Pareidolia

Pareidolia is a psychological phenomenon that causes people to see patterns in a random stimulus. This often leads to people assigning human characteristics to objects... This painting is representational of this. 

Accompanying Short Story

I see them everywhere. Even amidst the brightest of landscapes there are shadows, hints that things are never as they seem. Yet, you do not see what I see. You think me paranoid. “A trick of the light,” you say. “What a wonderful imagination you have,” you say. Logically, I know you must be right, but nightmares are rarely born from logic. Where you see a flicker of light, a reflection, I see the flash of teeth within the darkness. So I stare, searching for the friendly and familiar, but finding only the knowledge that the demons are out there somewhere, laughing at me.

Perhaps you also laugh. We see different things. We are different people. Perhaps it is a subconscious response. A way to deal with the uncomfortable, and the foreign. Or so I prefer to think. For maliciousness does not suit your naivety. You do not know what wonder and terror you are missing, but I do not begrudge you your simple appreciation of the beauty before you. It may be better that you only see the softer vibrant side of the world. Sometimes, I envy you this. Compulsively, I searchingly gaze through the landscape of colour. Wanting to find meaning in every curve, pattern and brushstroke.

If you look hard enough, carefully enough, the world that is hidden from sight will appear. A sweet donkey and curious rabbit look out at me, cajoling me into a false sense of security. The creature's faces transform from sweet innocence into more ominous evil shadows of itself, opening my mind to the darker inhabitants I had yet to meet. I see them move, I stare and search for the friendly or familiar. Yet, I see only what my mind fears, refracted images from within my dreams.

Ephemeral landscapes of colour show warped faces and reflections from other people. Or are they reflections of myself? Always watching, waiting. I know not for what, but I suspect I will not like the answer. I know they're there, even when they don't think I'm watching. Mirages at the edge of my peripheral vision, they wear two faced masks, friendly and familiar and yet, as I turn my back, they reveal who they are - cold  and vindictive. The more I focus on them, the more obscure they grow. Following me out of dreams until I see them everywhere, even in the brightest of brushstrokes.

Darker demons invade my mind and dreams become nightmares filled with faceless smiles. Faceless smiles I see even when I wake up. Awake, I focus on a landscape - plush and green with sunset oranges. I try to focus on the normal and less threatening creatures out of the desperate need to see only what everyone else sees. Yet, wherever I look from whichever angle, I still see them. They emerge from everywhere in patterns and random visuals.

They're always there, watching me. Even as I convince myself that I can't see the demons staring me right in the face, I know they are there. Always watching, waiting for me to make a mistake. They're a manifestation of my insecurities that play mind games and tricks until I do not know what is real and what is not.

I see them everywhere. Nightmares jumping from shadows. I know I should stop searching for their faces, but now they are friendly and familiar from the dark who share my secrets. Perhaps, I find comfort in knowing my dark friends watch me because who else will. I am but a shadow myself.