Dear Professor,

__________ will not be in class today because of my actions. She’s hiding from the world because of the ugly scars I’ve left on her. She’s scared of me and scared to show herself. She hates herself because of me. I’ve frightened her to the point she doesn’t want to live anymore. Her hope is gone.

Professor, let me introduce myself. I’m the darkness. I’m sadness. I’m hopelessness. Because of me, ___________ will not be in class today. She’s gone from the world, hiding under her covers trying to keep her eyes shut so that she doesn’t have to deal with me. I didn’t mean to torture her like this. It’s a genetic thing I guess. I affect so many people, yet no one can understand me completely. Everyone interacts with me in a different way.

___________ doesn’t want to leave her room. She doesn’t care about her grades because she’s too busy trying to get me to leave her alone. She’s trying different ways to fight me. I know she thought she got rid of me in the past, but I’m obsessed with darkness. I’m obsessed with consuming her thoughts until I’m the only one she listens to. I love the power it gives me and the weakness she feels. For me, it’s best when she’s alone and sometimes she thinks so too, until I torture her to tears.

Dear Professor,

___________ will not be in class today. She doesn’t want to see the sunshine anymore. Hiding her pain is too difficult now and getting dressed is her biggest obstacle. She is no longer motivated, she just wants to sleep her pain away. But the funny thing is now I’m in her dreams. Her nightmares. She wakes up crying, thinking about how I can, how I actually might destroy her.

___________ doesn’t want to see you today. She knows you’ll see the pain in her eyes. She knows that you might see my reflection in her and worry too much. Maybe worry too little. Regardless, she doesn’t want your attention. She’s afraid of getting comfortable around you because you might just resemble me in some small, seemingly insignificant way. She actually did enjoy talking to you the other day, if only for a moment or two, but I crept back into her life the moment she looked happy. I can’t stand to see her smile. She doesn’t deserve it, I can promise you that. She wants the darkness. She wants to sleep

Dear Professor,

___________ is running out of excuses. I hate to speak for her, but hey, I control the rest of her life, so why not, am I right?

___________ just won’t be there this week. She hates the world around her because everywhere she looks, she can see me in the shadows. She is more afraid of me than she is anything else. Her friends turned away, but at least I’m there for her. Ha.

Dear Professor,

____________ is missing another class today. You know the drill. Don’t ask her about it. She’ll come up with something. She’ll try again next week. She’ll probably think I won’t show up, blind to reality, but I can promise you ___________ won’t be there. Because I’m here and I’m here to stay for now.

Sincerely,

Depression