Two Sides of a Story

A little girl stumbled into a very dark room.

Her eyes nervously and sneakily wandered here and there, back and forth. From her eyes, she cannot see anything. Squinting in the darkness, the little girl can't seem to find the strange lamb anywhere.

As the little girl looked around, she noticed something appearing in the dark. A light, glowing in a void of nothingness. Like an illusion, the light dances in the dark, alone.

Hypnotic

The little girl couldn't help but take a step towards it. As she did so, murmurings began whispering into her ears, begging her to step even closer. Pushing her.

Pulling her.

So, ever so softly, the little girl took another step forward.

Then another.

Then another.

She walked closer and closer, step by step. While she did so, the door behind her shut quietly.

Still, her eyes, ever so glazed and dazed, focused on the light.

...

For the first time, Abilene felt she was stepping on a tightrope, with nothingness underneath her. If she trips, she'll fall into the void.

The girl did not want to make any remarks that'll get her killed.

'What have I gotten myself into, Abi you fool!' she cursed herself, instinctively sneaking a glance at the woman following behind her.

For a while now, the strange woman has remained silent, but Abilene could tell something was brewing underneath the silence.

Like a volcano ready to erupt, its fury will mark the ground and the skies with its rage. Everywhere smoke and black rock touches, nothing will be left untouched, unmarked.

'How do I even know what a volcano is?' the little girl suddenly thought.

She shrugged it off. She probably read it in a book or scroll. Anyways, this is no time for idle thoughts.

Abilene can only hope that fury will not be unleashed upon her fellow villagers as she spotted the village gates up ahead.

At the sight of her village coming closer and closer, the girl gripped her fists. Knowing her fellow villagers, they would surely anger Her Highness.

'Was it 'Her Highness' or 'Her Majesty?''

Whichever one it was, the girl didn't really know. After all, she had never met royalty until now!

Abilene shook her head, gripping her fists even tighter. That didn't matter now. What matters now is warning Her Majesty of what is to come.

Exhaling shakily, she hesitantly. turned her head behind her...

And saw nothing.

...

"Why, why? Why is this happening to us? What did we do to deserve this?

"So many bad days are coming...why are we cursed to endure such a trial?"

"Its probably because of that 'cursed' child..."

Murmurs and whispers came from the crowd, and suddenly footsteps came from the entrance, interrupting their chatterings.

Some of the villagers narrowed their eyes as a smiling little girl entered the village, walking past them.

"Oh, good day everyone!" Abilene waved her hand happily when she noticed the group was watching her.

The group only stared at her silently before turning away from her, conversing with each other again.

Abilene's shoulders dropped, and she simply and quietly walked away. The woman following her glanced at the crowd before following after the girl.

No one seemed to notice her.

...

They arrived at what seems to be a house.

It is unknown if it was actually a house because it looked as if it had been eroded by wind and rain. If it was once a nice, simple house, nome of its simplistic beauty remains. Now what stood there was a ramshackled shelter, full of holes and mold.

The wood-or was it something else-looked incredibly dark. It was already dark, and with the world being every so dim and gray, it made the wood look much more dull.

It looked so incredibly dilapidated and uninhabitable, perhaps living under a tree would be better. The roof seemed to be filled with holes as well, allowing rain and snow to fall into the house. The holes in the wall can allow the cold wind to blow inside, chilling those who dare to dwell inside.

Abilene walked towards it, and within a few feet away, a voice came from the right.

"Hey jinx!"

The sound of something flying through the wind came from her right ear. Abilene automatically ducked, hands covering her head.

𝘛𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘱!

Turning her head towards the direction where the thing landed, she saw a mud ball splattered on the ground..

The sounds of children laughing erupted from behind her, and Abilene instinctively looked behind her. A group of children pointing at her while covering their stomachs, laughing at her. In the front was a snobbish girl, who looked to be a bit taller then the rest. She was the one who threw the mudball, as mud dripped from her right hand.

Abilene only shook her head at the sight. Then, the group of children began making more mud balls, and Abilene ran towards the broken down shelter, her hands covering her head.

The woman only watched her run inside before turning her head towards the group of children. She remained standing there looking at them, and after a few seconds began following Abilene inside.

'Contemptuous fools of all shapes and sizes exist everywhere after all,' the woman thought.

...

A girl entered her broken house.

Tired, Abilene shakily walked back to her makeshift bed, which was just a pile of hay.

Standing over it, she fell face first onto the pile, pieces of hay flying everywhere around her.

"Was it...just a dream? All that magic? Those two people?" she mumbled into the hay.

Was she daydreaming after all? A hopeful illusion her mind fabricated in order for her to feel better? An attempt to lift the loneliness spell off of her?

Abilene sank deeper into the hay, her mind falling deeper and deeper into the darkness. Sinking deeper, she let herself be consumed, to be embraced by nothing...

As she sunk deeper, the girl suddenly heard footsteps entering the house.

Quickly getting up and dusting the leftover hay off herself, she turned to greet the visitor.

"Oh, welc-oh Your Majesty!"

Abilene's face brightened, and the dark, dull aura around her seemed to die out. Instead, it was replaced by a dull, yet light aura. The world around her seemed to brighten up ever so slightly.

"P-please make yourself comfortable, there's not much here, but..."

The girl trailed off as the woman simply sat onto the hay bed, her staff laid across her thighs.

Then, Abilene instantly tried to think of ways to entertain her guest.

For the first time ever, someone entered her house! This is the first time someone ever officially entered her home! As the host of the house, she must find a way to entertain her guests...

But how?

As the girl tried to think of a way, she suddenly remembered something.

'You know what? Maybe I can show Her Majesty my secret stash of treasures!' Abilene thought, stars sparkling in her eyes.

"Please wait a moment Your Majesty!"

Excited, she went to each spot on the wall and peered. through the holes. Seeing that there was no one nearby, she exhaled in relief. Walking back to the center of the room., she went to a specific spot on the wooden floor, and knelt before it.

Amongst the wooden planks that make up the floor, one particular one was slightly different from the rest. Abilene touched it, and gave it a push, and a small opening appeared. Taking a deep breath, the girl put both her hands into the opening, and heaved.

"Ugh...!"

After a few seconds of harsh breathing and pulling, and with effort, the plank of wood rose. Raising it high enough, Abilene moved it to the side, and gently placed it down.

Huffing and gasping with exhaustion, the girl put her hand inside the hole in the floor. With a grunt, she dragged out...a faint brown bag.

Sitting onto the ground, she placed the bag onto her lap, and opened it. As it opened, she put her two hands inside, bringing out her treasures.

The first was a red bowtie, an accessory to place onto a hair.

The second thing Abilene brought out were two dolls.

Finally, the girl brought out the last item.

It was a book.

An incredibly old book. The pages looked to be a mixture of light brown and yellow. If one were to put the book closer to his or her face, it would give off a faint hint of vanilla. The cover was dark brown, and the picture on it looked to be faint, but taking a closer look, ones eye can make out two figures. The two looked to be staring at each other, underneath a tree.

Unbeknownst to the girl, the butterfly's wings fluttered. The woman glanced to the side unnoticeably as Abilene laid the bag aside, bringing the book onto her lap.

"I hide my secret stash in the ground just in case if anyone tries to steal it," Abilene said, beginning to brush the dust off. It must've been underground for a while, as there were still pieces of dust around it.

"As for these treasures...well, it was quite a while ago. It was a long time ago...two years I think?

The girl looked to be pondering, tilting her head. Then she quickly shook her head.

"A while back, I didn't understand why the people here dislike me. I was sad, and so I ran away, trying to escape from everything. But then I found these treasures, along with this book."

Abilene finished brushing the leftover dust off, and began patting the book. The cover gave a soft 𝘵𝘩𝘶𝘥 each time her hands patted the hard cover.

"This book along with the treasures, were found in the ruins far from here," she whispered nostalgically, her hand slowly moving across the book's surface.

The woman only watched as the girl seemed to fall into a daze, looking at the book with nostalgia. Time passed, and suddenly the girl's head looked up at the woman.

"Ah! Sorry about that Your High-I mean Your Ma-Majesty! I got lost in thought, that's all..."

She bowed her head, apologizing. However, the woman continued to watch her silently.

A few moments passed, and as the girl felt a bit uncomfortable, she suddenly had a thought.

"Um, 'You-Your Majesty?' Before I want to talk about this book, I want to tell you a story."

Abilene sneakily looked at the woman, her fingers gripping her clothes. Breathing deeply, she tried to gather as much confidence as possible inside her.

"I mean...may-may I tell you a story, Your Majesty?" the girl stuttered.

The woman only seemed to stare at her, and Abilene awkwardly moved her eyes away, looking here and there.

Moments passed, and before things got too awkward, the woman barely nodded. The girl, sitting before her, brightened instantly.

"Thank you Your Majesty!" Abilene said with eagerness, before quickly coughing into her fist.

"Excuse me for my excitement. Now then, this is the first time I'm ever telling a story, so please, bare with me Your Majesty."

𝘒𝘶𝘩𝘶𝘮.

Coughing into her fist once more, Abilene inhaled deeply, then exhaled softly, closing her eyes in remembrance.

...

The story was a simple fairy tale.

It was so simplistic, even a child could make it.

...now, where were we again?

Ah, yes. The story.

Let's begin, shall we?

This story is about a simple boy...becoming a monster.

...

===============================

There was once a simple boy who lived in a quiet, small village.

Life was simple, and the boy enjoyed such a simple life.

Money, fame, power...the boy didn't want none of it. All he wanted was a simple life.

Then one day a disaster was brought onto the peaceful village.

From the ashes of the village, from the body of a boy who lived simply, a monster was born.

With hatred and rage, the monster terrorized the world, and everyone who lived in it shook in terror. They were unable to defend themselves against such a being.

Even if they can, it was delaying the inevitable.

Everyone screamed and accepted their fates powerlessly as the monster rampaged, killing and killing, never stopping.

One day, suddenly, from the dark clouds that covered the sky, a ray of light shined through.

On the place where the light shone was a person. It was no ordinary person, however.

It was a hero. A hero!

A hero had come to save them all!

The light that shone on the hero bathed those who felt anguish, and from it, a small seed of light was born inside those in anguish.

For the first time in a long while, the people finally felt hope. They cried out for the hero to save them, sending their wishes to the hero. Listening to their anguish cries, the hero slayed the monster.

The monster perished, and the world finally welcomed an age of peace.

The world lived happily ever after.

===============================

...

"...that's the story I've heard during my days here in my childhood," Abilene finished.

Then, she quickly took a peek at the woman. She seemed to be currently sitting on the hay, motionless.

Just as before.

When Abilene was reciting the story, the woman remained as still as a statue.

Seeing that the woman was quiet, the girl moved on.

"The most common story around here is that the monster was just a monster who hated everyone, and the hero destroyed it. Finally, the whole world was saved."

Suddenly, movement came from the woman. Daring her eyes, Abilene saw that the woman's head was vaguely bowed. It was about as vague as an hour hand of a clock, not moving even the slightest bit as the minute hand moves.

"...yes, I have some recollection of a similar story. Although some parts were different, they were the same."

"Really? Wow..." the girl blinked awed. Then she quickly moved on, just in case Her Majesty got bored.

"Anyways, this book tells a different story."

Abilene showed the book in her hands-the cover facing to the front of her, to the woman.

"People say that there are always two sides to the same story, so this one must be the other side of the story, since this one was much different to the one I've heard before."

"The first is the happy one. It speaks of a fairy tale, known to all children in the world. I think."

The girl then turned the book's cover, it facing her.

"This one, however, is much different. This one is the other side of the story. A different perspective I think it's called."

Abilene shook her head.

"I've asked around, and the villagers never heard of a different tale than from this one. That's when I knew...I found a treasure."

The girl's eyes sparkled then, like the stars amidst the dark skies.

"Discovering this book, it was like digging up a rare treasure. It was as if this book has been lost to time. Just like the other things I've found, they're my secret stash, my treasures. Just the thought of finding these things makes me feel so excited, don't you agree-ah."

Abilene stopped, and she felt frightful. Her excitement got the better of her, and she babbled on and on about her treasures, she even forgot Her Majesty was here!

"..."

Then, the girl had a thought. Perhaps talking about her treasures with someone else made her feel excited.

Maybe that's why she forgot.

At the thought, Abilene sagged to the ground listlessly.

Perhaps all this time, what she really wanted was...someone whom she can confide in. Someone whom she can share her joys with. Someone who can stand shoulder to shoulder with her in times of need.

A friend.

Abilene sighed. Suddenly, she swiftly coughed into her first.

𝘒𝘶𝘩𝘶𝘮.

Abilene shook her quickly, her hair swaying left and right. Now was not the time to feel lonely. Here was someone whom she can talk with! No time can possibly be wasted right now!

Sitting up upright, she brought the book onto her lap.

"Now then, Your Majesty. With your per-permission, let me tell you of the story inside this book...?"

Ending it in a question, she sneakily took a peek at the woman sitting slightly above her. Within a few seconds, Abilene noticed the woman barely nodding her head. Beaming with joy she quickly flipped the cover of the book, opening to the first page.