Empath

I feel your pain.

That’s what they always tell you. That somehow the people around you manage to feel the pain that you are feeling. Most of the time, they’re just saying it to act sympathetic.

Me? Well, I can experience your pain. Literally. Every moment of agony, every minute of torment. I don’t just feel your pain. I live it.

As far as you need to know, I don’t have a name. The people who I work with, they call me Empath. There isn’t any scientific reason why I can do the things I do. I call myself an emokinetic: I can control emotions. It’s not like the way you keep from laughing during assembly or prevent yourself from hitting your teacher.

I can move emotions between people. I can transfer your joy into your best friend. I can siphon your anger into my mind. I can take away your sorrow… or fill you with fear.

My own emotions, they’re under control. I don’t “feel” anything from myself anymore. I don’t get happy or sad or frightened or mad.

But your feelings, your emotions, I can sense them. I cannot “feel” the reason you are experiencing that emotion, but I can sense it. Every mind I touch is a maelstrom of fear, happiness, disgust, surprise, anger and sadness. But the one I am most experienced in is pain.

Everybody feels pain. People in power know how to use pain; to control, to manipulate, to cause fear. I hate these people. Pain isn’t something one human should cause another.

I have never used pain as a weapon. But I have drained it from people. Drained it into my own mind. And I feel the pain as it were your own.

Have you ever felt pain? Excruciating pain? Like you think your whole being will explode from the torture? That’s just physical pain. Emotional pain, psychological pain, is much worse. Your whole body goes numb, and you lose control of some of your motor functions. That would be the serotonin cutting off the signals in your nerves. You start crying, crying like you’d never stop crying ever. You start speaking your thoughts, trying to control yourself, but failing. And your mind… your mind is ripped apart.

Many say I manipulate people’s emotions and that it is wrong. But I use it to save lives. How wrong is that?

Good Deed #001

It's the new year. And today, I did something.

Well, I was walking home from the barber, reading Shaun's copy of Eragon, when I noticed a woman ahead of me. She was a maid, I [i]think[/i], or maybe just Indonesian. Anyway, the strap of her gigantic shopping bag had snapped because of the tremendous weight, and her groceries were rolling all over the floor.

I didn't know what I was doing, I just stepped forward and helped her. It was so sudden, so unexpected (of myself). Nobody else was helping. Then when she noticed I was helping her, she said, "Thank you!" And it was so melodious, like the tinkling of a bell: "Thank you!"

I asked her whether she needed help carrying it anywhere but she said she could get a taxi. So I walked home, really happy and totally bewildered at what I had done.

Oh well, great way to start the yaer anyhow.