Epilogue

Tina stood on the beach alone, watching the sunset. Though the wind was bitter and cold, she no longer felt the need to hug her elbows. It was something that she used to do in Dorian's presence.

A smile crept into her face as she recalled Mayor Tilton calling her a 'brave' and 'exceptional' young woman. Strangely enough, he seemed to have glossed over the fact that her face had been as green as he was fat or, if he had noticed at all, he made no mention of it.

"Tina!" Stanley cried, interrupting her reverie. He ran across the sand to join her, bottled drinks in hand, and she was reminded of how fond she was of this dorky man as he waved the straws in the air. She waved back.

"Sorry it took so long, there was a line and – "

"It's alright Stan, I'm not that thirsty," she said.

They stood beside each other and sipped their drinks, thinking back on the events of the previous day. Then Stanley broke the silence.

"Tina, I was thinking…I was thinking…."

"Mmm hmm. What about? Go on," she urged him.

"…About Dorian Tyrel. I was thinking about him."

"Dorian?" She looked at him with a quizzical tilt of her head.

"Yeah, I was thinking…that I really don't understand him at all. He lost and I'm sure he knows it too, so why? Why did he persist in the error of his ways right up to the end? Can people be that incorrigible?" He asked with a note of dejection in his voice. Tina knew that the question wasn't about Stanley's sympathizing with Dorian though it was a little bit of that. Rather, it was a broader question, one directed specifically at the workings of human nature itself.

"Oh Stan," she touched his face gently. "I think…that the main reason that Dorian had behaved the way he did at the end…was because he couldn't allow himself to accept the fact that his…his plaything had turned against him," she said, resentful at the word that she had chosen to describe herself. "I know Dorian. He's a proud man who never lost before. To him, it was bad enough if someone that he'd considered an inferior had talked back…but to be defeated and publiclyhumiliated by such a person? And a woman no less? I don't think that his pride could have handled it."

"…I see…" Stanley said, not knowing what else to say.

"No, you don't. Not fully. You asked if people could be that incorrigible and my answer is this: it was all the life that he ever knew. It's more than simply good or bad Stan, so how can there be room for the notion of being incorrigible?"

"I…I'm afraid I don't quite understand."

"Look at it this way. You're asking Dorian to give up what he's been doing his whole life and repent at the drop of a hat. That's as good as asking him to admit that he's been living a lie and to renounce everything in, what, five minutes? Don't you think that's too much to ask of any human being?" She stopped to adjust a pin then continued. "Besides, giving up just isn't his style, and that's one of his qualities that attracted me. It's his greatest strength, as well as his biggest flaw. He just didn't know when to quit. But I'm different. I'm a survivor. All my life I've had to bend to circumstances, not him, so if I were in his position…the outcome might have been different." She looked down at the sand and made circles with her heels.

"Wow, Tina. Color me impressed. I didn't think that you're the type that would think so deeply over such topics," Stanley said, trying to bring back some of the good cheer.

"There's more to me than just a pretty face, Stan. But I suppose you'll have the rest of your life to find out," she teased, flashing him a surprisingly Mask-like grin. It was beautiful.

"This," she gestured at herself, "is only the tip of the iceberg. Stanley Ipkiss, given another hundred lifetimes, you'll never scratch the surface of the Tina Carlyle mystery, much less women in general!"

Stanley laughed.

"Can I take that to mean that you've given me permission to understand women of lesser difficulty?" he returned slyly.

"You dare!" She thrust her hands onto her hips, feigning indignation.

"Hey, be fair to me now. If you want to understand a difficult subject, don't you think that it's natural to start simple then work your way up? Besides, can't you see that it's a noble undertaking?" Stanley posed melodramatically, placing the back of his hand on his forehead. "After all…it's for my eventual goal of understanding womankind as a whole!"

She huffed at his argument and tackled him to the ground, laughing. Then they lay there for a while on the beach and enjoyed the sunset. As the quiet grew between them once more, Stanley spoke.

"Tina…Can I ask you a question?"

"What, another?" She rolled her eyes. "Oh all right, I'm feeling generous today. Ask away."

"It's about The Mask," he paused, thinking about how to frame his next question. "Did you…enjoy wearing it?"

"What a thing to ask, Stan. You know I only donned it out of necessity," she said, trying to evade the subject.

"Oh come on Tina, that can't be the whole of it. What was it like? I'm curious about how you felt, what you thought of the experience. Other than Dorian, you're the only other person that I know of so far who's worn that thing. And I can't possibly ask him now, can I?"

"That's not fair, you never – "

"I will." He pre-empted her. "I'll tell you all about my experiences. Right after you. Ladies first."

She wanted to reject him, but the look that he gave her was so earnest and full of expectation that she just couldn't say no.

"All right," she sighed in resignation. "Now where do I begin?"

"Why honey, wherever you want, of course."

"That was rhetorical," she informed him, miffed. "Look, if you're going to interrupt – "

"I won't. I'm sorry, please, go on."

She paused and closed her eyes, deep in thought. When she opened them again, she spoke.

"I'd wanted to avoid talking about Dorian if I could, but it looks like there's no helping it. My experiences with The Mask must be understood in relation to him since," she couldn't resist smiling at this point, "he's the one receiving the greatest share of my… affections while I was wearing it. It's no wonder he wants it all to himself. All that boundless energy flowing through you, all that confidence knowing that nothing is too much or too little to accomplish as long as you're The Mask. You know it as well as I do, Stanley. I wouldn't trade that moment for anything else in the world."

"Yeah, I know. It's a trip like no other, isn't it? When I think about how I can just shed my self away and not be me, to not be boring ol' Stanley Ipkiss but something greater, someone larger than life…" His face took on a pained expression as he said this and he started pinching himself discreetly. It did not go unnoticed by Tina.

"…It scares you doesn't it?"

"Yes. That's exactly it. I have to fight the urge so badly everyday. I mean, having the power to transcend being human just lying there in your briefcase all the time would scare anybody don't you think?"

"No. Not really. It's only because you're a good guy Stan. It wouldn't put a man like Dorian off. Actually, it wouldn't put most people off. You're an exception. All that power at my fingertips…and what did I do? I paid Dorian back in his own coin simply by being him. Got a taste of what it's like to really dominate as I beat him within an inch of his life and…and I liked it," she shuddered despite the absence of a sea breeze. "That's what a regular day in the life of Dorian Tyrel must feel like, and the pleasure that I took in it horrified me. I'm grateful for listening to my heart though, because I think it's what kept me from taking it as far as Dorian did. Once you've gained an appetite for godhood, I don't think that anything else would ever measure up. I wouldn't put it past Dorian to find a way to keep that Mask on forever."

"So in the end, was it worth it?"

"In short? Yes. Yes it was. I had a great time knocking him around and making him look stupid after all the crap he put me through. I'll admit that I enjoyed every bit of the ride while it lasted. I only hope that he's learnt to stay the hell away from me because I never want to see that man again in my life." Or be forced to use The Mask again to defend myself. God knows what might happen if I were to put it on a second time, and I don't want to do something that I might come to regret, she left these thoughts unspoken.

"Whoa Tina, hold on. Do you mean to say that Dorian's still…?"

"Alive? Yea. Yea, he is. I…I wanted to hurt him. Wanted to kill him even while I was wearing The Mask. But as I've said, my heart intervened. Some part of me just couldn't bring myself to do it. I think I rather pitied him, so I had to settle for smacking him silly."

She picked up her bottle and took a sip, then continued.

"You've worn that Mask Stanley, you know how uncontrollable it is. I don't know where that tunnel leads to or where Dorian will end up. That would be one mystery that only The Mask and Dorian himself would know. All I'm certain of is that he's alive and safe…and I'm equally sure that he won't be back anytime soon if you thought I let him off too lightly. I wanted to give him some time to think and to come to terms with his situation, so I thought it'd be nice to send him somewhere far away. The rest was up to the Mask's powers."

And Stanley knew precisely what she meant. He recalled the living alarm clock from when he first wore The Mask and knew that with it, you couldn't always predict the outcome. Somehow, there would always be some element of its mischief that was never of your own volition and mostly beyond your control. It's a double-edged sword that cut both ways; if you're not too careful, the joke could be on you.

"…Now can we please drop the subject?" Tina pleaded. "All this talk of Dorian is making me feel depressed."

"I'm sorry honey, I didn't mean to upset you," Stanley kissed her forehead and helped her to her feet. She hooked an arm under his and leaned against him, dangling her heels in her other hand as they began to take a stroll along the beach.

"Oh but Tina? There's just one more thing that I have to say. What you did to Dorian? That was awesome. Kinda gross, but awesome."

"What do you mean?" She asked, puzzled.

"Oh, you know," he gave the back of her head a light, if somewhat ginger, pat, "when you let one fly in his face."

"Oh. THAT." She said, mortified.

"How'd you ever hit on the idea? That's pretty sick."

"Well," she started to explain. "It'll make sense if you followed my train of thought at that time."

"…Oh?" he looked at her askance, a devilish smile playing on his lips.

"What…what's with that look? I…I was under the influence of The Mask! Okay?" She was blushing hard. "Do you want to hear this or not?"

"But I didn't even say anything!"

"Ugh. Never mind. Forget it," she groaned. "Right. So. Back on topic. See, we all know that if you have a stomachache, you can ease the pain by…passing gas," here, her face was nearly crimson from embarrassment. "At that time, I thought that Dorian was giving me a big headache. You know we don't usually mean these things literally but with The Mask, it has its own warped paths of thought that superimposes on yours. Which, I can kind of get behind since it does have the power to realize these things. I guess its interpretation then was that if a headache was anything at all like a stomachache, then if one has a headache…" she trailed off.

"…One can ease the pain in a like manner," Stanley completed her sentence. They both burst into laughter at Dorian's expense. Then, "Tina, how would you like to move in with me?" he blurted out suddenly. The question was sprung with an air of such casuality that she found herself at a loss for what to say.

"I know it's abrupt, Tina, but you know how I feel. I'm crazy about you. If you'll just give me the chance to take care of you, I promise I'll be good to you. I'll never yell at you even if we get into a fight."

"Never?"

"Never. Not even if we were to butt heads…"

He caught himself right then, flustered at the awkward choice of words. Tina raised an eyebrow.

"I don't mean. I mean, I wouldn't be mad at you for long. Even if you're…you're…" he stopped, searching for the right words. He didn't want to make a faux pas again.

"…Being a butthead?" She offered helpfully. They both laughed again. Then she slipped her fingers through his and brought his hand to her lips, kissing it.

"Yes. Yes, I would love to. Let's try living together, Stanley," she said, and he thought that he might be the happiest man alive at that moment as they embraced.

From a car window high above, a pair of empty eyeholes looked on as the silhouettes of two lovebirds faded into the vanishing light.

When twilight ends and true night begins, the haunting echo would start anew. And accompanying it would be the sound of drumbeats, pounding out a familiar rhythm to any pedestrian who cared to listen. Hear that? It's playing to the tune of your heart's desire.