| Another Dimension a short story by Keti |
| The world is something to be unsure about because people are their own worst enemies. No matter what, the one person who will hurt someone the most will always be themselves. I�m not a philosopher; I�m a confused young woman trying to find her way. I have accomplished some things, but now it is time that I reveal a small part of my life to the world; it is time my story was told. Born to understanding parents in a middle-class family, I have lived a privileged life. Few struggles have I faced, few things have I not attained. But I seek a deeper meaning, a deeper truth to it all. I allow myself friends like myself of varying types, yet something still calls upon me. I do not know how I always end up in trouble, but again, I have fallen in trouble, yet I cannot quite explain how. On another average day, I gaze into my mirror, longing for a more beautiful face. Suddenly, it is there. I see it plainly before my eyes. It is me, except, it isn�t. I take out my pocket mirror to find that my reflection is the same as before in that. But when I look into my old antique mirror by my window, I see myself as a beautiful princess. I step into the mirror. The world I step into is like that of mystical lands from books, except it feels so real. I walk out of the room I am in as it is very dark. I explore the woods some, but there is something very uncanny about this place. I see people everywhere, dressed as I, in beautiful garments of silk and precious metals. There are no horses within sight, and no one�s clothes are anything less than perfect, including my own. I trample through mud and look down, expecting to find part of my dress ruined, but alas, it is not. Everything is still neat and perfect as if I had never gone through the mud in the first place. What a strange place this is. It is as if all is perfect here. How strange? I think in my head. I pass through people and smile gaily, but after some time, I realize that no one notices me. No one sees me. I venture to the castle, undisturbed, but not a soul even notices my movements. I walk, blind, from room to room, until I find a room that is most beautiful. Upon searching it, I find it is my room. A portrait of me hangs upon the wall, and my closet is full of millions of other garments. The room is a lush red with pink and purple highlights all around. Suddenly, there is the sound of someone crying. A young man, looking to be my age, walks into the room, tears streaming down his face. He lies upon my bed hysterically. �Love, my sweet love, what has been done to you? A princess you are so show yourself. Show yourself to me, love. Show yourself! Oh, why do you hide?� he wails. �Here I am,� I whisper. He moves, as if he heard me, but he cannot see me. �Here I am,� I say more loudly, hoping he can find me by using his ears. Again, he searches to find the root of my voice, but his attempts end after a while of search. "HERE I AM!� I scream. I feel the color return to my cheeks. As soon as this young man sees me, he runs to me. I am now entwined in his arms as if he is clutching me like I almost died. �Why could you not see me?� I question. �I could not see you through the thickness of the day. To my mind you were lost, but now you are found,� he calmly replied, again clinging to me as if letting go of me would kill me. I do not remember how, but sleep came upon me. When I awoke, many were buzzing around me. There was fear and confusion on their faces. Upon my awakening, they all stared upon me. I felt as if I was a diseased child in a hospital bed. �I do not wish for you to be here. I am a princess, and I shall have my way,� I calmly retorted to all their annoying questions. Suddenly, they disappeared. My love, who I now know as Remor, took their place. He held my hand and silently led me through the woods. He showed me the paths and gazed into my eyes for minutes on end before continuing on. He leads me back to our castle and we fall asleep, as two souls connected into one form. Music plays softly in the background as I awaken. Not more than a few moments� later servants come in. They change me into my daily gown and Remor vanishes upon their appearance. As soon as my servants are done changing me, Remor leads me to the stream. He teaches me how to swim. I, a person so afraid of water, trust Remor, and learn to swim in creek. After several hours of swimming we head back up to the castle. I ask my servants if I may go swimming again. They question me on when I went swimming and with whom. After I tell them, they stay I must remain confined to my room as I have broken my privileges again. I do not understand. I n the night, Remor rescues me and carries me to his palace. We joke and laugh like lovers. After hours of laughter and a few drinks, we sleep peacefully. The next day, men in long coats carry me back to my castle, promising that if I leave it again, my life will be horrible. I am unsure of what laws I have broken so I try to ask my servants. They won�t speak to me so I turn to a fellow castle-mate. Angela, that�s her name, explains to me that the servants aren�t supposed to communicate with me except at specific times and that I must ask permission to leave the castle. That�s not so hard. Why wouldn�t they just tell me I need to ask permission to leave? And why does Remor keep disappearing and reappearing? I try to remember my life before I stepped into the mirror, but I cannot. I remember a room from like one I have not seen so far, a cup with ash in it, a glowing globe, and a haze that surrounded me. Beyond that, my memory has been erased. I wonder and worry about what all has happened to me. I fear I suffer from amnesia, but what would prompt that for me? I am filled with questions and no one gives me answers. I search for answers, but everyday things just seem less and less clear. Remor returned to me again last night and wished not to leave me. He told me I was upset and that I must calm down and sleep before he would leave. When I awoke the next morning, he lay asleep next to me so I figure that the night before had not been a good night. I lay there for hours with him, resting blissfully. I could not dream of being happier. Then suddenly, within an instant, my servants took him away. I screamed, yelled, and struggled all I could to get him back, but my attempts did not work. A new friend, Sernin, came to comfort me. She hated seeing me cry so she gave me flowers and pictures of my love to remember him by. Although I could not see what she saw, Sernin claimed that there were small walls around us that enclosed into small quarters. I did not understand as this castle is filled with only large rooms to accommodate the richest of people. Even the servant�s quarters have space to them, although much within them is quite shabby. I do believe the servants here have the cleanest white clothes that I have ever seen a servant wear. I find it hard that they could manage to keep their clothes clean on such a daily basis so I am quite sure sorcery is involved in all this. But I say nothing of sorcery, as these servants continually steal my dearest Remor away from me. Sernin also says that my bed is most plainly adorned, but again I do not see this through the rich silks and velvets that make up my luxurious bed. Sometimes I wonder if Sernin is ill in her mind, but I do not speak of such things as it is sinful, shameful, and inhumane to accuse loved ones of being ill in the mind. The preacher once told me that all who are ill in the mind must be killed off; therefore, I never claim for anyone to be in ill the mind to save their poor soul. My parents visited me today. Sernin says my mother is lovely and my father handsome. For once, I do agree with her. I do not understand why they look upon me so sadly. I speak of Remor and of the fields, the gardens, and this luxurious castle they have given to me. Sadness fills their face as I tell them about my life. It is as if they know all about my life, but they can only resign themselves to it because they have no other choice. I live a life of a princess; I do not see why they are so unhappy with my way of living. Maybe someday I�ll understand when I am older and understand the thoughts of older people. I am unsure what has become of my kingdom, my castles, and my carriage. My dearest Remor has not visited me since the world changed so rapidly. My servants demand more and more of me on a daily basis. They ask me to dress myself, to clean my room, and do other laborious tasks designed for servants. I cannot understand why these tasks have no been placed upon me. Sernin claims to keep seeing things which I do not perceive to be there. I tell the servants of this, and they say her capability to see that which is not there is her disease. They tell me it is like a curse for her, worse than many curses placed upon people of this dimension. It is strange to think I belong here when many things are not clear and kingdoms not rightfully or dutifully owned. I have asked all what has happened to the kingdoms and castles, but for me, they have no answer. �Katrina had severe depression at the age of fourteen,� the doctor started out,� and she started to frequently use drugs as her escape from life. The main way she was led into her escapes was through excessive use of the popular hallucinogen acid... the drug was so effective that she didn't even know she was using it. What's truly amazing is how she's still alive. Well, anyways, on one of these escapes, she dreamt she fell into her mirror into another dimension. In this new world, she was a princess and her love, Remor, was a prince. In reality, she was in an asylum and Remor was her abusive boyfriend. She made friends with a strange girl named Sernin. It seemed to her that Sernin had a second sight, but it soon became evident that Sernin was schizophrenic, seeing things that were not really there. Katrina felt her palace or asylum was the grandest palace in the land. She even imagined that her room, or �quarters� as she called them, were extravagantly decorated with the finest silks, velvets, and precious stones of the world. Lastly, her garb she felt was thick velvet and silk adorned with ornaments and jewelry of all sorts so she never felt cold in her dreary, dank atmosphere. Katrina�s condition is a rare one that we have managed to cure, but through her storytelling, we get the chance to try to a view a life, a life very different from our own. Through Katrina, we can see the world in another dimension.� Never before had my mother been as proud of me as she was the day I told children my story. The children would never believe it really happened to me so it was easy to tell them everything. After being cured of my illness, I have found this world that I once lived in to be quite amusing, and I plan on staying for it for a little while longer. But I always remember, when the day becomes too much for me, I can always escape because there is always another dimension waiting for me. |