Fantasy

I Learned the Hard Way Who Really Cared
I Learned the Hard Way Who Really Cared Khan I used to believe that the people who laughed the loudest with me would be the ones who stayed when things got quiet. I thought care was measured by constant messages, shared photos, and promises that sounded sincere in the moment. Back then, I didn’t know how easy it was for noise to disguise emptiness. Life was comfortable when everything was going right. I had people around me—friends who showed up for celebrations, acquaintances who called themselves family, and conversations that felt meaningful simply because they were frequent. I mistook availability for loyalty and attention for care. It never crossed my mind to question who would remain if I stopped being useful, entertaining, or strong. That illusion shattered during one of the most difficult phases of my life. It didn’t happen all at once. It began subtly, with unanswered messages and delayed replies. At first, I made excuses for everyone. People are busy, I told myself. Life gets complicated. But as my struggles became heavier, the distance grew clearer. When I finally gathered the courage to talk about what I was going through, the room fell silent—not physically, but emotionally. Some people listened without hearing. Others offered quick advice, not because they understood, but because they wanted the conversation to end. A few disappeared entirely, uncomfortable with the weight of honesty. That was when I realized how lonely vulnerability can feel when it isn’t met with care. The hardest part wasn’t the pain I was experiencing—it was discovering that many of the people I trusted weren’t prepared to sit with me in it. I remember one particular evening when everything felt unbearable. I reached out to someone I had always been there for, someone I thought would understand. The response was short, dismissive, almost annoyed. In that moment, something inside me shifted. I wasn’t angry; I was awake. That night taught me a lesson no book ever could. Care isn’t loud. It doesn’t always announce itself with grand gestures or dramatic words. Real care is quiet and consistent. It shows up when there’s nothing to gain. It listens without rushing to fix. It stays, even when staying is inconvenient. As people drifted away, a surprising thing happened. A few unexpected souls stepped closer. They didn’t promise to solve my problems. They didn’t pretend to have all the answers. They simply checked in, remembered the little things, and made space for my silence as much as my words. One person would message me just to ask if I had eaten. Another would sit with me without pushing me to talk. These gestures seemed small, but they carried a weight that no empty promise ever could. For the first time, I understood the difference between people who enjoy your presence and people who genuinely care about your well-being. Letting go of false connections was painful. It felt like grieving relationships that were never real to begin with. I questioned myself often—Was I expecting too much? Was I too sensitive? But deep down, I knew the truth. Wanting understanding is not a weakness. Expecting basic compassion is not asking for too much. The experience reshaped the way I see people—and myself. I stopped chasing validation from those who only showed up when it was easy. I learned to set boundaries without guilt. Most importantly, I learned to value my own presence enough not to beg others to value it for me. Now, my circle is smaller, but it’s real. It’s built on honesty, patience, and mutual respect. The people in it don’t need constant reminders to care. They show it naturally, in ways that don’t fade when life gets complicated. Looking back, I’m grateful for the lesson, even though it came wrapped in pain. Losing the wrong people made room for the right ones. And learning who truly cared taught me something even more important—how to care for myself. Sometimes, the hardest lessons are the ones that save us in the long run. And sometimes, learning the hard way is the only way we truly learn at all.
By Khan 17 days ago in Chapters
The Promise I Broke Without Meaning To
The Promise I Broke Without Meaning To BY: Khan I still remember the exact moment I made the promise. It wasn’t dramatic. There was no music in the background, no sunset, no grand speech. It was just two people sitting on opposite sides of a small wooden table, cups of untouched tea slowly turning cold. I looked confident when I said it, but deep down, I didn’t realize how fragile promises can be when life begins to pull you in different directions. “I’ll always be there,” I said. And I meant it. At that time, my world was simple. My days followed predictable patterns, and my future felt like a straight road instead of a maze. Being “always there” didn’t seem like a heavy commitment. It felt natural, almost effortless—like breathing. I believed good intentions were enough to protect a promise from breaking. I was wrong. Life has a quiet way of changing things without asking for permission. Responsibilities grew before I noticed them. Expectations stacked up like unread messages. Days became busier, nights shorter, and silence slowly replaced conversations that once flowed easily. I told myself I was just tired. Just busy. Just going through a phase. I didn’t realize that every unanswered call, every postponed meeting, every “I’ll talk to you later” was a small crack forming in the promise I had made. The hardest part is that I never chose to break it. I didn’t wake up one morning and decide to disappear. I didn’t plan to hurt anyone. I simply assumed there would always be more time—time to explain, time to show up, time to fix what was slowly falling apart. I thought understanding would fill the gaps where my presence used to be. But understanding has limits. One evening, I finally noticed the distance. It was in the tone of a message—polite, careful, distant. The warmth I was used to had faded, replaced by something cautious. That’s when it hit me: the promise hadn’t snapped all at once. It had worn down, thread by thread, while I was too distracted to notice. Guilt is a strange feeling. It doesn’t shout. It whispers. It follows you into quiet moments and sits beside you when the noise stops. I replayed that day at the wooden table over and over again, wishing I could go back and speak more honestly—not with confidence, but with awareness. I realized something uncomfortable then: intentions don’t carry promises. Actions do. I had assumed that being emotionally present mattered more than physically showing up, but presence isn’t something you can store for later. It has an expiration date. When it’s not renewed, it fades. And once it’s gone, words alone can’t bring it back. I tried to explain. I apologized—not with excuses, but with honesty. I admitted that I hadn’t meant to break the promise, that I had underestimated life and overestimated myself. The response I received wasn’t angry. That somehow made it worse. Sometimes, disappointment is quieter than anger, but heavier. That’s when I learned the most important lesson of all: a broken promise doesn’t always come from betrayal. Sometimes it comes from neglect, distraction, and the false belief that good intentions are enough. I still carry that lesson with me. Now, I choose my promises carefully. I don’t say “always” unless I truly understand what it demands. I’ve learned that it’s better to offer honesty than reassurance you can’t sustain. Better to say “I’ll try” and mean it, than to say “I promise” and disappear behind life’s excuses. I don’t know if the promise I broke will ever be fully forgiven. Some things leave marks even after they heal. But I do know this: breaking that promise changed the way I see responsibility, connection, and trust. And maybe that’s the quiet purpose of mistakes like this—not to punish us, but to reshape us. Because the promise I broke without meaning to taught me how powerful a promise really is. And how carefully it should be made.
By Khan 17 days ago in Chapters
I Trusted the Wrong Person—and Paid the Price
I Trusted the Wrong Person—and Paid the Price BY: Ubaid Trust is a quiet thing. It doesn’t announce itself. It grows slowly, fed by shared moments, late conversations, and the belief that someone sees you the way you want to be seen. I didn’t realize how fragile it was until the day it broke—and took a part of me with it. When I met him, everything felt easy. He listened when others rushed to speak. He remembered small details I thought no one noticed. In a world where everyone seemed busy protecting themselves, he felt open, genuine, safe. Or at least, that’s what I told myself. I was at a point in my life where I wanted to believe in people. I wanted to believe that honesty still existed without conditions. Slowly, without even noticing, I let my guard down. I shared ideas, fears, plans—things I had kept hidden for years. Each time, he nodded with understanding, offering reassurance that felt real. Looking back, the signs were there. They always are. He asked more questions than he answered. He promised support but avoided responsibility. He praised my strengths in public but questioned my decisions in private. I noticed the discomfort, the slight unease, but I ignored it. Trust has a way of blinding you to logic. The price of my trust didn’t come all at once. It arrived in small moments—a missed promise here, a twisted story there. At first, I defended him, even to myself. I blamed stress, misunderstandings, timing. Anything but the truth. Then came the day everything changed. A project I had shared in confidence appeared elsewhere—polished, presented, and credited to someone else. My words, my ideas, my effort—no longer mine. When I confronted him, his expression didn’t show guilt. It showed irritation. As if my pain was an inconvenience. “That’s not how it happened,” he said calmly. “You’re overthinking,” he added. Those words hurt more than the betrayal itself. Being deceived was painful, but being dismissed—made to feel foolish for trusting—cut deeper. I walked away that day with more than disappointment. I carried anger, self-doubt, and a heavy question: How did I let this happen? For weeks, I replayed every conversation, every moment I ignored my instincts. I blamed myself for being naive, for believing too easily. But slowly, something shifted. I realized that trusting wasn’t my weakness—it was my courage. The mistake wasn’t believing in someone; it was believing in them after they showed me who they were. The experience changed me, but not in the way I feared. I became quieter, not weaker. More observant, not colder. I learned that trust should be earned consistently, not granted emotionally. I learned that boundaries are not walls—they are self-respect. Most importantly, I learned that betrayal reveals more about the person who commits it than the one who suffers from it. Today, I’m more careful with my trust, but I haven’t locked it away. I still believe in good people. I just believe in patience more. I watch actions longer than I listen to words. And when something feels wrong, I don’t silence that feeling anymore. The price I paid was high—but the lesson was priceless. I trusted the wrong person, and it hurt. But it also taught me something powerful: losing trust in one person should never mean losing trust in yourself. And that lesson? It’s one I’ll carry forward, wiser, stronger, and finally—awake.
By Ubaid 17 days ago in Chapters
Meeting At The Forty Niner Mine
Following an eight second engagement which left a Bronco bucked, from the tournament created couple competitive setting, Dr. Drake departed snowy mile high confines craving good vibrations. Deciding a western directional path, proper strategy, the Boston health care patriot continued the stagecoach swing adventure, destined endpoint plotted San Francisco, ‘where things could find themselves shaking and baking’.
By Marc OBrien18 days ago in Chapters
How One Unexpected Encounter Changed My Path
How One Unexpected Encounter Changed My Path BY: Ubaid I didn’t wake up that morning expecting my life to shift. It felt like any other ordinary day—same routine, same thoughts, same quiet dissatisfaction humming in the background. I was moving through life on autopilot, doing what was expected of me, not what truly mattered to me. At the time, I didn’t realize how lost I had become. I just knew something felt off. That’s when the unexpected encounter happened. I was waiting at a small café near the bus stop, scrolling endlessly on my phone, killing time the way I always did. The place wasn’t special—faded chairs, chipped mugs, and the smell of over-brewed coffee. But life doesn’t always choose dramatic settings to make its biggest statements. An older man sat across from me. We didn’t know each other. No introduction, no reason to talk. At first, I barely noticed him. But then he spoke. “You look like someone who’s somewhere they don’t want to be.” The comment caught me off guard. I laughed awkwardly, unsure how to respond. But something about his calm confidence made me listen. He wasn’t accusing me. He wasn’t judging me. He was simply observing. We started talking. He asked what I did, where I was headed, what I wanted from life. Simple questions—yet I struggled to answer them. For the first time, I heard my own uncertainty spoken out loud. I talked about goals that didn’t excite me, plans that felt borrowed, and a future that looked safe but empty. He listened. Really listened. Then he said something I still carry with me: “Comfort is often the most dangerous place to stay too long.” He told me his own story—how he once ignored his instincts, followed a path chosen by fear, and spent years feeling unfulfilled. Not because he failed, but because he never tried. He didn’t tell me what to do. He didn’t give advice wrapped in clichés. He simply shared the cost of not listening to himself. When he stood up to leave, he smiled and said, “You don’t need a perfect plan. You just need honesty with yourself.” And just like that, he was gone. But the conversation stayed. For days after that encounter, his words echoed in my mind. I began noticing how often I said “I’ll do it later” to the things that mattered. How often I chose familiarity over growth. How I confused stability with happiness. That single conversation forced me to pause—and that pause changed everything. I started making small, uncomfortable choices. I spent time reflecting instead of distracting myself. I questioned decisions I had accepted without thought. I allowed myself to imagine a life that actually felt like mine. It wasn’t dramatic. I didn’t quit everything overnight or reinvent myself in a week. The change was quiet, slow, and deeply personal. But it was real. I took risks I had been avoiding. I spoke up when I would have stayed silent. I began learning, failing, adjusting. And with every step, I felt more aligned with who I was becoming. That unexpected encounter didn’t hand me answers. It gave me clarity. I realized that the right people often appear at the right moments—not to guide us forever, but to remind us of something we already know and are afraid to face. Sometimes, it takes a stranger to say what we refuse to admit to ourselves. Looking back, I understand that my path didn’t change because of the man I met. It changed because I finally listened. Now, whenever I feel myself drifting back into comfort without purpose, I remember that café. That conversation. That reminder. Life doesn’t always shout when it wants your attention. Sometimes, it whispers through an unexpected voice, at an unexpected moment, asking a simple question: Is this really the life you want? And once you hear that question honestly, there’s no going back.
By Ubaid 18 days ago in Chapters
A Goodbye I Was Never Prepared For
A Goodbye I Was Never Prepared For BY: Khan I always thought goodbyes were dramatic moments—tearful hugs at airports, final waves from moving trains, last words carefully chosen and remembered forever. I believed a goodbye would announce itself, giving me time to prepare, to understand, to accept. I was wrong. The goodbye I was never prepared for didn’t come with warnings or closure. It arrived quietly, disguised as an ordinary day. That morning felt like any other. The sun filtered through the curtains, my phone buzzed with routine notifications, and life moved forward without hesitation. We exchanged messages like we always did—nothing emotional, nothing urgent. Just normal words between two people who assumed there would always be a next conversation. I didn’t know that was the last time. At first, the absence felt temporary. People get busy. Life interrupts. Silence doesn’t always mean something is wrong. I told myself all the reasonable things, the excuses that protect us from uncomfortable truths. Days passed, then weeks. The silence grew heavier, no longer empty but loud, pressing against my thoughts. That’s when it started to hurt. Not in a dramatic way, but slowly—like a crack forming beneath your feet while you pretend the ground is still solid. I replayed old conversations, searching for clues. Did I miss something? Say something wrong? Not say enough? The questions multiplied, but the answers never came. The hardest part wasn’t losing someone. It was losing them without understanding why. There was no final argument, no clear ending, no moment I could point to and say, “That’s when it ended.” Just a gradual disappearance, like watching a familiar light fade until one day you realize the room is completely dark. I learned that goodbyes don’t always come with words. Sometimes they come as distance. Sometimes as silence. Sometimes as someone choosing a life that no longer includes you. And that realization hurts more than any spoken farewell. What surprised me most was how deeply it affected my sense of self. When someone leaves without explanation, you start filling the gaps with self-doubt. You wonder if you were forgettable. Replaceable. Temporary. You question memories that once felt solid, unsure whether they meant as much to the other person as they did to you. I carried that weight quietly. To the outside world, nothing had changed. I still showed up, smiled, completed my responsibilities. But internally, I was grieving something invisible—a connection that had ended without permission. There were moments I wanted to reach out, to demand clarity, to ask for the goodbye I felt I deserved. But I didn’t. Not because I didn’t care—but because I began to understand something important. Closure doesn’t always come from the other person. Sometimes, it comes from accepting that not every chapter ends with a proper conclusion. Some pages tear themselves out. Some stories stop mid-sentence. And no amount of rereading will change that. Slowly, I started letting go—not of the memories, but of the need for answers. I realized that the value of what we shared wasn’t erased by how it ended. Something meaningful doesn’t become meaningless just because it doesn’t last forever. That goodbye taught me lessons I didn’t ask for but needed to learn. It taught me to appreciate presence while it exists. To speak honestly instead of assuming time is guaranteed. To understand that people can care deeply and still leave. And most importantly, it taught me that my worth is not defined by who stays or who walks away. Today, when I think about that goodbye, it no longer feels like an open wound. It feels like a scar—proof that something real once existed, and that I survived its ending. I still believe in connections. I still believe in people. But now I understand that not every goodbye will give me the dignity of preparation. Some goodbyes arrive quietly, without permission, and change you forever. And maybe that’s okay. Because even the goodbyes we’re never prepared for shape who we become—and sometimes, they lead us closer to ourselves.
By Khan 18 days ago in Chapters
The Truth I Was Too Afraid to Admit
The Truth I Was Too Afraid to Admit BY: Khan For years, I mastered the art of looking fine. I smiled in photos, laughed at the right moments, and replied to messages with a casual “all good” even when nothing felt good at all. From the outside, my life looked stable—steady work, familiar faces, routine days. Inside, though, something was quietly unraveling. I felt like a guest in my own life, showing up but never fully present. The truth I was too afraid to admit wasn’t dramatic or loud. It didn’t arrive with a breakdown or a sudden collapse. It whispered. And maybe that’s why it took me so long to hear it. I wasn’t living the life I wanted. I was living the life I thought I was supposed to want. I told myself I was being practical. Responsible. Mature. I followed the path that seemed safe, the one that earned nods of approval. I ignored the small voice that asked uncomfortable questions—Is this really you? Are you happy, or just busy? I buried that voice under deadlines, expectations, and the comfort of familiarity. Admitting dissatisfaction felt ungrateful. After all, so many people had less. So I learned to minimize my feelings, convincing myself that wanting more meant I was selfish. I stayed quiet because silence felt easier than explaining something I didn’t fully understand myself. But silence has a cost. It showed up in the way mornings felt heavy before they even began. In the way Sundays carried more anxiety than peace. In the strange emptiness that followed achievements I was supposed to celebrate. I kept reaching milestones, only to realize they didn’t move me the way I thought they would. One evening, after another long day that felt exactly like the one before it, I caught my reflection in a dark window. I looked tired—but not the kind of tired sleep could fix. That was the moment something cracked. I finally admitted the truth I had been avoiding: I was afraid to change because I was afraid to disappoint people. I had built my life around being dependable, predictable, acceptable. Walking away from that felt like betrayal—to my family, my friends, even the version of myself I had presented to the world. What if I failed? What if I regretted leaving what I had worked so hard to build? Fear had disguised itself as loyalty. Once I named it, I couldn’t unsee it. I realized how often I said yes when I meant no. How often I stayed quiet when something mattered. How often I chose comfort over honesty. The truth wasn’t that I didn’t know what I wanted—I knew. I just didn’t trust myself enough to go after it. Admitting that didn’t magically fix everything. It didn’t come with clarity or instant courage. But it gave me something more important: direction. I started small. I began telling the truth in places where it felt safer—admitting when I was tired, when I needed space, when something didn’t align with me anymore. I allowed myself to disappoint people without apologizing for existing. And slowly, something shifted. The weight I’d been carrying wasn’t the life itself—it was the pretending. I learned that honesty doesn’t always change your circumstances right away, but it changes your relationship with yourself. And that matters more than I ever realized. For the first time in years, my choices began to feel like mine. The truth I was too afraid to admit didn’t ruin my life. It gave it back to me. I still don’t have all the answers. I still feel fear. But now, fear no longer makes my decisions for me. I understand that growth often looks like loss at first—that becoming yourself may require letting go of who you were trying to be. And if I’ve learned anything, it’s this: Ignoring your truth doesn’t make it disappear. It just waits, patiently, until you’re brave enough to listen. I’m still learning how to live honestly. But every day I choose honesty over fear, I feel a little more like myself. And for the first time, that feels like enough.
By Khan 20 days ago in Chapters
What I Found When I Finally Walked Away
What I Found When I Finally Walked Away BY: Ubaid For a long time, I believed staying was strength. I stayed in conversations that drained me, in expectations I never agreed to, and in a version of life that looked fine from the outside but felt hollow on the inside. I told myself that walking away meant giving up—that endurance was proof of character. So I stayed. Even when my chest felt heavy. Even when my voice felt smaller each day. Walking away wasn’t a dramatic decision. There was no big argument, no final explosion. It was quieter than that. It happened in a moment so ordinary that I almost missed it—a moment when I realized I was tired of explaining myself to people who had already decided who I was. That’s when I left. At first, what I found was silence. Not the peaceful kind people romanticize, but the uncomfortable kind. The kind that forces you to sit with your own thoughts, without distractions or excuses. I had spent so long reacting to others that I didn’t know what to do without their noise. I kept reaching for my phone, my habits, my old routines—anything to avoid listening to myself. But silence has a way of teaching patience. In that quiet space, I found exhaustion I hadn’t allowed myself to acknowledge. I realized how much energy I had spent trying to be understood by people who weren’t listening. How many times I had shrunk my needs to make others comfortable. How often I had chosen familiarity over honesty. Walking away didn’t immediately make me happier. That part surprised me. What it did was make me clearer. Clarity is not always gentle. It shows you patterns you ignored and boundaries you never set. It reminds you of the times you said “it’s fine” when it wasn’t, and the moments you accepted less because you were afraid of losing more. I also found grief. Not just for what was lost, but for what never existed. For the version of things I kept hoping would appear if I just waited longer or tried harder. Letting go meant accepting that some doors were never meant to open, no matter how patiently I knocked. But alongside grief, something unexpected began to grow. Relief. I no longer felt the constant pressure to perform, to prove, to stay relevant in spaces that didn’t value me. My days became lighter—not because life became easier, but because I stopped carrying weight that wasn’t mine. I found myself laughing again, not out of politeness but from somewhere deep and real. I noticed how my shoulders relaxed when I spoke freely. I slept better. I breathed better. Walking away also showed me who remained. Not everyone disappeared. A few people stayed—quietly, genuinely, without conditions. They didn’t demand explanations or take my distance personally. They simply met me where I was. And in doing so, they taught me that real connection doesn’t require constant sacrifice. Perhaps the most important thing I found was myself. Not the version shaped by expectations or fear, but the one that had been waiting patiently underneath it all. The one with opinions, limits, and dreams that didn’t need permission. I rediscovered interests I had abandoned and values I had compromised. I learned to trust my instincts again. I stopped confusing attachment with love. Walking away taught me that loyalty should never cost you your peace. That staying is only brave when it’s chosen freely—not when it’s driven by guilt, fear, or habit. And that leaving doesn’t erase the past; it simply stops it from controlling your future. Today, when I look back, I don’t regret staying as long as I did. It taught me what my limits were. But I’m grateful I finally listened when my inner voice whispered, this is not where you belong anymore. Walking away didn’t make me lose everything. It helped me find what truly mattered. And for the first time in a long while, I’m not afraid of where I’m going—because I know I’m finally walking toward myself.
By Ubaid 20 days ago in Chapters
Puss's Boots - Chapter 6
Gwynnë was everything that the siblings thought it would be and more. The buildings themselves shined, and it seemed as though they were reaching up to scrap the clouds. The streets were filled with all new sights and sounds and smells. Merchants lined the gutters, crying out their wares and keeping a cautious eye out for thieves. Their carts were full of polished ornaments and sweet smelling, spicy treats. Perfumes and fabrics overflowed the tables and booths; jewellery, weapons, and various other trinkets caught the light and shone.
By Dionearia Red20 days ago in Chapters
Puss's Boots - Chapter 5
“The capital city, really?” “Well, why not? We have a special invitation from the king’s personal representative to visit, and you, my dear, must still be formally introduced. You too, Orlando, now that I think about it. You see, most foreigners, especially lords and the like, usually go straight to Court to introduce themselves. A court of peacocks, my dear, but a necessary order, or so I am told.”
By Dionearia Red22 days ago in Chapters
Puss's Boots - Chapter 4
Nearly nine weeks had passed since Lady Heightmyer’s, now known to the siblings as Caoimhe, proposal to Dione, Orlando’s twin and last surviving sibling. Nearly three days ago was the stranger’s last visit. As always, he had come at night, alone, after any potential witnesses to his arrival had long since gone away. He was never seen by anyone save Orlando, and, the day after, Puss always knew about his visit. And, always, he flirted and courted Orlando with gentle poems and stories and innocent requests, and Orlando, whose face always seemed so composed with everything else, after every visit, was coloured a vivid red for days.
By Dionearia Red23 days ago in Chapters
A Sleeping Beauty
Introduction This is inspired by 'Sleeping Beauty ' by Rie Cramer, 1927, which I found on The Enchanted Booklet's Facebook page here
By Mike Singleton 💜 Mikeydred 24 days ago in Chapters