Trust Not Your Eyes

…But rather your heart…

By Gedatsu-Kitteh

"In a Wonderland they lie,

Dreaming as the days go by,

Dreaming as the summers die."

-Alice Through the Looking Glass, Lewis Carroll.

All the years I've been alive I've been taught nothing in this life lasts forever; that holding onto such material things were pathetic- a sign of emotional weakness- a defect. But you're all defective here, especially you. I suppose I fit in just perfectly then.

Because though without a doubt everything is mortal here, you humans still believe you've found immortality here- and now after all that's happened I'm starting to think you've all been right. Though all must one day cease to exist, no matter how faint or how invisible- we've left our marks.

You all say that we live on through memories; but not I and not you. You and I are the only ones who hold our memories, and the day we're both gone our memories will cease to exist, and yet… somehow I'm trapped in this feeling that… eternity lies farther than simple memories; that even when memories are forgotten the grudge and the hatred that ran so deep through our veins will remain.

Or they would have; if you didn't go so soon.

I watched as you grew up; saw you transform into the thing you swore you'd never become. I know not of human psychological growth, but from what I can see it must be one of the most painful things to ever exist; perhaps not for you… but for me.

You abandoned your hatred, your life, your pride, your enemy- ME!

You've abandoned ME, human!

Of all the traitorous… how could you…?

I thought as you grew older you became wiser; NOT the other way around… stupid, stupid, stupid.

You were only a child; and somehow your inability to accept reality- that everyone hated you for seeing the truth- was, in it's self, an odd sense of wisdom and strength. You were not ignorant as I was, you were innocent and pure; but above all else- you believed. You believed in everything, maybe just to make life more interesting, maybe to hide from what actually was real- but once I'd asked you, and you had answered:

"Zim, sometimes there are things out there- things that can only be real… if you believe in them."

At the time I thought this absurd. Reality was reality and fantasy was fantasy. I never understood till now; now that you've grown and left me.

You were a child. You were a child living in a fantasy world- and I was a part of it. I see now that these things are real- but only to those who are innocent enough to believe; who don't know better- and yet do.

Maybe if I'd asked you the question when you were younger you have given me a different answer. Maybe you would have denied their nonexistence and insisted on their truth. I should have taken it as a warning sign- that you were becoming more aware of the adult world; becoming less driven by your dreams.

I see now that in growing up you become blind to one thing and discover another. You lose faith in the truth of "fantasy" and stress more importance on "the real world".

"Let's stop playing this game, Zim. We can't be kids forever."

I thought you'd fight it more; the way you fought me; them. The way you had so easily just come to accept… it frightened me.

I've been dead to everyone else- now dead to you, and now you're dead to me.

I see now… that in order for some things to be real one must believe.

…you don't believe…

A/N: I hate growing up. I wanna stay a kid forever.