The Prison of Lies

A Lonely Birthday

The sunlight filtered through the high, dusty windows of the mansion, casting long shadows across the grand dining room. Elara sat at the large oak table, staring down at the small cake in front of her. It was her seventeenth birthday, though it didn't feel like much of a celebration.

The cake was plain, just a small white thing with a single candle flickering on top. There were no balloons, no decorations, and certainly no friends to share it with. Just the usual silence of the mansion, broken only by the occasional crackling of the fire in the distant hearth.

Mother stood by the doorway, her hands clasped tightly in front of her. She wore the same stern expression she always did, her lips pressed into a thin line. Father sat at the end of the table, reading the newspaper, barely acknowledging the day or his "daughter."

"Make a wish, Elara," Mother said coldly.

Elara looked at the candle, its tiny flame dancing in the still air. What could she even wish for? She had never known anything beyond these walls. Her life was routine, suffocating in its sameness. She had no friends, no one to talk to other than Mother and Father, and her only escape was through the books she read or the glimpses of the outside world through the mansion's tall windows.

But this year, something felt different. A deep restlessness stirred within her, a growing desire for freedom, for something more than the confined life she had always known. She didn't want to make the same wish she had made every year before—to be happy with the life she had. She wanted more.

With a deep breath, Elara closed her eyes.

I wish to be free.

She blew out the candle, the tiny puff of smoke curling into the air as the flame disappeared. But even as she made the wish, she knew it was impossible. Mother and Father would never let her leave, never let her experience the world beyond the mansion.

"There, it's done," Mother said, her voice as sharp as ever. She stepped forward and sliced a small piece of the cake, placing it in front of Elara. "Seventeen. You're growing up, but remember, Elara, your place is here. The world out there is dangerous, and I won't have you endangering yourself."

Elara nodded, though her mind was far from the room. She felt a pang of disappointment. Every year was the same—no excitement, no celebration, just a reminder that she was trapped.

As they ate in silence, Elara's thoughts wandered to the strange dream she had the night before. In the dream, she had been standing at the edge of the forest, looking up at the stars. The wind had been warm, and there had been a feeling of endless possibility. She had seen herself running, her feet pounding the earth, her heart racing with the thrill of freedom. The world had stretched out before her, vast and unknown.

The dream had felt so real, more real than anything she had ever experienced within the confines of the mansion.

"Elara," Father's voice interrupted her thoughts. He had finally looked up from his newspaper, his cold eyes fixing on her. "You're not still thinking about... outside, are you?"

Elara hesitated. She had asked about the outside world less and less over the years, knowing it always led to sharp words and stern warnings. But on her birthday, something inside her pushed her to ask again.

"What if... what if it's not as dangerous as you say?" she asked softly, barely able to meet his gaze.

Mother's face immediately darkened, her sharp voice cutting through the air. "We've told you time and again, Elara. The world outside is full of dangers—monsters, criminals, chaos. You wouldn't survive a day."

"But I've never even seen it," Elara protested, the words slipping out before she could stop them. "How can I know for sure?"

Mother slammed her hand down on the table, making Elara flinch. "Enough!" she snapped. "You will not speak of this again, Elara. We keep you safe for a reason."

Silence fell over the room, heavier than before. Elara lowered her gaze, her heart sinking. Once again, the subject was closed. But the question lingered in her mind. What if they were wrong? What if there was more to the world than danger and fear?

After the meal, Mother and Father left the room without another word, leaving Elara alone with her thoughts and the small, now half-eaten cake.

As she sat there in the dim light of the fading day, Elara made a decision. She couldn't spend another year wondering, another year imprisoned in a life that felt so small. Something had to change. This birthday, she would no longer settle for the safety of the mansion's walls. She had to see the world beyond the iron gates, no matter what it took.

For the first time in her life, Elara didn't feel afraid. Instead, she felt a flicker of excitement, of hope.

This year, she would find a way to escape.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This chapter highlights Elara's growing restlessness and dissatisfaction with her confined life. Her birthday, a symbol of another year lost in isolation, becomes the turning point where she starts to actively consider breaking free, despite her "parents'" warnings.

4o