Short story) Anatomy of Lies

<Anatomy of Lies>

 

1. Prologue - The Beginning of Doubt

I was running laps alone on the dark practice field. The cold wind tugged at my collar, but I didn’t stop. My mind was spinning in a hundred different directions. Every time the word "trade rumors" crossed my thoughts, my chest tightened. I knew what people were whispering behind my back. "Eric’s done after this season." "He better start packing for another team."

 

Funny. They think I’d just leave the team? After all the time I’ve given?

 

But something was off. The team, my agent, Sarah—everyone. They all seemed to be hiding something from me. It was as if they had rehearsed their lines, perfectly concealing the truth.

 

My heart felt like a lake. They could row across its calm surface, but soon their white shadows would disappear, leaving me alone in the depths of my dark waters.

 

2. The First Trial - Trust Begins to Shake

After the game, I ran into Sarah in the locker room. "You did great, Eric. Today’s performance was exactly what we needed," she said, smiling. But there was something else behind her eyes, something she wasn’t saying.

 

"So, the trade rumors… they’re true, right?" I asked. Her face tightened for just a second, before she quickly masked it with her usual confident grin. "Eric, don’t worry about those rumors. Your spot is secure."

 

But deep inside, my heart was already wavering. My heart was like a candle. Every time she shut the door on me with her reassurances, the flame flickered, like I might go out at any second. Was anything she said the truth?

 

A few days later, I brought up the rumors with the team during a meeting, but they dodged the question. "Nothing’s been decided yet. Just focus on the game." But their words rang hollow, as if they were rehearsed lies.

 

3. The Second Trial - Drifting Apart from the Team

Even my teammates started to treat me differently. Tom, our quarterback, especially. During practice, he threw a pass that was impossible to catch, and we lost the game that day. After the meeting, Tom pulled me aside. "I keep hearing you’re leaving. Is that for real?" His eyes were cold.

 

"I don’t know, honestly." My voice trembled, betraying the uncertainty that had been eating at me. He didn’t trust me either. The team wasn’t on my side anymore.

 

I had become a wanderer, left to listen to the distant sound of their pipes as I walked through the night alone. My heart was like a drifter. My place on this team was slipping away, like a lost traveler with no direction.

 

4. The Third Trial - The Anatomy of Lies

In the end, Sarah finally admitted the truth. "Eric, I’m just going to be straight with you. Your trade is already in motion. There’s nothing I can do now."

 

In that moment, something inside me shattered. It took me a second to realize that every word she’d said up until now had been a lie. She had sold me out, and I was nothing more than a pawn in her deal.

 

"You lied to me. I thought you were someone I could trust." My voice was barely above a whisper, but inside, I was burning with rage.

 

She remained calm. "This is how the world works, Eric. The truth we believe in is sometimes the biggest lie."

My heart was like a leaf. Blown by the wind, I would soon have to leave this team, my future hanging in the balance. It was lonely, but this was my fate.

 

5. Conclusion - A Drifter's Departure

After the final game, I left the stadium alone. The glow of the streetlights was harsh against the cold autumn night, but I didn’t stop to say goodbye to my teammates. They had already turned their backs on me, and now, I had nothing left to say.

 

Outside, the wind picked up. The fallen leaves swirled around my feet. I was no different from those leaves, destined to be swept away. Now, it was time to prepare for a new team, a new beginning. I still felt uncertain, but this time it was different. I wouldn’t be fooled by lies again.

 

Before I left, I took one last look at the field. My heart would once again become a lake. No longer would I hold their reflections. I’d go my own way, free from their lies.

 

---

Anatomy of Lies - My heart would once again become a lake.

 

 

#ref.:

https://sosohantry.tistory.com/entry/Poem-%EA%B9%80%EB%8F%99%EB%AA%85-%EB%82%B4-%EB%A7%88%EC%9D%8C%EC%9D%80

Poem) 김동명, <내 마음은>