The One With The Frozen Heart

The One With The Frozen Heart
By Ashraf Hamed
Sequel to ‘The Chained Door’ and ‘Stuck’

“I opened up the door, and let in the light”
I walked in, the snakes hissed
The sound of continues water dripping echoed through the cave
I walked in slowly
Feeling all the snakes slither around my legs.
Sadly, I was wearing shorts
I made my way closer to the middle
As I made my way, I turn around looking at the clown
He has a smile on, waving at me.  Just waving…
As I walk down a dark path into hells kitchen

I make my way to the middle
I take in a deep breath, and say “How are you”?
The chains begin moving, but they are fully restrained on this mans arms
I take in a deep breath again and say “Do you need help”?
I slowly see a smirk, which turns into a smile.  
He puts his head up, to reveal, he is…me

I back away, but the snakes made a wall of themselves so I couldn’t escape
He looked deep in my eyes and said “So you figured it out…well?  Did you?!!”
I begin to cry.
He begins to laugh as he watches me on the cold floor he stops
He says “Ash, don’t cry.  Be a man!  Be a man! BE A MAN!  YOUR NOT A BOY!  GROW UP!”
I stand up and wipe the tears away.  I say “I may grow older someday, but I will always have a piece of me that is a kid”

The snake me is stunned in what I said.  
He smiles and said “Good job, you figure it out”
I stop for a second, and think…was this all part of his plan?  Him…The Clown?!

I turn around to find the clown walking toward me.  
I yell at him “You planned this didn’t you!
Taking me away from the sinful city
Being me friend
Making me feel special
Making me think I want to come here.
It was all you!”

He just smiled and said “Yes Ash, it’s true.
I didn’t trick you, I simply pushed you on the right path.
But the path of many twists and turns
I made you realize that there is good and evil among us
And it is you, me, the older Ash, and everyone you know
My name, Ash is Keen.  I was a human of good and evil
But now I am your guardian angel.  I protected you and your mother
Now I guiding you on the right path.
Good and evil
Light and dark
We all have it.  Not simply because I said so, you found it.
You found your light and dark
You found the one with the frozen heart
His heart may be frozen, but together you and him will become human again
You will be whole.  And I will always watch over you
I am proud to be with you, always.”

The clown walks toward me, and hugs me.  The evil me see’s this and tear falls
Then suddenly the snakes turn to butterflies, and the chains shatter
I catch the fallen body of myself, and Keen helps me drag him out.  
The cave suddenly collapsed.
I look at Keen, and he says “Yes, you did it.”

Then suddenly I am back in the city.
I see my self, with the sword stuck in my chest.
Keen says “Take both selves, light and darkness and become one
And maybe, and maybe.  The pain will go away.  It will always be there, but hopefully
It won’t let you be stuck in a rock anymore.  But if you are.  I will be there to show you the way.”
I smile, and Keen walks away.  I tell him to wait.
I touch my body that is stuck in the stone.

Suddenly the kid in me becomes light, and the snake me becomes darkness
We fuse together with my shell of a body.  And I awake
I feel the pain, but I look at Keen and smile.  
The sword begins to shrink, and shrink to a size of a key chain
I look at the hole it made, and I cover it with my shirt

I get up and grab the clowns hand.  We walk together down the sunset road
I say “Thank you, for all you have done.  I am proud of myself.  I realized that all of us have holes in us from pain of the past, present, and maybe future.  But we can’t let it control us, and certainly let us be stuck.  I realized that light and dark exist in all of us.  I am glad you came to help me, and you’ll always be there.”
He smiles, and says “ I will watch over you and Alex, and your mom too.  She needs a clown to help her pull out her sword.  I am a part of you Ash.  I’ll be waiting for you in your dreams, so we can talk, and play.  If that is alright?”
I smile “I wouldn’t have it any other way”
I awake in my bed.  The sun is shining in my face.  
My cat is curled around my head.
I feel happy.
I still feel the pain
But I also feel warmth.
Thank you Keen
Thank you for showing me the way home.