This is a fairy tale. Like all fairy tales, it has a beautiful girl, a handsome prince, and a moral for all to take home with them.
Once upon a time, in a land far, far away called The Forbidden Forest, there lived a beautiful girl named Ramona who kept to herself in her cottage in the woods. The girl had a flair for creating stunning works of beauty, formed from the clay of the earth, and people travelled from far and wide to see her beautiful creations.
One day a handsome prince named Vince came riding through the woods on horseback when he stumbled upon Ramona, sitting on the porch of her cottage. When she welcomed him in and gave him kind words, Vince knew that he wanted to make Ramona his princess.
Together, they made the woods into their own little kingdom, and lived together with much joy and happiness. To all that saw them together, they seemed to be perfectly in love. Together, they created their life, and both saw that it was beautiful and wonderful.
Also living in these woods was a wise and powerful wizard named Linden, who befriended all of the fine folks of The Forbidden Forest. The wizard Linden showed Ramona some powerful magic which opened a portal to a Second Life, and Ramona was enthralled.
"Come look at this Second Life", Ramona shouted excitedly to Vince. "It is some powerful magic and is very lovely".
Vince agreed. This Second Life was some very powerful and beautiful magic. Together, sweet Ramona and the handsome prince Vince soared in this wonderful Second Life, and made many, many friends amongst all the others who had found the power of Linden's magic too.
One day, Vince came to Ramona and said, "I must go wrestle with some demons in order to save our woods". This frightened Ramona because she had grown comfortable with her handsome prince always at her side to love and to protect her. She did not want him to go away, but she realized that the demons must be dealt with.
"There are others in your Second Life who can offer you the comforts you need", said Vince. And Ramona, craving the comforts that her prince always offered, told Vince that she would avail herself of that Second Life while he was gone.
For a very long time, Vince battled the demons in order to save the woods. At times, Vince would come home to the cottage to be with Ramona, and she would nurse his wounds and offer him comfort and solace. But the harsh battles with the demons often left Vince so weary and frightened, with his mind fogged by the touch of hell itself, that he felt numb to her caresses. Sweet Ramona could feel her strong prince slipping away. The demons were trying to capture his soul.
Feeling alone and frightened, Ramona made use of her Second Life magic more and more, capturing the nurturing and comfort there that her prince could no longer offer at home. She found a Second family through this magic, and found that the love that always filled her heart could still find a place to be shared.
After two long and brutal years, the strong and proud Vince was finally able to vanquish the demons that threated the woods, and there was much joy throughout the lands. Vince had been to the depths of hell itself, and had returned a victor.
These battles left their scars though. Vince's heart had become troubled by all that he had seen, both of the demons and of himself, and the fatigue of war lay heavily on his shoulders. The tender Ramona would reach out and touch her strong prince, but only saw a vacancy in the eyes that once sparkled for her.
Sweet Ramona never stopped reaching to her prince, for she loved him too much. Because of the depth and the strength of her love for the prince, Vince's eyes one day started to regain that sparkle. Ramona's unconditional love had reached back into Vince's heart, and he turned to his princess and smiled.
As Vince's mind cleared itself of the memory of these demons that had terrorized him for so long, he started to remember the beautiful life that he and Ramona had built in these woods. He longed for the days when Vince and Ramona would walk through the wildflowers and rejoice in the beauty that they had made for themselves.
One day, Vince came to Ramona and said, "Do you remember our walks through the wildflowers? Do you remember when we used to dance and sing? I miss those times".
She smiled broadly, rejoicing with the knowledge that finally Vince remembered those times as well, and together they once again walked through the woods that they had built together and that was their home. They walked hand in hand, and felt blessed by the comforts of the forest.
The next day, once again Vince asked Ramona to take a walk through the wildflowers, but this time she said, "I'd love to, but I am busy with my Second Life family tonight. Perhaps some other time."
This troubled Vince, but he knew that this Second Life had carried his princess through rough times, and that it was a place where her heart soared. Reluctantly, and with more than just a bit of regret, he found other things to do with his time while Ramona enjoyed the magic of her Second Life.
This couldn't last long though. Vince's heart longed for the joy that he once shared with Ramona. Vince's soul was ravaged by loneliness and resentment whenever he reached to his princess, and found her lost in the magic of Second Life. This Second Life magic was morphing before his very eyes from something beautiful into something dark and threatening. The magic of Second Life was consuming his beloved, and his growing hatred of it was consuming the prince.
Vince, wanting to reach back and touch once again his princess' heart, used the Second Life magic to find his way to Ramona. When Ramona saw the prince coming into her Second Life, she grew frightened, and didn't want Vince to speak and meet these people who had so touched her life. She made it clear to the prince that she did not want him crossing into that which she wanted to be personal and private and only for her. This was a place that she did not wish to share with Vince.
The prince was troubled once again. This time, however, it was not the outer demons that troubled him, but the realization that a big part of his princess' heart lie elsewhere. The comfort and solace that used to be only his to give, were now accepted from others.
Conflicted by wishing happiness for his princess while feeling an emptiness without her, the prince allowed yet another demon to enter the woods, and it quickly began to wreck havoc. This big green demon named Jealousy invaded and spewed forth vile hatred and resentment and bitterness throughout the woods. It scorched all that was beautiful and caused pain wherever it roamed.
The prince cried out, "Let go of that Second Life so that this demon will go away!"
"It is my only safe harbor from the demon Jealousy that has consumed you, sweet prince. I cannot let go.", Ramona frightenly replied.
And so the prince and the princess began a horrid spiral into the depths of despair. The prince became more desperate in his pleas to his princess, and Ramona became more frightened by the prince's forcefullness and desperation. Arm in arm, with neither wanting this abyss to consume their beautiful world, Vince and Ramona plunged beyond the dungeons of desire, and into The Void.
Darkness now covers them both, and a big emptiness lies in scorched ruins where their beautiful forest once grew.
The prince has admitted defeat to Jealousy, and has allowed this demon to ravage his soul. This demon is stronger than all of the other demons that he has ever fought, and its might has struck him down.
The princess clings tightly to the only thing she has left. The magic of her Second Life is all that remains for her, and it is now her home.
The two of them remain locked in a embrace, but its now an embrace that both touches and tortures their souls. It is an embrace that neither seems willing to let go, but an embrace that seems no longer able to endure.
The smoldering embers of the destroyed forest carry the smell of destruction, and all that once was is no more.
Unlike most fairy tales, this one doesn't have a happy ending. In fact, it doesn't even have an ending yet. Life goes on, and lives go on, and the shattered pieces of broken dreams must sometimes be swept away (but not forgotten).
As promised, it does have a moral for the reader who has made it this far to take home. In fact, it has several morals.
Moral #1 : Never forget that gifts are to be appreciated. The beauty and love that we share with others is a precious gift, and should never be taken lightly.
Moral #2 : Never forget where your strength comes from, and always strive to build upon that strength. Never allow anything to destroy it.
Moral #3 : First life is first, and Second Life is second. No "ifs", "ands", or "buts" about it. If your second is getting in the way of your first life, it IS a problem.
And the darkness of their mutual despair wore on...
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