The Taboo Topics

Fairy Tales

Fairy tales, everyone knows about them, but little understand the meaning behind the simple, child-friendly words. The plot lines are always the same, and when you're young every little girl tells herself, that she will be swept off her feet by her Prince, and then they'll ride off into the sunset and live happily ever after.

I was no different, I would spent hours imagining what my one true love would look like, how we'd both be similar, and I'd even picture our serene arguments over what table cloth to use for dinner. I was a dreamer, in every single book I read the main character was always swept off her feet. I desperately wanted to be like her, and as a writer I wrote about that girl who was swept off her feet every day.

I loved to write, no I lived to write. Creating a piece of well-rounded literature for me was like flying to the moon. The rush of adrenaline was unexplainable, and indescribable. Whenever I typed the last word of an amazing story I was on a high.

But, no matter how well others thought of my work I knew there was always something missing. The two main characters cared for each other, and they loved each other, but I never experienced love, so how was I supposed to create the modern Romeo and Juliet without ever feeling it?

For months I went on blind date and after blind date. I went out with co-workers, old school mates and the occasional friend of a friend but I never felt that spark you're supposed to feel when you meet your soul mate.

I thought I was looking in the wrong place, so I decided to try internet dating, well that was a disaster. I went out with mama's boys to quote, "I'm going to rule the world, do you want to be my princess," nothing seemed to work.

Then, after seven years, my past came back to punch me in the gut. Humphrey Ragman.

For two weeks we staked out, and tried to hunt down Humphrey. And I, faithful to my writing, kept a journal, and continued to write. I grew close to the man Humphrey had framed, Ed, and his cousin Esther. we were the ones that stayed behind while the others went off in search of him, and trust me, none of us wanted this particular job but everyone in the house agreed that we should be the ones to "hold down the fort" just in case Humphrey and his band of criminals and rapists showed up while they were gone.

We would play cards, have dinner together and stay up late drinking beer and the occasional vodka. I always felt content when I went to sleep on nights where it was just the three of us, but eventually Esther convinced Valentino, her husband, to let her join the expedition party leaving only Ed and I. Boy, did we try to get the others to let us go, but they claimed "it was too risky to leave the house unattended" and since Ed and I both wanted to go the decision was made that we both stay.

I hated the fact that every single person in the house seemed to treat me like I was six. "I needed to be protected" were my fathers exact words. They all knew it was a sensitive subject so it was rarely brought up, but it still lingered in the air.

After three weeks of being locked up inside the house while the others were on an expedition I knew my brain was beginning to break down. I needed to leave, to be able to breathe in the fresh air.

So I did the first thing that came to my mind. I stuffed my journal and laptop into a bag, and planned to go down to the local park to write. It wasn't a safe neighbourhood considering the fact that there was a known Humphrey's gang members wife living down the street. I was well aware that many people were looking for me simply because I was best friends with the one and only, Paisley King. But at that moment I didn't care.

Everyone except Ed and I had left to go see if the location of a known rapist had been the correct assumption. So I knew it wouldn't be a problem if I left for a few hours. The moment I stepped onto the porch in front of the house a cold breeze blew my scarf into my face. I had not prepared for the cold weather.