Perhaps a mask gives us the freedom to act according to our true nature — the one we hide from ourselves. One look at the internet and social media gives credence to the idea that the feeling of anonymity frees us to act in extraordinary ways or say things we would never say directly to someone’s face. We hide behind the avatar and the carefully built profile. Showing only those bits of ourselves we want to, with the idea of making us look better than we are. Except the carefully constructed facade crumbles under the force of stated personal opinion.

“We understand how dangerous a mask can be. We all become what we pretend to be.” ~ Patrick Rothfuss

In Speak No Evil, Melody Fisher has several examples of people hiding behind masks and the damage it does. Her uncle hides his sadistic, bullying tendencies behind a church-going, scripture-quoting facade, but at home the mask comes off. Pillar of the community Wade Hatchet hides his sick and twisted behaviors behind the persona of a loving husband and caring father. But when night falls and no one else can see, he gives in to his urges, then prays for forgiveness.

It is just like her daddy taught her as a child:

“People put on masks to hide their nature, so you must learn how to look behind the mask for your own protection. You have many gifts. Follow your passion and soar like the hawk.” ~ Will Fisher

Yet knowing their nature didn’t protect her. So Melody cloaks herself in silence as a means of protection. Unfortunately, the silence quickly becomes her prison.

Oscar Wilde said, “Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.” So who do you become when you hide behind the mask of anonymity? The freedom rush can be heady, but when you stop and look behind the mask, do you like the person you see?

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The hawk is a hunter — and my survival does not depend on my ability to hunt for sustenance. If I am running low on food, I have a multitude of choices on how to fulfill that basic need … I can go to the store, order online and have stores bring the food to me, or in a pinch, even go to a drive-thru. So when you think about it, the “freedom” of the hawk includes the stress of finding their next meal. I live in a largely urban area, so while prey exists, it is in much shorter supply.

The writing journey for Speak No Evil was an incredible experience and I feel blessed to have been gifted the story by my character, Melody. Her love of nature and how it was fostered by her father by hiking through the mountains is one of those blessings. It reconnected me in a way I have difficulty articulating to my early years. While definitely a city dweller now, the same area in my childhood was chunks of paved roads, but surrounded by orange groves, dirt roads, farms, and small lakes and rivers. The times Melody spent with her father were so precious to me, as they were to her, especially because they were suddenly ripped away. While in the mountains on a snake hunt, Melody’s father pointed out the hawk circling above.

     The red-tailed hawk tilted its wings and zoomed downward. My heart pounded as it plummeted. Was it going to crash?
     It skimmed the ground, then pulled up and soared into the blue sky, something dangling from its claws.
     “Nature is raw and violent. Don’t ever forget, Melody. The hawk is a hunter—it sets its sights on its prey, waits for its opportunity, then strikes. All animals act according to their nature. Some are the hunter and others are the hunted.”

This moment sets up a bit of foreshadowing for the novel. But for me, this also shows that rather than protect Melody from the raw and violent side of nature, her father wants to teach her that the violence exists so she is better prepared to deal with it.

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