The Banshees of Inisherin

For a human, life is a highly intricate puzzle. Each individual understands it in their own way, and as they grow older, the many layers of life slowly but surely reveal themselves.

There comes a moment in every person's life when the person closest to them suddenly vanishes, as if reaching a dead end. The things they once loved and cherished about you suddenly become irritating, and you are unable to comprehend what has changed in a moment's time. You keep fighting for them, trying to persuade them, and spend entire nights wondering what you should do to bring this person back into your life. You let go of your ego, put aside your self-respect, and try to correct any flaws the other person sees in you because you simply want them to talk to you, be with them, and call them yours.

But they always seem to want more, and you start to think, “Is just being me not enough?” You struggle to accept this harsh reality, and all you receive from them is, “Just leave me alone.” The person who once meant everything to you is now out of reach, no matter how hard you try to move mountains for them, move to any city, take any job, or work as hard as you possibly can. They don't talk to you or want to see you; all they want is silence from you.

You try to act as if there was no past, as if there was nothing between the two of you. But when that person leaves, they don’t just leave you—they also take the luck from your life. The streets, the house, the restaurant, the city remain the same, and it feels as though someone is pouring salt on your open wounds. The world seems to be against you, and loneliness takes hold. Although the world is full of people, you feel as though you are completely alone, wishing you could run away to someplace deep within the ground.

You are deeply disturbed, and you might not even know what you’re feeling now. One moment, you're okay, and the next, you look at yourself in the mirror and feel the urge to break it.

You start to believe that no one remembers a good person, and that there is no place for one. And when that dear person returns to your life, you say this to them and leave:

“That time was different.

Today is different.

I don’t remember what I used to be like before.”