"Paradise Lost"

Quoting (well, sort of...) Brittany Murphy with a line from "Little Black Book": How does a guy fall through a rabbit hole and come out at the other end unchanged? The answer: He doesn't...

On these past few days, I came to a clash with reality of sorts, and I was truly shaken like a snake's rattle... It turns out that things weren't as I thought them to be in many aspects of my life; I was forced to forced to look at myself in the mirror, and I didn't like what I saw; for the first time, I saw a possible "dead end" to my relationship, though apparently it may be averted after all... and I also woke to discover that I have no choice than to swim in a cesspool of lies and deceit, which could lead me to do unspeakable (not to mention unprecedented) acts, and all just to stand up for and protect those whom I love...

I pray to the Gods so that may all not come to the bitter conclusion that I predict it might come to, and if it does come to that, may I emerge victorious...