safe distance. “Hey, why do you not come here?” he asks as he waves his hands at them. A voice is heard from the back “oh, no, your looks are so captivating that I will lose my control”.
Phantes makes a step in their direction. Panic grips them. They scatter as fast as they can. He does not give chase. They will probably keep fleeing, after all. He wonders whether people are always acting strange like this.
A few minutes later, another large group shows up. They too are elated to encounter Phantes. “What a heavenly face!” says someone as others celebrate what they are witnessing. “Blessed are we, to meet such a beauty!” remarks another person, with others making affirmative sounds. Phantes tries to establish contact with those people. They also run away in fear as soon as he approaches them.
Everywhere he now goes, there are folks waiting for him, eager to comment on his appearance. He finds it strange how he had not met a single person before and suddenly there are hundreds of them at every turn. Phantes is concerned that he is doing something wrong. He does not understand why would such enthusiastic admirers not try to befriend him.
He reaches his house. Another gathering of fans is already there. They have been tearing the building apart. “Hey, what is wrong with you?” he asks in shock. “We want a piece of your belongings, beautiful, to bring us good fortune” says one of the pillagers. Phantes is too late to prevent the damage. The house has been reduced to an outline on the ground. The walls are gone, as is all of the furniture. Each individual took something and fled to safety.
Phantes needs a place to rest, but everywhere he goes there are exuberant people observing his every motion, while constantly making disturbing noises. He tries to remove the mask, in the hope of not attracting any more attention. The mask will not move, however. It is firmly planted on his face. It has a will of its own and he has no power over it. After struggling for a while, he surrenders to his new fate.
“They do not care about me”, he realises, “all they want is to be close to what I project through this mask”. Phantes understands how he is not treated as a person anymore. “I have been reduced to a singular dimension, to looks alone, as if I have no interests or wants, no sensitivities or passions”.
The mask is an ancient artefact. It picks those who desire more attention than necessary. Some of them are innocent and naive. Others have nefarious goals. It does not matter though. Whoever wears the mask becomes the centre of all social activity at the expense of their original individuality.
The mask needs time to take over completely. In the meantime, Phantes can still make decisions. He understands that he got more than what he needed. The burden is too heavy and will only get heavier. He thinks back to all the warnings and peculiar hints he had discerned.
He then remembers the final words of the letter he found when he woke up for the first time in this distant land. There may still be something for him, after all. The curse can be lifted. Such is his renewed faith. It is all he has left. Without fear in his heart, he runs to the closest clearing and jumps off a cliff, never to be seen again.
The crowds disperse. The natural rhythms are restored. Phantes wanted to be seen. What he did not anticipate is that very few souls only ever take their attention off the mask that once captured their imagination.
I helped him learn. For certain topics, there is no other way to teach people. They have to live in the world they wish for. Only then may they realise that they are not in control.