Emperor of Mayhem

t h i r t y - s i x

// T  H  E   M  E  R  R  Y  G  O  R  O  U  N  D \\

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It was a rather beautiful morning, so I thought. Birds chirping away a song which though unknown but my soul still reckoned with. But the trees, however, seemed to know this melody all too well as their leaves danced gracefully, each sway in a perfect rhythm to the echo. 

As beautiful as it was, I couldn't help but sigh rather out of plight. It was definitely going to be another long day. A really long, boring and treacherous day of doing nothing but sleeping—if I got my hands on a new book—reading then eating. The whole process would repeat itself like the merry go round until the blue sky would pull on its gloomy, dark blanket as it summoned souls to rest until another day. 

I wasn't going to lie or continue denying the fact that this routine wasn't becoming tiring. I wasn't sure I could take it anymore. 

This prison was starting to choke the life out of me.

I wanted to get out, see past these high walls and this iron gate. I wanted to know what the wind outside felt like, and I didn't mean the wind when I stepped just into the compound.

I didn't even know what the colour of the next house was. I wasn't even sure if we lived in the heart of the city or the outskirts of it. Although I would often hear the loud blares of some really heavy engines. It didn't sound like a car, not in the slightest bit. It was usually very deafening. My guess was that it could be a train or something. 

It would have been nice to see the city, the highway and little shops lined up on the street, perhaps a diner or a coffee shop that sells pastries too. I wouldn't have even minded if all I could do was view it from the car.

I wanted to see what the world was like outside this dark castle of his. But the king wouldn't let me. "It's dangerous out there, darling. He would say, stroking my hair. "I can't be careless again to let you wander into danger. He would try to convince me, a subtle patronizing kiss being showered on my head and face. "Stay right here within these walls with me. Where I can see you. Where no man can catch a whiff of your existence. It's safer beside me like this, baby. He would be so stubborn with his belief. And I would be left wondering still what exactly constituted such danger that seemed to be out only to get me. Why was the world so dangerous for only me?

Coupled up with the frustration of not knowing the life I had lived before the tragedy of a few months ago, it was getting so bad I had thought of hatching a plan to  sneak out even if it was for a few minutes. But I would cower again when it would dawn on me that it was impossible. The amount of technology built into every nook and cranny in this house these days was beyond me. It had reached a point where he would be alerted by an alarm when I stepped out of the room. He had eyes everywhere like a hawk now. At a point I started to think we were living in a virtual universe.

My dark king made sure he had his pretty eyes on me twenty-four seven. If he was going to the gym, he would drag me along, if he was swimming I would sit at the bench waiting and being useless because I didn't know how to swim and I wasn't ready to learn. If he was in the study doing some paperwork, I would be there reading a book so boredom wouldn't kill me in the end.

When I complained that if he wouldn't let me out, he should buy me books at least, he began the project to build a huge library for me in the house. They had been modeling it to my taste, I had even seen them through the window bringing truckloads of books. But they wouldn't let me see it until it was done.