GWL PLAYOFFS RD 2 #3 ADVERSE (9-4) VS #4 UNIVERSE (8-3) (UNI WINS)

[Adverse]

Line limit upped to 100 per Universe's request

[Universe]

The Lady in the Attic

*100 line max, as agreed upon.

"The greatest happiness is to know the source of unhappiness." - Fyodor Dostoevsky

......

*Humming sounds from above

Hmmm.. hmm... hmm.. hmm... hmmmm..

Aiden - 3:26 am

Life's what I do when I can't sleep, I fear it's not that appealing
I wake up the same time every night staring up at the ceiling
Not to share my feelings with God, or say another annoying prayer
The attic I avoid is bare... yet I swear I just heard a noise up there
Should I get up? The choice is clear but I don't want to see
No honestly, it's probably my wife's ghost haunting me
Melanie died alone one Autumn eve, in a new season of fall leaves (follow me...)
Seems ironic that in the Attic is where I keep her belongings...
I crawl free from my warm sheets and sneak into the hallway
Careful not to wake my son Mason, he's still at that odd age
Of believing monsters on pages; I'd rather avoid the latest chapter
Yanked the hanging hatch, the attic groaned, I climbed the makeshift ladder
Opaque thick dust consumed and blanketed the pale moon rays
Reminding me in every cruel way that it was a rarely used space
A light bulb was attached to a moving chain, no doubt I freaked
It was lit too... Whoever pulled it remained just out of reach
Seems some battle lines mustn't be crossed, I was trapped and entrenched
Plus something felt off... So I retreated and rushed back to my bed...

Zoey - 3:49 am

I stepped out of the shadows, a pair of high heels in hand
Not making a sound, glad to find myself nowhere near that man
Checked the mirror; No strand of blond hair was out of its place
I'm stranded up here, yet you couldn't locate a frown on this face
Applied shades of lipstick to thin lips and smacked them together
Knowing if I was stashed in the cellar this hide n' seek would've lasted forever
The attic is better... Not to be full of myself but I might concede
During Aiden's nightly dreams I sneak down for a bite to eat
I'm never quite complete; I'm used to listening to the ground as he wept
For hours on end, I only truly move around when he slept
I needed a place to just reside, safely away from prying eyes
But this last resort was always something I hated to surmise
I had my pride, still I wanted to be taken by surprise
Imagining the day when myself, Aiden and Mason might collide...

Aiden - 7:08 am

I'm too awake... Up early to get my son set for the school day
He of course fumed, "Hey! Where's my muffins and orange kool-aid!?"
Every morning something moves places from the night just before
Can't say Mason was entirely ignored, but I wave goodbye at the door
Of course there's no manual for raising a child, you just automatically deal
I gravitate upstairs, where I find the attic hatch actually sealed (weird...)
Coulda swore it was open... Shit. God knows I'm nothing but emphatic
Yet I no longer listen to the man upstairs, just to the woman in the attic
I shouldn't be an addict to my own cherished artifacts
Wedding rings mean entire arms are trapped - Where's the harm in that?
When you're alone sadness washes over you like tidal waves
I have a lot to say but I can't pray to a wifeless grave (thanks)
Difference is so night and day; I went to a psychiatrist to cope
Doc prescribed a simple code, he told me to write Melanie little notes
But there was no catharsis found with every letter wrote
My grip on reality was slipping slow because I never let her go
Now I get bold at night, you know the type, trying to scroll through life
Skimming the surface of things yet ogling every hole in sight
Want to know what that very same doctor told my wife?
"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hold on tight..."

I just might...

Zoey - 1:13 pm

I admit living in an attic is an unreasonable act
I hide from daylight but there's more than one reason for that
People's reactions linger, they laugh and snicker to trigger pain
I listen to rain for entertainment; Staring at a woman in a picture frame
You're a widow Aiden, aren't you? But I'm a hostage in this home
If it wasn't for Stockholm syndrome it would be obvious to go
Knocking on windows gets me nowhere, yet pacing in steps might
You probably noticed, but I gotta know... Am I replacing your dead wife?

Aiden - 3:26 am

Heard the noises again tonight, the fact is I hate these re-enactments
Plus I know the lady in the attic is basically entrapment
Made my way to the ladder and peeked above... Not to build this up...
But I believe I feel guilty cuz I'm ignoring who I really was
Stepped gingerly through some dust to answer the mother of all questions
That's when I found a blond wig, lipstick and other small cosmetics
Something came over me, I froze like I clicked pause and left it
If this was a game then there was no harder hit box detection
Cuz it's not the connection I wanted, but it's the one that I need
I grabbed the make up brush and quickly added some blush to my cheeks
Put the blond wig on; A dress that fell just above the knee
Added leather boots and eyeshadow, everything this fella loves to be
Looking totally sheik, so sky high even God is below me
Then I looked at my reflection in the mirror... and all I saw was just...

Zoey

Suddenly everything's glowing... I guess I overturned a new leaf
No burden, relief! I felt like the best version of me
Being born in the wrong body left me needing a plan
The source of my unhappiness was simply... being a man
To reap all benefits of women's clothes spread across dressers...
I’ll allow myself the displeasure of being called a cross dresser
Mom knew but never told you, said wait 'til you were older, well...
To be honest, Mason... She probably never truly told herself
Some change is constant, but other coins stay down in the well
People like me don't come out of the closet, we break out of our cells
I honestly can't tell you the last time I was this happy, see? :)
Probably your mother's pregnancy; Is that why you act so mad at me?
It's sad to read; Eyeliner pooled, but letting out a cry won't do
I looked at myself in the mirror and said, "Yeah... I know you"
Zoey meet Aiden - the "normal" you; I smiled and waved at the boy that grew
And somewhere in the recesses of my mind I knew Aiden joined in too...

Meanwhile...

Mason holds on to the scissors not knowing what to expect
It must be something intense because he's looking numb with neglect
Wanting to vent, he grabs a Barbie doll from under his bed
Then combs its blond hair while sitting naked, his underwear wet
Wonder what comes next? Mutilating his mother-for-rent
He'll probably move his way to animals before summer can end
To him Barbie IS Ken; "Pretty daddy..." is all that was said
He trims the doll's blond hair with scissors... Then cuts off the head
The letter on his desk was digested, it wasn't just read
And up in the den... The lady in the attic was humming again...

Hmmm.. hmm... hmm.. hmm... hmmmm..