The Tales of Miss A

A Grand Escapism

Luxurious. If there was a perfect word to describe this place, it would be this. It might even be just an understatement.

Brightly-lit golden chandeliers hung silently from the ceiling, watching those who passed underneath it. Exquisite paintings and sculptures of famous figures in history had their eyes looking back at those who would dare to stare at them. The canvasses were organized pleasantly onto the cream-colored walls. Aside from figures, there were also portraits from the owners of this place from those who were previously residing here to those who are currently inside here.

In addition to the expensiveness of this place, the velvety red carpet laid on the halls. It was always free from dusts as the caretakers would always make sure it was dirt-free. The marble ground reflected one's image when they looked at it from underneath the carpet. The ambience of the house screamed sophistication, elegance, richness, and high class.

Then, there was my figure, running barefoot as my long apple green ball gown swayed with my every move.

I turned to another corner. I still saw the same hallway. The same figures, the same paintings, the same carpets, the same chandeliers all placed at the same location as they were at the other hallways. I had been running around and seeing the same things for God knows how long now. My feet were already sore. I left my shoes somewhere and it disappeared. I wish it was that easy to just disappear from here.

I stopped running, panting, drops of sweat falling onto my shoulders. I looked ahead of me. It was still the same corner to turn to. Everytime I turned to it, I always found myself being at the same place where I was. It had been a month now that I had been running away from this place, but somehow the house itself would not let me for whenever I went back, it would still be the same hallway.

The same damned hallway.

I fell down to my knees. I cried enough tears that could amount to rivers by now. I have not ran out of them. I silently begged for this to stop. I already accepted my fate to be punished for a past action, but I could not accept this. I never liked being stuck in an endless hallway wearing ragged exquisite clothes with feet feeling like there were blocks tied to my heels and my head telling me I was getting insane.

"Are you willing to give up now?" echoed a familiar deep voice. I looked up and there was no one. I was not the least surprised. Everytime I was on my knees, he would ask me if I was to finally give in. However, I would only answer one thing.

"No," I gritted my teeth and cautiously stood up, my knees shaking from exhaustion. I was wincing silently just so he would not get the satisfaction of hearing me in pain.

"You are so stubborn!" laughed the voice. "When will you learn? The only escape from here is when you accept your fate and marry me."

"I shall not!" I screamed, my voice cracking when I did. "I can still find a way to escape this cursed place. I will find it. I will escape from you!"

"In your dreams," the voice teased while laughing. "I shall be back again. Until then, best of luck with escaping, my future wife."

I was left there, weeping inaudibly. I slumped back down to the ground and looked around me. The paintings were all looking at me with their lifeless eyes. Perhaps I was getting crazy, but I could almost see a tinge of pity within the glint of their gazes. Beside me was a small sculpture of Apollo resting on top of a table. It was the single sculpture on this table for unknown reasons I would love not to know.

I was exhausted of moving now. I only wanted to rest and lay down. As if instantly, I closed my eyes. My mind was in a state of delusion, as I pictured myself outside of this place. I would love to go back to my potions shop, experimenting on new mixtures from before or on that cursed village with my trusted friends, telling children with stories of the future. I would rather much be anywhere than this cursed place.

Because of exhaustion, I felt nauseous. I almost wanted to vomit the contents of my stomach that had been empty for a month now. I was still wondering how I survived living through that hell for a month now.

Suddenly, I felt a drop of liquid fall down my bare shoulders. Then, it was followed by another, and another. The sound of thunder soon came. I immediately opened my eyes. The darkness and dampness of what seemed to be a forest greeted me. I felt the ground I was on and it was wet with puddles. I could not see vividly where I was but judging from the lightning as my only source of lighting in this place, I saw sturdy trees surrounding me. This was a forest.

I felt a sense of relief for the first time. The exhaustion faded as if it was not present. I stood up immediately and began running once more. Run, my mind whispered to me as I began sprinting, not caring if my ball gown ripped to pieces. I ran out of anxiety that I would go back to that place. I ran fearing that he would come for me.

I ran for my life.

I was only stopped when my gown got caught with a twig. The rain poured hard on me, the deafening thunder was the background music, and the lightning as my only source of light. I grunted as I felt the excruciating pain on my knees. I could not move anymore. I began to weep again, loudly and freely this time. I screamed for help, hoping someone would be passing by that might help me.

That was when I noticed a flash of lightning appeared. Only this time, it did not disappear. It was bright. It was white. It was coming from behind me.

So I looked back. It was an opening. It looked like a mist that was in a circular form. It was asking me to come in for solace. It was begging for me to come near. So I did. I crawled my way towards it, my gown made it difficult for it was heavy with rainwater now. I reached out using the last of my strength.

As my hand entered the opening, I faded away, never to be trapped within the luxurious house ever again.