Escaping Wonderland (the fairytale of Huggy the Monkey)

[Gina Black]

Hello again. It's been a while.

You remember my imaginary friend, Mary the monkey? The one who I need to unerstand in order to "get the last keys" of the MD labyrinth's exit?

I'll tell you a fairytale I wrote years ago, long before "meeting" Mary. The fairytale of Lupita and her keyholder monkey. (I'll be relatively brief though-it would take days for the exact translation!)

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Our story begins with a girl called Lupita. 

Lupita lived in a small, beautiful home with her mother, Stella. Stella was an inventor and Karate teacher. They also had  a monkey, which the mother had named "Huggy, the Keyholder". Lupita was trying to see the logic connection between  monkeys and keys, but could find no answer. 

One day, her mother was out to buy some strange items for her inventions, leaving them with the nanny. But while the woman was watching TV, hypnotized, Lupita and Hoggy started chasing each other. Hoggy hid in Stella's room, and started throwing books off the colorful shelves. The girl, with a spectacular dive that made her hit on the desk's corner, managed to grab him tight. 

"Caught you!" she shouted. Right then something strange happened: that the foot of the desk had moved from its place, and had a tiny open door. Inside it, a key. All she had to do was reach, fit it in the keyhole under it and turn it. 

Everything went black. 

Next thing she knew, they were in the middle of a jungle. She looked around the grassy ruins, God knows what kind of civilization had built them...but no sign of the "real world". The key and the keyhole had disappeared, too. She started walking, and walking, Hoggy jumping from branch to branch. Night was falling, she started crying for her mom. Exhausted, she tried to lean on the soft rock behind her.

"Wait a moment" she thought. "Soft rocks do exist?"

Next thing she knew, a thundering roar send her rolling on the grass and a giant dragon raised its angry head. For a second she froze, hearing nothing over the sound of her own scream. And then...a bunch of riders jumped over the bushes, chasing the dragon to the sunset. One remained behind. The only one who never smiled, the prince. He asked her where she came from, and her answer seemed to freak him out. He gave her a strange ring and made her swear she'd tell no one about her origins. Then, everyone came back carrying dragon ribs, and everyone went back to the capital. And, of course, the castle, which was built in the middle of a huge waterfall system. Everything was so beautiful, so perfect. She could live there as long as she kept her promise, and the prince would do his best to send her back. One of his counsellors, an overly-enthusiastic lady with green hair, volunteered to take care of her. 

However, Lupita soon started to suspect things weren't that great. In one of Hoggy's usual escapes, she chased him into a yard with slaves. And Sazene, her caretaker, was acting strange...

She soon turned out to be an evil witch. One day she cornered Lupita, forcing her to tell all about where she came from: she could not understand why the prince had taken such an interest in her, letting her stay in the palace and all. 

Lupita didn't know the answer herself, either.

Right then, the prince appeared out of nowhere, fixed a black cloth on her shoulders and threw her out of the window. She started screaming, right before realizing what was going on: she was flying! The prince had stolen the witch's flying cloak, so that she could escape.

She'd do her best.

Still in the middle of the night, she saw a pair of two other flying figures. It looked like they were riding...huge seahorses! They were rebels on patrol. Seing her ring made them gasp: it was the Third Royal Seal, therefore the Prince had appointed her as the third most powerful person in the kingdom! They knew she could be trusted, and took her into hiding. They went on a place called Deserted Land, which was destroyed from Sazene's evil deeds. Their secret base was inside a cave, under a glowing, radioactive forest. No one dared to go close, exept the rebels, who knew the secret about staying safely in there. There she learnt the whole truth. 

The country was once an actually happy place, with their prince and his beloved fiancée. Then the witch came, cunningly gaining their trust. Then, one day she cursed the prince and tried to kill his woman. She was smart enough to escape, always known as the smartest one in the kingdom. She helped their people to organize the rebellion. But the prince had to stay back, since leaving would mean death for his citizens. Each day trying to fight back, becoming weaker and weaker, never smiling since the day it all began. 

Lupita stayed there and started helping, by stamping the royal seal on any document needed. She also made a friend of the stable boy, Josh. The stable was actualy a watercave for Elystors, the flying seahorses. The mermaid caretaker that was there told her about Sazene's past, who also used to be a beautiful mermaid. However, she gave up on her true nature out of her hunger for power, betraying her own people too. She stole the secrets of a naive human priestess, right before slaughtering the whole temple, in order to achieve the walking transformation.

Three days later, awful news reached the cave. The prince was really, really sick-a punishment for helping Lupita. No one had the nerve to interfere, so Lupita and Josh came up with their own plan. Using the magical cloak she dressed up as the witch, walked right into the castle, and with Josh's help stole the key for the Prince's room. She managed to examine his symptoms, but right then the real witch came. She revealed her that she is the daughter of the prince, that's why he protected her so dearingly. And her mother is the rightful queen. But right before feeding her to the dragons...

"Lupita?"

"Mom?"

Stella had just turned the key. She was back in the "logical" world!

"I'm so sorry it took me so long, sweetie...Hoggy is trained to keep the key safe, it wasn't easy to overcome the codes without him" (Lupita was too scared and happy to question what she had just heard)

She said everything to her mother, and she ran out to buy medicine. She wanted to rush back without Lupita, but she persuaded her by using the Royal Seal (which was conveniently stuck on her finger...probably with the help of some super glue...) Back at the cave, they started organizing a riot. The plan was to attack and snatch Sazene's magic wand away. One of them sneaked into the castle and put a sleeping potion into the water. Many lackeys of the witch fell asleep. However, not everyone drank from it. Soon, the army of dragonriders-the ones who hadn't fallen asleep-flew out to slay the seahorse riders. Everything was a mess of leather wings. Sazene started trying to electrocute the royal family with thunders, but Stella saved them out of preparation: she had installed lightning rods at the castle when she lived in it. Nothing could go near the witch either. 

Then Josh and Lupita had an idea: Sazene's magic was from the sea, therefore water was a friendly element for her! They just... threw some water on her. She flew higher to draw down stronger thunders, but as she raised her wand...the thunder went right through the wet wood, roasting the witch alive.

The clouds went away, and Lupita's family could live peacefully and whole. As for her, although a princess, she'd still have to pop in the "normal world" for her studies. But there was peace, so she could freely go wherever she wanted...

As long as Huggy was there to lead the way!

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I now see that this describes my own journey. I were stuck inside the imaginary world by myself. Chased by my fears I were led to a beautiful, sheltered place by my favorite authors. But then I realized that's not how that world is, as the human mind is tortured by the world's hardships, which live on inside the imaginary. What's more, I were also hiding from my own hardships, by trying to stay in my little castle and ignoring everything hurtful. I had let my world to be ruled by a selfish little biach (yeah, a part of me) But then I realized things aren't as sugar-sweet as I think. So I escaped from my initial way of thinking.

But...I had no idea how to survive, so I ended up staying sheltered again (although in diffrent ways). I were not witnessing the dark side by my own eyes, only by others' stories. BUT now I had the goal of fighting against it, the will to make it. In the end I decided to grow a pair and try saving what is precious to me, by facing it head-on and taking risks. In the end I beat the "witch" with the power of love and friendship...the power of logic over destructive emotions. 

I'm still working on explaining the smaller details (any ideas are welcome)

The monkey played two roles in the whole thing. It showed me things I wouldn't have observed by myself, it was curious about anything. Also, in order to do that, it had the freedom to go anywhere, not giving a damn in the world (as long as it was safe).

So, my last key is none other but...curiosity.

Not the nosy kind, but curiosity about life itself, here or there, the passion of knowing how the world works, to understand people too. To understand that stories are all around us, alive and beautiful, into both worlds.

To simply be curious.

I turned the last key in the keylock.

I'm out!

It's a strange feeling: I can "travel between worlds" anytime, as I have all the keys, and feel alive in both! 

What's even more wonderful, I realized I don't have to stay "out" at all costs. I just need to not let the imaginary separate me from what I love in the real world, and vice-versa. That's the healthy thing! I haven't gotten used of the feeling yet, but it really feels like freedom!

I'm also working on my expression, so that I can get others for a visit in my world too. We don't have to be lonely inside it, I hope I can achieve it soon.

I'M OUT!!! :D :D :D

I'll still hang around though for a while...

So, until next time... Be curious!!! ;)

[Gina Black]

I'm really happy to know it helps you :D

Thanks for letting me know, and good luck on your journey. Never give up!!! :) :) :)

[Jordan]

i just started tryna give up daydreamin i been reading your blogs escaping wonderland since i joined it helps me along with the support i get on here in my journey to not fantasize anymore thank you

[Gina Black]

KwanKwan- I haven't stopped daydreaming, BUT this is 100% out of choice. I can now stop it for as long as I want without any withdrawal symptom (depression, anxiety, strong urge to DD e.t.c.) I control it, it doesn't control me now. Which is really more than I could have ever expected, as I love both DDing and living my (real) life, and hated having to choose.

It's the perfect happy end for me! :D

Laura- Thank you for your answer. I'm so happy you liked it! :)

I wish you can be free soon too, good luck :D

[Laura Gardiner]

You got it!!! I'm so glad you figured out how to have a healthy relationship with daydreaming! And I loved the story. Such a fun read, and I adore things written in metaphors. :D

[KwanKwan]

its good that you now have the last key of the puzzle. so have you stopped daydreaming?