Charlotte's Swing of Anxiety

Scene 1: Concerning Rice Farming and Stress

Welcome to the tale of Charlotte Valentine. I’m your trusty narrator, and I’ll be telling you the story of how Charlotte overcame herself…

With a heart full of hope, Charlotte Valentine skipped across the meadow of the farm she called home. Her family specialized in cultivating rice, dedicating a significant portion of their land to it. Over the years, the Valentines had gained acres upon acres of land, becoming the primary supplier of rice in their hometown, Tearmont.  

Charlotte was a young maiden, nearly eighteen years of age. She always wore her long, dark hair in a braid. As the eldest in her family, she assumed a lot of responsibility managing the farm. On days she wasn’t working, she enjoyed roaming their vast property. Charlotte often liked to do small acts of service when no one was looking. Planting a tree there, delivering baked goods there. In secret, she did all she could to watch out for her family and those around her. She always ran away from the scene with a laugh. 

Charlotte eagerly climbed onto a swing tied to a tree. She let herself swing for a while, but soon she found herself overcome with anxiety. Her thoughts strayed to her future. She loved the rice farm, but didn’t want to be stuck managing it as she grew older. Unfortunately, Charlotte was too afraid to move away, fearful of the world. She had never once left the farm in her entire life, and for the longest time she had been content with that. As she grew older, her longing to explore grew. Stricken with curiosity, she yearned for a change. However, as exciting as the idea of leaving the farm was, she didn’t know anything else.

She had to act soon, or her fate would be sealed as a rice farmer forever. She wanted to go to school, but it was sickeningly expensive. Charlotte thought of all the things that could go wrong and tensed up on the swing. Her heart sped up to an uncomfortably fast rate. Her mind swarmed with all the things she should be doing to prepare right now. 

Her little sister Leah appeared at her side. Leah was nearly her mirror image, but two years younger. Charlotte and Leah had a wonderful bond, but Charlotte just wanted to be alone with her thoughts. “HI CHARLOTTE! Oh, what’s wrong?”

Charlotte glared at her, communicating her desire for isolation. “I’m fine.”

“Oh, you can tell me!” Leah went in for a hug despite knowing that Charlotte hated hugs. 

“Just stop!” Charlotte snapped, slapping Leah's hands away from her.

Leah jumped back. The hurt in her eyes reached Charlotte’s heart like a knife. “Oh," Leah mumbled. Before Charlotte could apologize, Leah had left. 

Charlotte spent a while more alone on the swing, buzzing with negativity. She stomped back to her house when it became too dark outside to continue swinging. Upon entering, she quickly went upstairs to her room and closed the door. She picked up her journal and began to write. She started by writing about her day, but her emotions escalated as she journaled her feelings.

I’m stuck. I don’t know what’s next. I’m not ready. I need more time. I’m scared. Nobody understands. I have become a monster. I always hurt the ones I love. What if I fail? Is there anyone out there for me? All my options are terrible. 

Charlotte continued in this manner of writing. She shook as she wrote, falling into darker and more irrational thoughts. She ripped the paper she had been writing out of the journal and hucked it into the trash can. Charlotte wept, unable to hold back her tears. She screamed.

Day after day, things continued like this. Weeks streamed by, increasing Charlotte’s anxiety. Charlotte felt she would soon explode from stress. Her quality of life– 

Stop! What’s that over there? It looks like… a portal? I offer my deepest apologies for this abrupt announcement, but I’m going to have to pause Charlotte’s narration. I’ll try to get back as soon as possible, but I’m worried about that blue portal-looking thing. It might interrupt the story. Let me just–

OH NO. No, no, no! I’m just the narrator!

Scene 2: A Plausible Paradox?

From the perspective of the narrator…

I tripped into the portal, instantly sucked in by its intense pull. I felt like I was zooming across time and space. I lost all sense of direction as I swirled through the universe, watching the stars streak by. I had to stop myself from vomiting. 

Finally, the swirling sensations stopped and my vision cleared. I stood firmly upon grassy ground. What just happened?  I looked around, taking in beautiful trees and flowers. It looked precisely how I imagined the Valentines’ farm.

A small boy nearby noticed me and gave me an odd look. He stared at me for a while, unsure about me as a whole. “Wait a minute… Who are you?”

“No one of consequence,” I said quickly. I bowed my head and slipped behind a tree. I think I’m in the story! If that is the case, then that was most likely one of the Valentines. I can’t be sure, but if they find out who I am it could cause a universe-destroying paradox. That would not be good. 

What part of the story am I in? I looked around at the magnificent landscape. The weather was beautiful, rice in season. I saw a couple farmhands off in the distance beginning the harvest. 

I gasped when I saw Charlotte. She was more beautiful than I could ever begin to describe. She was so vivid, so real. My descriptions could never do her justice. For a moment, I felt like a failure of a narrator, unable to capture such elegance with words.

I watched as Charlotte climbed aboard her swing again. She looked at herself in a handheld mirror. Oh no, it’s this part… 

Out of nowhere, the sky darkened. A twisted version of herself slithered out of the mirror. It morphed, and its resemblance to Charlotte slightly lessened. What Charlotte considered personal flaws became magnified on the strange figure. The figure glowed a vibrant red. Its smile was full of hatred and malice. It cackled as Charlotte stifled a scream.

“I am Anxiety,” it bellowed. It had a nasty voice. “I haunt your thoughts. I steal your sleep. I sneak into your dreams! I’ve been working on you for a very long time, my dear. Finally, I have enough power to take shape and steal you away! You will never escape my reach!”

I had all of the lines memorized. It was frightening to hear Anxiety speak the words I knew by heart. However, I kept my wits about me because I knew the story of Charlotte Valentine inside and out–being the one that created it. Shortly after this, the hero of light would appear. 

“You’ll be stuck here on this farm with me forever. You’ll never achieve anything great. If you leave this farm, misery will pursue you and laugh at your fleeting last moments. “

Charlotte fell backwards off the swing. Still holding the mirror, she scrambled to her feet. She looked back at Anxiety, saying nothing. She took a step toward the figure. Instead of trying to fight it, she began to give in.

“Yes, yes! Come to me! I am the only way. There is nothing else out there for you except failure–even death.”

Charlotte closed her eyes for a moment. She continued walking slowly toward Anxiety. She extended her arms, reaching out to touch it.

“I am your choice, babe,” Anxiety crowed. 

I started to panic. This isn’t how the story is supposed to go! Where is the hero? That line isn't in the story! 

Charlotte was inches away from Anxiety. I trembled. He’ll appear any moment now! Just in the nick of time, for a poetic rescue! I looked around wildly, trying to spot any glimpse of the hero. Any bush rustling, any insects hopping away.

There must be something I can do! “Charlotte!” I yelled in an attempt to intervene. 

She saw me and froze in place. 

“Fight back!” I cried.

The hero of light still made no entrance. Am I ruining the story?  I ran, placing myself between Anxiety and Charlotte. I put my hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay Charlotte. Live in the now! It cannot hurt you. But you have to keep fighting!” 

Charlotte’s demeanor shifted. She hesitated, looking back and forth between me and Anxiety. Charlotte said nothing for a long minute, raging with inner conflict. Then, she broke out into a smile and confidently spoke two simple words to Anxiety. “Go away.”

Anxiety snarled, enraged at the request. It was bound to Charlotte, forced to obey. In a brilliant flash of light, Anxiety melted into a puddle at our feet, shrieking as it went.

Charlotte collapsed, unconscious. 

“Oh dear,” I said, crouching over her. In the story, the hero of light faded away after an uplifting conversation with Charlotte. I decided to carry her back home rather than stick around to see if that would happen. “Let’s get you home.”

I hoisted Charlotte over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes. I processed the events as I carried her back to her house, being sure to avoid the other Valentines. The hero of light never came, so I acted in his stead. I hoped I didn’t throw off the course of the story through my actions. I decided to write Charlotte a message like the hero would have shared. 

When I made it to her room, I set her down gently and tucked her in her bed. I picked up one of Charlotte’s many pens, and began to write on a blank sheet of paper she had lying nearby. I did my best to give her a message of hope. There were no lines in the story to go off of the conversation between Charlotte and the hero of light, so I had to think for myself. Struggling to find the right words, I tried to write from the heart. The letter became a much needed reminder for myself as well. 

As soon as I finished writing, I made my way to the window where I could escape without notice. I longed to see the rice farm myself. However, my plans were foiled when I heard the portal re-appear behind me. Aw, I guess that’s my cue to exit! With a swish, I was zoomed away.

Scene 3: Back on Track

Narration continues as normal…

Charlotte arose from a deep sleep. She couldn't remember how she had gotten back to the house. She slowly managed to get out of bed, still exhausted. Everything seemed normal. For a moment, Charlotte thought she had dreamed the whole incident. 

Just when she was about to go down for breakfast, she noticed a letter on her desk. 

Dear Charlotte,

Life is full of hope. As long as you stay true to who you are and keep a heart full of love, you will find the right path. I won’t ever know exactly how you feel, but I can tell you this: You shine with determination and uplift everyone you meet. Have the courage to live in the now!

It had no signature, but she knew who wrote it. It was the hero of light, the one who had saved her from giving up. She wished she had been able to ask her name, wanting to repay her somehow. 

Charlotte read the note again, welling up with tears. Her perspective of life shifted. I live a wonderful life here on the farm, but I am ready to grow. 

Charlotte dashed out onto the farm to find her sister. When she saw Leah standing near the swing, Charlotte barreled into her and wrapped her in the tightest hug she could manage. “I’m sorry,” she blubbered, managing to say, “I was so stressed out that I dumped my burden on you, and that wasn’t fair of me.”

Leah squeaked happily.

Charlotte released her from her prison of positivity–also known as a hug. Leah drew a deep breath.

“Leah…I’m going to school! I'm leaving the farm, can you believe it?”

Leah eagerly nodded her head in approval, completely unsurprised about this decision. “I forgive you. And I knew you had it in you. I’m more surprised about that hug, to be honest.” 

  …

Charlotte took victory over her own flawed way of thinking. Though nervous, she made it to school. Life wasn’t perfect. However, Charlotte found that things always had a way of working out better than she ever could have imagined. She progressed and discovered that things weren’t as bad as Anxiety had told her they would be. On days where Charlotte didn’t feel up to it, she was always welcome to come home to the farm with open arms. The monstrous entity known as Anxiety lost its power forever, unable to bother Charlotte as she chose to live in the now.

The End