text: I was there when you drew your first breath. I was standing quietly in the corner dressed in my solemn attire, feeling incredibly joyous, and yet I knew that you would curse me. It's my destiny to be a villain, to be rejected and abhorred. It is my burden and I have to bear it. I have to be stoic in the face of hatred thrown at me. I am the tragic muse of the great painters. I am the gloomy inspiration of the hopelessly romantic poets. Compared to my grandiose, flamboyant, and effervescent counterparts, I am dull, small, and pitiful. I watched you grow, I was this omnipresent entity, an uninvited guest. I held your hand when you were crying in your room, suffering from a broken heart. I wiped your tears with the corner of my long, black veil. Although you couldn't see me, you could feel my presence. I manifested myself as a dull chest ache, tightness in the throat, and long, laboured breaths. I never missed one of your solitary night walks. I was always there, like a silent spectator and an undercover angel. When you lost your mother, you were inconsolable. I was sitting on your bed every night, gently caressing your hair and doing my best to help you move on. Throughout your existence, I never left your side and yet you hated me with every fiber of your being. I don't blame you. Everyone hates me. It is my burden and I have to bear it. You wished I would disappear forever. I stood there silently as you screamed at me to leave you alone. But I couldn't leave you, not until you move on from this earthly realm. You never understood my importance, for you I was a nuisance at best and atrocity at worst. My child, the time is coming. I am standing next to your hospital bed, draped in dark cloth, waiting to see you draw your last breath. Before I leave, I need to teach you something. You see, it is my fate to be detested almost until the very last moment. Most people only start to appreciate me when their hair goes gray and their vision slowly starts to fade. There is no light without darkness and there is no happiness without grief. Being human is incredibly difficult. You have to survive the deaths of your loved ones, sickness, and aging, you have to watch your own body fail you. Without me, you would never appreciate the beauty of life. Without me, you would always live in the shadow, forgetting that there is a source of light. You would be drowned in sadness, surrendering to the cruel and unforgiving world. You thought I made you feeble, and yet, I made you cherish the good moments and come out stronger. My sweet child, I will soon leave you. I have one last gift. People say that before you die your whole life flashes before your eyes. They don't know that it is my last gift to humanity. My final attempt to renounce the role of villain, to ease the burden which I have to bear. Sincerely, the unsung hero, Melancholy.