Searching For Sanjar

The outside world was unknown to her, but she could see a glimpse of it through the window in his room.

Anima loved to watch the strange world unfold from behind the window of his room. But what she didn't know was who the man was who owned the room.

The world was strange, fruitful, and beautiful to behold. Yet, the man told her she could never set foot outside. This world was dangerous and could hurt the delicate flower.

Anima is the delicate flower. She didn't ask to be the delicate flower. But when she watched this world from the view in the window, it did not seem dangerous. It seemed beautiful and alive. Welcoming and embracing.

Yet, the master of the house told her it could destroy her. So she remained dutiful and obedient to his wish to remain inside, away from the outside world.

Every day she'd wake up alone. She'd make their bed, clean their room, light scented candles to freshen the fragrance, and go to the dining hall. No one else was in the house, but some force made her breakfast.

Some force opened the large wooden doors of the house for her. Except for the front door. No force opened this door for her to allow her to go outside.

If she felt lonely, she'd go to the library. This library was unlike any other library. This was a magical library.

She could grab any book she wanted from off the shelf and start reading it. After reading the first few pages of a book, she'd be immersed in it. She would feel like the character and would interact with the other characters as if they were real people.

Lately, she's been feeling discontent, though. These fake people no longer satisfy her longing for companionship. They no longer made her feel loved or welcomed. They felt like strawmen.

On this particular morning, she decided to not follow the usual routine. She woke up, but she did not make the bed. She stood up and walked out of the room. She walked up and down the halls of the palace.

The crystal engraved walls and windows always stunned her with their beauty. But they did not stun her this day.

Something about the walls seemed fake. They lacked the shine. They lacked their typical beauty. When she reached out to touch the walls, they retreated away from her touch.

This startled her. She continued her walk down the corridors, but everything felt wrong. She felt alone for the first time since she arrived here. At this thought, she stopped walking and gasped.

Wait, she thought, since I arrived here. Did I arrive here? Or was I always here? What am I doing here?

As these thoughts spilled over her mind, something very strange started to occur. The dark room where she stood filled with a sweet-smelling gas. It filled her lungs and spilled through her body. Her limbs grew weak, and she felt her body fall to the porcelain floor beneath her.

The whole room fell into a brilliant burst of glass. She felt her body fall through the darkness until her body hit a stone. There she sat suspended in darkness without a sound or a presence to disrupt the hollow hole she fell into.

"Anima," a voice came to her from the shadows around her. "Anima."

"Yes?" she answered the voice. She could not turn her head or look around her. She waited, completely frozen, waiting for the voice to speak to her again.

"You are being held in a curse," the voice told her. "An evil wizard is holding you captive. Tonight, while he rests, use this light to see his face. You will see that he is truly a monster. Flee."

"Where can I go?" Anima asked. "The world outside wants to destroy me."

"No, Anima," the voice told her. "The world inside you, ruled by the wizard, wants to destroy you. You must break out and flee tonight."

"Okay, I will," Anima told the voice.

As soon as she said those words, the palace returned. The only thing which remained from the daydream was a small candle in her hands.

I must flee tonight.....