Hey, it’s Luke from Unwritten Tomes.
This week’s topic – living in illusions. Stubbornly believing things should be different, even when they are outside our control, means we often suffer more in our own minds than in reality.
Btw: I started working on the book – and today’s story is something I will definitely want to expand on and include in the illustrated collection. See it for yourself and let me know what you think.
King in the palace of illusions
“Fix it!” I shouted.
The servants scrambled around a red tear splitting the wall of the throne room.
The stone walls were ripping like a piece of cloth pulled by a loose string.
I turned my eyes away from the scene.
“All your heads! Do something, or I’ll have all your heads on a stick!”
No one responded – it’s not like they could. I was good with illusions. But not that good.
I didn’t want to look beyond the tear in the wall. I knew what I would see there. But the scent of blood wafted through – whether I wanted it to or not.
Stumbling on the steps, I ran away. The wooden gate slammed behind me.
Safe… Finally, safe… I leaned against the wall. A shiver ran through my spine when the cold stone pressed against my back.
I stayed there, staring into the empty corridor, fighting a battle against memories. Memories clamoring against a tall wall surrounding my mind.
A couple of minutes later, the pain passed – it always did eventually. I bent down to pick up my crown and placed it back on my temple.
My silent servants found me soon after, ready to fulfill my every order.
Here, I was safe… Here, I was king again…
***
By refusing to accept reality, we suffer trapped in our own illusions.
🪞 Reflections of the story
We often suffer more in our own heads than in reality.
Whether it’s refusing to confront our problems, feeling them slowly eat away at our sanity. Or the opposite – overthinking them to the point you go mad trying to find the perfect solution.
Sometimes the best thing you can do is to accept things for what they are.
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