No More Happy Endings
A Dissertation by the Nightcrawler

by L'Phantom

It's story time on CERK, gentle listeners. So, get comfortable, draw close to the one you love, and listen.

Once upon a time, there was a white knight in gleaming white armor. And everyone who saw him knew that he was the hero type... he was... good. And, far, far away, there lived a beautiful princess with long, flowing hair the color of night, and eyes like the gray before a storm. And though she was never in any true peril, she needed a hero. She longed day and night for her hero to come and rescue her from her life. And our knight, called by some unknown presence, fought and fought to get to her, even though he didn't know who she was or if she was even real. He only knew that he had to go to her. He strove his entire life to find her, while she waited by her window and wished upon every star that he would come to her.

Until one day when, his armor tarnished and worn, his face wrinkled and scarred from a lifetime of battles, his horse brought him to the entrance of a wondrous castle. A castle sparkling with jewels and gold. He rode through the gates. He rode past beautiful gardens with flowers of every variety grew tall and strong. He rode all the way up to the main doorway. And when he had gotten down from his horse and walked up to the door, the door opened and there she stood. And though her hair had become a smoky gray, and her beautiful fair skin had become withered and old, he knew nonetheless that she was the one he had fought to find. And she knew that he was the hero she had wished for.

Sadly, though, as they reached for each other, their waits over, both of them fell and died. And with his dying breath, he still tried to touch her hand, but, as he had his entire life, he fell short. You see, each one had lived on the hope of the other. When that hope was fulfilled and removed, their reasons for carrying on were ended.

And there are no more happy endings, dear listeners, not for us. We must face the cold reality that there is no Prince Charming waiting to save us... or the fact that Sleeping Beauty is already dead. And those of us who refuse to accept these simple truths continue to hope day after day for... for what? For someone; for something better than this? They survive on the vain hope that one day, it will all be "worth it." But we, we know that this day will never come. We have accepted the truth, and more.

We are alone with ourselves. There is no "special someone." There never was. Or, if there was, and I can't remember now, she is but an echo... a soulless dream from a lifetime ago. Your time is out of joint... Oh, cursed spite! But nary a soul can put it right. Look to your left. Look to your right. Look behind you. Do you see anyone? No? Good. Because the Nightcrawler is going to tell you a secret, my faithful fans... There never was anyone there. And what's more... there never will be.

But what of those who still search? Who believe they see what they desire behind every tree, under every rock. What is to become of them? As they search, as they chase this... love? companion? soulmate? Every day they strive with all that they are, until the last. When they finally learn that there never was anything in the shadows they hunted. They one day will turn and look back and see the waste that their life became; all because they looked for something that was never there.

No more happy endings. No one will live happily ever after. And any who say they do delude themselves with the promise of pain disguised as love.

Until tomorrow night, dear listeners, this is the Nightcrawler saying good night... Unpleasant dreams.