REVERIE: Twisted Reality

Day 34: Not Cinderella

Alexandria Lennon

I visited the Duke the next day once again.

I was convincing myself that I was trying to find more clues by talking to the Duke but deep down I knew that I was avoiding White.

I knocked on the Duke's door.

It didn't take long to open and the Duke quickly flashed me a playful smile, "Why, hello, my love!"

He made way for me to enter and as I was taking my seat he suddenly asked, "Have you figured out a way to leave this house yet?"

My jaw tightened and I looked at him in irritation, "Are you mocking me?"

"Oh, no, my dear!" He said in an annoyingly bubbly voice. Then he added, "Since you haven't been pestering me with questions lately. I was just worried if you still needed me or not. After all, my main value to you is my source of information."

I didn't respond so he asked me again, "Say, my dear, is there anything you covet or desire?"

'What? Is he gonna give me everything I want so that he could have my heart?'

"Too many to count!" I answered proudly to turn him off.

'He must think that I'm shallow now, huh? If that doesn't turn him off, I don't know what will!'

But his reaction wasn't the one I expected.

His face lit up and he celebrated, "That is good!"

My jaw almost dropped on the floor. 

'Does he has a loose screw or something?'

"All miracles and achievements are born from desires. And only by pursuing them do we experience change. If you desire many things, then you should try write them down and fulfill them one by one. It will do wonders to your character." 

I found myself nodding and taking notes of what he told me.

'STOP IT!'

I quickly shook my head and pretended to looked at him skeptically.

'But still, that life advice sounded smart maybe I should try it once I am able to go back to reality.'

 But then I remembered what kind of life was waiting for me in reality that made me smile bitterly, "Only the rich like you can afford to speak in such a light hearted and naive manner."

The Duke shook his head at me then smiled, "But I was once poor too, didn't you know? Wealth, in a relative sense is one of the more easy things to achieve."

I looked at him skeptically. If it was so easy to obtain, then I wouldn't be leading such a stressful life.

"The reason you don't have it is because you do not desire it enough. You are too scared to risk what you have to obtain what you desire." He explained to me.

The Duke was indeed smart and experienced but he was wrong about one thing,

'I don't have anything to risk therefore I have nothing to obtain.'

"I can barely afford to keep myself fed at times, I don't have the time and luxury to chase things like 'desire'." I told him.

"But isn't hunger a desire in itself? When I speak of desire, I am not talking about high ended dreams, my love. I am talking about the things you want in life that you do not have." He corrected me.