Whims of a Quiet Dreamer

Chapter 1: The Little Kingdom

The faint sound of traffic murmured outside Sithu's apartment, but inside, it was a world away. Her small living space was a cocoon, filled with books stacked on shelves, whimsical trinkets collected over the years, and the soft hum of the kettle boiling water for her evening tea. She stood by the window, watching the gentle sway of the tree branches outside. To everyone else, she was a strange figure, an adult who still hadn't grown into the roles society expected of her.

But for Sithu, growing up wasn't what it seemed to be for others. She wasn't sure if she ever would—or wanted to. The people around her, her parents especially, kept hinting that it was time she settled into a life that made sense to them: a steady partner, maybe children, something they could understand.

Sithu didn't mind their concern, but she had her own world to inhabit. A world of daydreams and stories, where whimsical dresses and mismatched socks were part of her uniform, and the rules didn't apply the way they did outside. In this kingdom of books and childlike wonders, she felt safe, free to explore the endless fantasies her mind could create.

Her phone buzzed on the counter, shaking her from her thoughts. A message from Jaren, her best friend. He was the one person who had never questioned her oddities. Though he lived far enough away that they could only meet once a month, their friendship was as steady as the tides. "Still on for next weekend? Same place, same time?" the text read.

Sithu smiled and tapped out a quick, affirmative response before curling back into her armchair. She still had a few hours before bed, and there was a new fantasy novel waiting for her on the table. The smell of the book's pages greeted her like an old friend, and as she sank into the story, the rest of the world fell away, leaving just the soft sounds of a dreamer lost in her own little kingdom.