There once lived a little girl, named Anastasia in a tiny village. Her soft silky hair harmonized with her smooth black skin. Her sparkly big blue eyes filled with innocence and love; one could only see and get lost in the sight of hope. Her life appeared picture-perfect. A father who loved her dearly. A mom who was always ready to listen. Older brothers protected and treated her like glass.
Everything felt ideal, but Anastasia had a secret. She never felted belonged. Always feeling different than all the other girls. She did not appreciate the company of her classmates. The mere thought of sitting in a small room stitching or cooking made her sick to her stomach. She desired to climb mountains or go horseback riding with her brothers, but her mother always kept on saying, "girls should perform acts which are ladylike."
Every day she would sit by the window to witness her father and brothers getting equipped to go out hunting. With a longing look in her eyes, she kept on wishing that she too was a boy.
On her sixteenth birthday, Anastasia had enough. She sought to have a voyage. Having been locked up in a tiny village, where everyone knew each other, she thought of a plan to escape this static life. Gathering all her courage, she took her belongings, straddled a horse, and started her journey. The beautiful sunny day welcomed her. The sun shining brightly. Suddenly Anastasia felt hopeful. She wanted to see all the wonders of the earth, where the ocean met the land. Go far away, a place where she could scream her heart out and no one will be there to judge her.
One day into her journey, she began to go through a forest. The ambiance having a creepy vibe. The hair on her neck stood up. At first, she shrugged it off as the cold wind blowing, but the more she kept on going in, the more chilling it got at a point where she could see her breath. It got immensely quiet; she could hear the crickets chirping—a faraway howl of a wolf and the cracklings of branches. Anastasia felt extremely terrified. Being from a sheltered home, swiftly, the thought of being utterly unaided hit her. Her mind wandering off, she did not realize the twig in front of her, making her fall onto her face. The loud thug, instantly making the birds fly away, horrendously.
The mud all over her cream dress disturbed her thinking process. Slowly getting up from the beat, pain beginning to settle in her foot, she considered to camp in the forest, for the night. Dragging her feet, she nuzzled into a small cave with weeds growing out of it. She looked into the dark pit and found nothing but herself. Her skin crawling like someone was keeping a strange eye, but no one around.
Just as Anastasia closed her eyes and started to drift off to sleep, abruptly, something grabbed her leg tightly and started to drag her across the forest. She kicked and screamed to let the grasp loose, however, the grip kept on getting snugger. Due to the darkness, she could not make out the monster, but with the touch, it felt like it was very lanky and sturdy, with rough skin.
What felt like a never-ending journey, the monster took Anastasia to a hollow cave near the end of the forest, a place where a small river was flowing profoundly. With the sun starting to rise, she could make out her surroundings more clearly. One look at the monster, Anastasia was petrified immensely. A seven-foot-tall beast with glowing yellow eyes and every tooth piercing black. Ears pointed out like an elf and his skin pale white, with a ruff exterior all over his body.
Anastasia was shocked. Unable to move her body or even comprehend the situation. She did not even know what the thing was. Afraid that the monster might rip her apart. She suddenly began to think of a plan to escape plan, but everything that came into mind would result in her death. Looking around, she saw a hefty rock by her side. If she is fast enough, she could attack the monster with the rock, she thought. Once the monster turned his back towards her, grabbing the rock with both hands, she charged it with the rock, with all her might. Unfortunately, the hit did nothing to the monster, instead made it angrier. The beast mumbled under his breath and hit Anastasia forcefully that she went flying, hitting her head on a tree. The monster approaching her with an irritated look upon his face. Anastasia backed away, but the monster grabbed her by the neck, lifting her in the air. Anastasia struggled to breathe, the only thing in her mind was her home, how she had a safe place to be. A place where everyone was there to protect. Maybe her parents were in the right to keep her locked away from the bizarre world. She felt regret and hopelessness in the situation.
Just as she was thinking her last thoughts, abruptly, the monster had let her go. Struggling to catch her breath, she saw the monster was hit by an arrow through the heart. With whimpering, he fell to the ground, took his last breath and went limp. Anastasia looked around but could not see her savior. All she heard was, “go back home; this is no place for a woman to be wandering alone.” Without a second thought, she started her journey back home. Wanting to be in the loving arms of her mother.
After a few days, she eventually found her way home. As she approached her home, she saw her mother in the garden. Looking worried and a painful look on her face. Suddenly Anastasia felt guilty for leaving without notice, but with what she had been through, she didn’t care about the circumstances. She ran towards her mother and hugged her tightly. The mother being surprised but hugged her back firmly. Whispering comforting words in her ear.
A few days later, Anastasia started to feel she belonged. She helped around the house. She started to go out to the village, visiting her friends. Building new things. As she walked in the fresh air, Anastasia thought that it is not the place that makes you feel belonged but how content the heart is. Everything has its meaning if looked through a different and positive angle.
