Beyond Eternity

The mossy flooring, the cracked walls, the ceiling that gives way to vines, all these that have been left undisturbed for a long time only show a long dead past. The silent halls of stone echo the sound of a pair of shoes, a dim lamp is the only thing that gives off light, the small lone figure holding it only keeps walking, unfazed by the deep darkness beyond her lamp, by the deafening silence of the labyrinthic paths or the fact that she is alone, in complete isolation. No, she is no longer affected by all that.   “This is all too boring.” She thought to herself.   “I practically know and recall every nook and cranny of this area by now, heh. I could even escape even were I to turn off the lamp, not like I'd actually do it though.”   The girl kept walking, constantly humming to herself a tune, occasionally blurting out its would be lyrics.   She turned right and continued to what would be an ancient prison cell, within the dull windowless room, the only company were a family of rats and a skeleton sitting by the other end of the wall facing the girl.   “How are you today? What have you got for me this time?” She asked.   It was just a few moments before dawn when the girl had left the dungeon, now looking into the pink-purple sky that was formerly blocked from her eyes due to being underground, she walked into what seemed to have been a garden of some sort, with all its plants now overgrown. There was a fountain no longer in use and beyond it, two benches and a table in between them under a roof, all made of stone, she sat on the left bench and watched as the sun rose from beyond the horizon, giving the sea a yellowish sparkle and adding new shades of color to the sky. She stayed there for a while, marveling it all, she only left once the sky was no more than a light shade of blue and the clouds were no longer tinted but merely white.   That day, she visited the castle, climbed the ramparts, explored the hidden crypts, skipped around the village and did whatever she felt like doing, she dressed up, she read books, she painted, she sat on the throne, she napped, she picked flowers, made a wreath for herself, she sang, she danced, climbed the trees, swam at both the pond and the sea. Later, she watched the sun set from the castle balcony, stared at the night sky for hours upon hours, marveling it all and wishing whenever a shooting star appears, eventually sleeping wherever she pleased without needing to worry about her own safety, she did all that and more.   In all this however, she found little joy, she would do whatever it takes to alleviate her boredom, to keep her from the feeling of sadness, to keep her sane. For all that she clings on to are the very wishes she makes, these make up her tiny speck of hope.   The girl wasn’t bound by any sort of rule, she had the absolute freedom to do everything she wanted to in the island kingdom, and so she used it. She lived in the castle like how a peasant girl would wish, she lived without needing to follow rules like how a princess would wish, she played the jester, the maid, the warlord, the fisherman, the gardener, the queen. She lived the dream of every single type of would be citizen, knight, lord, even ruler of the kingdom, that is, if any of them still existed.   The girl has practically everything but has nobody. There is no king, queen, prince or princess here, no knights, no peasants, no servants, no slaves, no. There is nobody else but her in this place. And so everything is meaningless, if there was something she could do that would have any real meaning, it would be to escape the island and find civilization, however there is no other landmass apart from it that can be seen anywhere, the ocean beyond is empty, and so she couldn't risk getting herself killed trying to escape and find another land that might not even be there. She could do as she pleased but nothing would please her anymore, she could do everything but everything is pointless, any kind of happiness she would find is fleeting, and it would keep evading her. She is free but also trapped and she knew all this. Only with the birds, the bats, the squirrels, the wolves, the foxes and her very own thoughts to keep her company.   The girl was lonely, for she was alone, there was no other human being in sight for a long time, she knew her despair, for despite how bright the sun shone upon her, her world is dark and with little color, little hope. Everything she did felt pointless, and as the days turn to months turn to years turn decades turn to time immemorial, the more hollowed her heart becomes.   Is she waiting for something? She knew she was told to, but as more time passes, the more unsure she becomes. She grew restless but knew there was nothing she could do. All she truly does each day is live for the next one, over and over, time and time again, hoping that the cycle could one day be broken from the outside for she herself cannot.   “Perhaps one day this will all end.”   “Perhaps one day, something truly new will arrive.”   “Perhaps one day, one like myself will hear my voice.”   “Perhaps one day, I can show my world to one of my own.”   “Perhaps one day, I can leave.”   “Perhaps one day, I can give myself purpose.”   “Perhaps one day…   “Perhaps.”   Thoughts like this circle her head every so often, but she doesn’t want to think of them for it makes her aware of her own plight and when she does, it hollows her out even more. But even so, the girl believed that it had to end one day, and so she did not despair. Regardless of how tiny her light of hope was, she never let it be extinguished.