Post by Michael Smart on Jun 18, 2014 13:38:03 GMT -6
Beep. Beep. Beep. The heart monitor is beeping steadily, hooked up to an unconscious man lying on a hospital bed. Though an oxygen mask obscures half his face, the man is still recognizable to wrestling fans as Daniel Smart. At first glance Daniel looks calm, without the oxygen mask or the heart monitor one might think that he's just taking a nap. Upon closer examination, you can see his eyes twitching. Something is clearly bothering him. There must be something going on inside his mind...
Daniel is sitting on a bench in the locker room after his match against Bryce Manning. His knee is hurting, as is his back. Daniel is supposed to be backing his gear and leaving, but he simply keeps staring at his feet with a disappointed look on his face. His phone starts vibrating. Daniel checks the caller ID, gritting his teeth when he sees who it is. Hesitating for a moment, Daniel eventually answers the phone.
”What is it, cousin?”
”I heard you lost to Manning.”
Daniel sighs.
”Yes, I...”
”AHAHAHAHAH-”
Daniel ends the call and throws his phone away, then buries his face in his hands. Mockery from his cousin Michael is the last thing he needed after the worst loss of his career. Daniel wasn't sure which hurt more: letting his fans down... or letting himself down. Either way, pain and disappointment were the only things Daniel was feeling at the moment.
“Stand up.”
Daniel freezes for a moment. He thought he was the only one left in the locker room. Daniel looks up, only to discover...
Daniel Smart, staring him right in the face.
”What the...”
“You can't just wallow in self-pity all day. Get up.”
Daniel gets on his feet. Not because... Daniel gave him the order, but to examine the man right in front of him. The handsome face, the sexy voice, the impeccable sense of fashion... there was no doubt he was face to face with himself.
”What the hell is going on?”
“You've been upset long enough. I'm here to tell you to get over it.”
”Yeah, but... you're me!”
“Of course I'm you. I'm the only one who can help you.”
”...I'm hallucinating, right? Did someone spike my drink or am I going insane?”
“You are going insane, and the drugs are to alleviate the pain. Your body is lying in a hospital bed, but your mind is stuck in the past, after your loss to Bryce Manning a month ago.”
”A month ago? But... it doesn't feel like it's been a month.”
“To the outside world, it's been a month. Inside your mind, you've been playing one moment over and over again.”
The wall behind the other Daniel fades away, showing a wrestling ring. Bryce Manning grabs Daniel Smart, connecting with his trademark Spineshanker. Manning covers, the referee counting one... two... three.
”So that's why I'm in the hospital? Because of all the damage I took in my match against Manning?”
“No.”
”Wait, now I remember... two weeks later, I got attacked...”
“That's not it, either. Your body is hurt, but it's your mind that is truly in danger. You haven't gotten over your loss to Bryce Manning. You've been going through that one moment over and over again, getting sicker and sicker every time you think about it. Your body could have healed long ago, but your mind won't let it.”
”But... I was supposed to beat Bryce Manning. I was supposed to show that there's a right way to do things. I was supposed to be the hero that conquers the villain, and yet...”
“And yet you failed. There was no cheating, there was no interference, there was no corrupt referee. You simply lost, and that's all you can think about.”
”But... there must have been something I could have done...”
“Could have done? Maybe. But what's done is done. The past is the past, and no matter how much you try, you can't change what's already happened. To think otherwise is madness, to keep trying is unhealthy.”
”Even so... I can't stop thinking about it.”
“Because you're upset. But why? Why are you upset? Are you upset because Bryce Manning won, or because you lost?”
”...The latter.”
“Exactly. You wanted to beat Manning, not to stop him from getting the title, but to get the title yourself. And that's okay. Wrestling is a competition, to be the best should be the goal of everyone who steps in the ring.”
”Exactly! That's why I'm upset!”
“But why should you be upset? You lost for one of two reasons. Either you didn't try hard enough, or your opponent was better than you. If you didn't try hard enough, you need to do so next time. If Manning was better than you, you need to train to get better than him. Either way, lying in a hospital bed doesn't help you one bit.”
”Well, what am I supposed to do about that? Am I supposed to just will myself to get better?”
“What you need to do is to stop pitying yourself. You need to stop being stuck in the past. You need to move on. You need to get out of that bed, you need to let your body get better and you need to work hard to become the best. You've been asleep for far too long, and I'm starting to get sick of it. It's time to wake up!”
The other Daniel slaps Daniel right in the face. Right at that moment, Daniel jolts awake. His eyes wide, Daniel looks around, finding himself in a hospital room, just like the other Daniel had told him. Daniel rips off his oxygen mask and his IV, then cautiously gets on his feet. His body is still sore, but Daniel is determined to walk on his own two feet. Even though his body is banged up, Daniel is feeling better than ever. With a determined look in his eyes, a smile appears on Daniel's face.
”Time to get back to work.”
Daniel is sitting on a bench in the locker room after his match against Bryce Manning. His knee is hurting, as is his back. Daniel is supposed to be backing his gear and leaving, but he simply keeps staring at his feet with a disappointed look on his face. His phone starts vibrating. Daniel checks the caller ID, gritting his teeth when he sees who it is. Hesitating for a moment, Daniel eventually answers the phone.
”What is it, cousin?”
”I heard you lost to Manning.”
Daniel sighs.
”Yes, I...”
”AHAHAHAHAH-”
Daniel ends the call and throws his phone away, then buries his face in his hands. Mockery from his cousin Michael is the last thing he needed after the worst loss of his career. Daniel wasn't sure which hurt more: letting his fans down... or letting himself down. Either way, pain and disappointment were the only things Daniel was feeling at the moment.
“Stand up.”
Daniel freezes for a moment. He thought he was the only one left in the locker room. Daniel looks up, only to discover...
Daniel Smart, staring him right in the face.
”What the...”
“You can't just wallow in self-pity all day. Get up.”
Daniel gets on his feet. Not because... Daniel gave him the order, but to examine the man right in front of him. The handsome face, the sexy voice, the impeccable sense of fashion... there was no doubt he was face to face with himself.
”What the hell is going on?”
“You've been upset long enough. I'm here to tell you to get over it.”
”Yeah, but... you're me!”
“Of course I'm you. I'm the only one who can help you.”
”...I'm hallucinating, right? Did someone spike my drink or am I going insane?”
“You are going insane, and the drugs are to alleviate the pain. Your body is lying in a hospital bed, but your mind is stuck in the past, after your loss to Bryce Manning a month ago.”
”A month ago? But... it doesn't feel like it's been a month.”
“To the outside world, it's been a month. Inside your mind, you've been playing one moment over and over again.”
The wall behind the other Daniel fades away, showing a wrestling ring. Bryce Manning grabs Daniel Smart, connecting with his trademark Spineshanker. Manning covers, the referee counting one... two... three.
”So that's why I'm in the hospital? Because of all the damage I took in my match against Manning?”
“No.”
”Wait, now I remember... two weeks later, I got attacked...”
“That's not it, either. Your body is hurt, but it's your mind that is truly in danger. You haven't gotten over your loss to Bryce Manning. You've been going through that one moment over and over again, getting sicker and sicker every time you think about it. Your body could have healed long ago, but your mind won't let it.”
”But... I was supposed to beat Bryce Manning. I was supposed to show that there's a right way to do things. I was supposed to be the hero that conquers the villain, and yet...”
“And yet you failed. There was no cheating, there was no interference, there was no corrupt referee. You simply lost, and that's all you can think about.”
”But... there must have been something I could have done...”
“Could have done? Maybe. But what's done is done. The past is the past, and no matter how much you try, you can't change what's already happened. To think otherwise is madness, to keep trying is unhealthy.”
”Even so... I can't stop thinking about it.”
“Because you're upset. But why? Why are you upset? Are you upset because Bryce Manning won, or because you lost?”
”...The latter.”
“Exactly. You wanted to beat Manning, not to stop him from getting the title, but to get the title yourself. And that's okay. Wrestling is a competition, to be the best should be the goal of everyone who steps in the ring.”
”Exactly! That's why I'm upset!”
“But why should you be upset? You lost for one of two reasons. Either you didn't try hard enough, or your opponent was better than you. If you didn't try hard enough, you need to do so next time. If Manning was better than you, you need to train to get better than him. Either way, lying in a hospital bed doesn't help you one bit.”
”Well, what am I supposed to do about that? Am I supposed to just will myself to get better?”
“What you need to do is to stop pitying yourself. You need to stop being stuck in the past. You need to move on. You need to get out of that bed, you need to let your body get better and you need to work hard to become the best. You've been asleep for far too long, and I'm starting to get sick of it. It's time to wake up!”
The other Daniel slaps Daniel right in the face. Right at that moment, Daniel jolts awake. His eyes wide, Daniel looks around, finding himself in a hospital room, just like the other Daniel had told him. Daniel rips off his oxygen mask and his IV, then cautiously gets on his feet. His body is still sore, but Daniel is determined to walk on his own two feet. Even though his body is banged up, Daniel is feeling better than ever. With a determined look in his eyes, a smile appears on Daniel's face.
”Time to get back to work.”
