It’s dark. The darkness scares me.
This was the first thing I noticed as I opened my eyes. A few seconds, maybe minutes, have passed since then, and I am slowly recovering from the shock. My brain begins to function rationally, which allows me to think through what just happened.
Well, to be honest, there isn’t much information to process. I might have woken up from a deep slumber, found myself in the dark alone and could barely move, even to this point. That’s about it. As for the reason why, I do not know. My memory of everything before the sleep had been washed away.
But perhaps the reason is not important at all. What’s most important is to get myself out of here as soon as possible.
I try to move my arms again. It works this time, but I can only stretch out in a certain area. When my arms try to reach farther, something solid blocks them.
There are walls around me, probably merely one or two inches from where I stand. Great, at least the walls are not moving inwards. I am lucky.
The hell I am! I am trapped in the middle of nowhere. Maybe temporarily, or maybe forever.
The word “forever” reverberates in my head and brings all the fear back, like tiny little creatures crawling up and down my body. I start to struggle, attempting to cast the negative emotions away, yet in the end I fail and am swallowed by despair.
Just when I’m about to give up, something comes to my attention: the floor is shaking. Not only that, but it seems like the walls, the ceiling—the whole room is moving back and forth. While I know the sudden movement was caused by me as I hit and kicked the walls, I also realize that there is still hope. Since the room is easily affected by my movement, it must be somewhat light and perhaps breakable. Also, based on the way the room swings, I believe it might be hung on something, maybe a shaft, a stick or…a tree!
That’s right! The memory’s coming back! I know this. It is the moment I have been anticipating for a long, long time.
I use all my strength to push the walls in opposite directions, causing a gap big enough for me to pass through. Finally, there is no need to fear because a brand new life awaits me in the azure sky.
I take one step, one more and another. Then I jump, spread my wings and fly toward the sun—
“Mommy, look! There’s a fairy!”
“Don’t be silly, sweetheart. It’s a butterfly, a beautiful one.”