Two distinct voices gradually grew louder and louder with the passing of every second in a desperate attempt to overwhelm and silence the other. As a result of their clashing a ceaseless stream of noises swept and echoed throughout the home they built over years of affection and care, for hours to no end, but sadly you cannot sense such sentiments in the insults and accusations bouncing around between them.

If someone witnessed this scene-a scene where the main actor, the pent-up negative emotions accumulated throughout years of cohabitating, finally broke free, only to explode in its owners’ faces-with utmost certainty, the serene image of a young girl deeply asleep on a comfortable bed, while gently embracing a gifted soft toy, will come to no mind, but humans are adaptive creatures, and so was their five years old daughter comfortably sleeping upstairs as if it was normal, like the ruckus downstairs was occurring in a different dimension.

Her room’s door was closed by her parents in a futile attempt to shield her from their new ugly reality, and as it was her bedtime, the lights were naturally switched off so the room was completely dark, which a relatively long time ago was unusual, as they always used to leave the door slightly open so the merciful hallway’ light could creep in, ever so slightly illuminating the room. But she never even complained once, because somehow she instinctively knew that what was happening outside the comfort of her room was something more terrifying than simply the lack of lighting in her quarters; it was the end.

At first, she couldn’t sleep at all and at her wits’ end she copied a child actor in a horror movie she once sneakily watched, she tightly closed her ears with her frail and small hands and sung her favorite cartoons’ openings, until she tired herself out and fell asleep. But now she only needs to strongly hug her beloved teddy bear, Mr. Brown Fur, a birthday gift from the days of yore, the days of warmth.

To distract herself and to remain mentally healthy, she created a land of dreams where only positive things could happen and exist, and in the middle of such land existed a beautiful castle with white walls as clear as milk, surrounded by luscious green gardens in them grew a collection of flowers and roses as vast as the night’s sky, and within it she and her parents lived happily as royalty. In her dreams she’ll always be in a dining hall sitting in the middle of a long rectangular table made of smooth shiny light brown wood, facing all sorts of delicious sweets and mouth-watering pastry, at each end sat the Queen and the king respectively, her parents.

In the beginning, the wooden table was no longer than two meters and a half tall, you could even call it a normal length, but beneath the Princess’ chair existed a small crack in the ivory white marble floor, and she was instinctively terrified of it.

With the passing of each day, the distance between each end of the table grew longer and longer, and the crack on the floor grew larger and larger, and soon enough it’ll consume her, leaving her mind scarred forever.