The Title is the Title

I was walking down the path, which was wrongfully right.                               

The characters beside me was one of a snow-white unicorn, with a pearl pink horn, while the other unicorn was one of soot-black, its wings of black and blood-red, a pair of wings only a demon would have. Its eyes were white with gold slits for eyes.

The good unicorn, to my relief, had regular eyes—not ones that would terrify a child late at night, all alone in the dark in his or her room. Real eyes that would look at you but not through or at you. Just look at you, like someone who’s conversing with you. Someone who doesn’t want to probe into your life, but someone who’s just your friend.

I wanted to climb upon this unicorn with soft, beautiful white wings, but the unicorn on my right had convinced me I was on the right path.

No, I had realized earlier. I’m not on the right path. I’m on the wrong path—

I looked over, seeing a huge slithering snake, but it was on the side of—no, there were two. One was dirt-brown, just slithering forward. It neither looked up, left, right or behind it. Another snake, emerald in color, slithered forward on my left. I didn’t know the meaning of this. I asked the good unicorn.

“You’ll know when you’re on the right path. The path I need you to be on.”

“But I’m on the wrong path. So how can I be on the right path?”

“Come with me.”

“But I want what’s promised me. I know I’m not supposed to be here, but I want what’s promised me.”

“You’re not going to be saved if you’re on the wrong path.”

“But so many things are to be given me.”

“No. they’re not. You need to realize something else.”

“What?”

“You’re not going to get those things.”

“Please?”

“No. Stop begging like a little child. You need to come with me!”

The unicorn sounded insistent, but the dark unicorn told me not to worry. “Yes, you’ll get to that place. And you’ll sit on that chair. And you’ll be handed that hat. And you’ll be called those names. Unlike back in high school.”

For I was bullied, way back in high school. A schmuck like me. A nerdy, Coke bottle glasses-wearing, heavy-set, pimply boy watching as the bullies spilled milk onto his favorite Subway sandwich his mother made so carefully, her kind smile warming my heart. My father always opened my door, grinning excitedly as I began my first day of high school every year. Hugging me, he whispered encouragement every day before school, telling me to stand my ground. “Do well in class! Show those teachers what you know.”

“Thanks, Dad!” And I’d wave him goodbye, him wearing a bright smile and driving away as I turned away, my shoulders back and my head held high as I marched into school, ready to stand my ground, as my dad told me.

But my mother, when picking me up from school, grabbed me into a tight hug, and I hugged her warmly back, us going for ice cream once a month after telling her I got straight A’s at the end of the year. “To start a fantastic summer and end a fantastic year!”

But what they didn’t adhere to was the fact that every year, the bullies were back. They always waited, lurking behind trashcans, in Walmart, along highways and behind trees. I should’ve stuffed them in those trees’ squirrels’ homes. Let the squirrels at ‘em.

But I felt wrong about that. I felt guilty, like I would be murdering those bullies. They deserved summer school, but to kill them?

I slowed, looking at the dark unicorn. It was pretty ugly, when looking at it closely. It wasn’t making me feel any more excited about getting what I wanted. Comparing what I should do versus what I wanted to do and thus getting my so-called throne, crown, palace and reign as king over those bullies who would literally bow to me…

I switched to the real unicorn. “I’m on the wrong path. I’m going down to eating dirt. Mud cakes for me. Nothing but failure, tears and rags. For me.”

“Yes!” The unicorn stamped its hoof. It stopped, going down this stupid road of pebbles. Pebbles in my foot. A rock in my shoe, stopping me from reaching my goal.

I stopped. I turned around. I’m not going to do this stupid road. I’m just going to leave. I heard the dark unicorn hissing at me, but the lies wouldn’t take me by the hand, leading me down a path where I’d be face-to-face with a fire above which a pot would sit, the fire cackling up at me, like it won although it was below me. You stupid boy! Bullied by everyone. I could hear the bullies’ evil laughter, the memories taunting me. You could’ve stood up for yourself, but you didn’t! Now see where you are—above a fire that just laughs—at you!

No, I knew, dashing away. Towards another road. Hooves galloped behind me. I stopped dead. “Stop following me!” I roared at the black unicorn, whirling around.

“No. It’s me!”

The white unicorn stopped, bowing its head. I jumped on, telling it to gallop away. From such lies. I looked back, the crown, throne, palace and every other gold, silver, emerald, onyx, ruby and other vibrant-colored item slowly fading to ugly black. Like that soot-black unicorn.

Ugly-black like his lies.

“We’re going to be on the right path, right?”

Beads of sweat formed on my forehead. My palms--I balled my hands, the tips cold with sweat. I took deep, even breaths. Get it together, Mateo. Let's just focus on what this white unicorn has said. Not the black unicorn. Not its lies. Not the past, with Derick, Devin, Daniel and Dustin wadding up ripped-up math homework and stuffing them into straws and blowing them at me to practice for the upcoming Talent Show.

“What are you going to do to those bullies?” I could see the right path ahead. I could see it. Just up ahead!

“I’m going to tell them to back off. If they don’t, they could go down this path. Towards their dreams. Let them get a taste of failure—since I beat them!”

“Let’s see…”