Feathers

Prologue

Sometimes I just think. I stop whatever useless everyday activity I'm participating in, and let my imagination work its magic. I can transport myself to a mystical world in a blink of an eye. There's no dreary process of booking flights and bracing security. My passport stays in the draw it's sat in for years, gathering dust. Who needs an airport? My journeys begin anywhere I like and last as long as I want. Even time slows down to a snail pace, so my adventures can only be minutes long in reality. They feel a lot longer in my head. I don't need anybody to accompany me either, anxious for my safety or desperate for excitement. I'm all alone. Alone. The more I say it, the more I realise that I've never felt more accepted than in the world of my daydreams. I face countless dangers and perform death-defying deeds, and yet I feel far safer than I've ever felt in the real world, surrounded by people who judge you on everything you do, strangers who you want to impress even though you'll probably never see them again. People who decide whether they like you before you've even met. People you've never met and yet you think you could be perfect friends. People who think you're perfect and you'll never even know.
I can transport anywhere when I close my eyes. It's when I open them that everything goes blurry.