A World Away

Chapter 1

It was evening now a little past four and I sat in my room wondering about life and what it meant to really be alive... Was it the joy and the rush of feelings coursing through one's body or was it the happiness you gave to someone else, or maybe it was just the fact that your heart pumped blood through one's veins keeping one alive. I was furious at how petty my mind was, how frail it made me seem and in the eyes of the one that mattered most to me it seemed as though I was a ghost, invisible to the world. Cross legged leaning against my cold bedroom wall I pondered my next life choice. Would I get out into the world and just knock down anything that got in my way or would I slip back into the shy, quiet frail child I knew I was.

I know what I wanted my answer to be, but in reality, that was much harder to accomplish. I was afraid of the world and everything in it, only feeling truly comfortable alone in my home. I watched countless movies and each time I would get a swell of confidence and pretend to be daring only for the door to open signaling my parents were home and I was yet again no one important or famous. I had no friends, I was completely alone, it became a part of me the solitude, the silence. I was no longer afraid of the dark or my thoughts and those would frequently come pouring in like waves upon the shore. I started living in the worlds I built in my head, my own fairytales, journey's that had so many wonderful creatures and people that I didn't need the real world for I had these amazing people that I could conjure up at any time.

The sound of my tanks giving off a soft bubbling as I slowly slipped away into the depths of my imagination. I smiled, sighing as I felt the familiar pang of loneliness slip away as I dived deeper into my mind. This was my home, not that place I slept in or the walls that surrounded me day in and day out, but my mind. I began day dreaming of my favorite things smiling the whole time sinking further and further away from my body until I was immersed in my mind. I no longer felt the soft sheets of my bed underneath me, it had instead transformed into the darkness of the night just on the outskirts of a little town. There were flames flickering on windowsills casting ghastly shadows as I crept by rows of small houses, smiling as I came upon my favorite. I looked up in awe at the grand castle towering above the small town, its majestic walls towered over the town, with the moon's glow it gave this peaceful grace to the castle, beckoning me to explore its extravagance from the inside. I started following my feet as they took me closer to it, never once lifting my gaze away from the sight in front of me I made my way to the drawbridge soaking in every detail from the rocks crunching under my feet to the swirls in the grain of wood on the bridge itself. This was the closest I've ever been to the castle but with a surge of confidence I walked onto the bridge, the thuds of my shoes echoed loudly on the beams as I traveled the length of the river below. It was amazing, I could see people milling about in groups going about their own business, taverns filled to the brim with customers laughing and enjoying telling tales of the day's events.

The smells, oh those smells carried with them the sense of home, my mouth watered as the scents hit my nose. I could smell ale, and meat being cooked, I could hear the clanking of food hitting the tables and the ripping of bread being pulled apart. I had to go inside, I needed to go inside, this overpowering urge to be with these people hit me hard. I had never talked or had even been seen by anyone before in these dreams but that was all about to change, and all because of food, great heaping piles of fresh steamy food. I followed my nose to the tavern and almost got hit a few times by people rushing to get home after a hard day's work. I was almost to the tavern when I heard the hooves of many horses thundering down the small street, heart racing I watched as they rounded the corner fast approaching where I stood. I was mesmerized by the big black steeds holding their riders effortlessly, the coats shining with sweat as if they too had a very long day.

"Make way for the Prince, make way!" I heard someone shout as the horses were now almost upon me, it was then that fear struck, I was in the way with nowhere to go, I was going to get trampled and die in a dream because of the damned good smelling food. I could smell the rancid odor as I was rooted to the spot hoping I was small enough and they could pass by me, I squeezed my eyes shut as the dust kicked up from the horses clouded my vision. Coughing from the dust I lowered my head and tried to be as small as I could as the first horse galloped by missing me by a few feet. Covering my mouth, I looked up and saw a whole troop riding at me, my heart was now working overtime with the fear of not making it out of this alive. Wide eyed and coughing the horses continued to ride by me not coming any closer than a foot, the dust swirling higher as each horse passed me by. The last few horses were much slower and then I saw him, the prince. Clad in a cloak as red a fresh blood he sat high backed on his immense horse, his raven black hair flowing behind him as the wind blew by sending a cloud of dust into his eyes, he ducked turning his head away from the sand and his narrowed eyes landed on me, it felt as though they pierced through me. He reigned in his horse right in front of me, the horse not wanting to stop stamped its hoof and blew hot air into my face causing me to recoil. The horse's breathing was hard and I could see the intelligence in its eyes as it stared at me, I lifted my hand to touch it but was stopped when the prince spoke.