I Am All Of Me

For as long as I can remember, I have always known who I am; it wasn’t until recently that I learned what I am. Since my earlier years as a child, I had always dreamt that the fairy tales my mother spoke of were real. I had hoped that I, too, was living in a surreal world surrounded by the mythological creatures of my fantasies. I gave up that dream when I turned thirteen, when my father ordered me to leave childish thoughts behind, in order to better prepare for becoming a man. Ironic was the fact that I was indeed not a man, as I would later discover on my eighteenth birthday. Reminiscing that dreadful day, I woke up, ready for whatever the day could possibly throw at me… well, almost anything. What awaited me on my dining room table was something that I could never have prepared for—a letter that would forever change the way I thought of myself, and more so, the way I viewed the world around me. I had received letters before, but this one was different… By the looks of it, I could tell it was old; how old, I will never know… but I did know that the letter was important, enticing me to uncover the secrets it held, hidden beneath its eerie exterior. What I had discovered was a note in my mother’s handwriting. A note that would forever change the course of my life:

Son, if you are reading this letter, then it is your eighteenth birthday, and I am no longer with you. I regret not being able to tell you this face-to-face, but I hope you’ll learn to forgive me…There are so many things that I wish I could tell you, but time is of the essence, so I will try to help you understand to the best of my abilities. I can still remember reading you fairytales when you were very young. Do you remember the tale of the war between angels and demons, constantly fighting with one another for supremacy? I’m sure you do; I recall it being one of your favorites, as you had me reading it to you almost every night before going to bed. I remember you telling me how much you believed