THE BAD QUEEN

I experience fabulous adventures in distant realms, breathe the acrid, ancient smell of books in majestic castles from distant eras, walk a path made of clouds and fly aboard a mighty dragon with a brilliant black cloak and two eyes of fire. they bow as I pass, I am a royal figure shrouded in a halo of mystery, there is no place in the world that I cannot reach On my head I wear a too heavy golden crown embellished with the rarest gems, I sit on a lined throne of the finest red silk, I have immense armies of the strongest and most terrible warriors, infinite riches and whatever I want. All culture resides in my hands, I get lost in concepts of philosophy and I wander among pages of history. Then I open my eyes again. and I die.

If I lived in a Disney movie or in those storybooks I wouldn’t be on the side of the princess or the prince. I’d be with the evil queen. Because, let’s face it, without the villain the story does not exist, the protagonist is only someone who suffers evil, not the one who creates them. From an early age they always filled our heads with these stories of kind girls or boys who didn’t want to grow up anymore because being small was fantastic. They never answered the question “Why is the bad guy being bad?”. This was the question that haunted my entire childhood, and even now I try to find an answer. I don’t care how Cinderella eventually married the prince or how Snow White went to live in a castle away from the evil queen. What then have you noticed that the bad guys are always the ones left alone? I wonder why.

There was this thing, between her and life, an unsolved question. He kept her away from the things she loved most, as if she wanted to test her sincerity, her strength. But everyone told her she was a strong girl. No one could ever claim otherwise. He had faced trials that would drive anyone out of their minds. She hadn’t freaked out. She was a little dead inside, but it didn’t matter, because she was strong. So she didn’t need anyone, according to the others, and she almost believed it. Almost, because every now and then she let out a tear for someone, a “I need you”, but on time life put her back in line: she didn’t have to be alive, she had to be strong.

You don’t have to please anyone. Whatever you do will be deemed right or wrong by someone. Anything you say can be appreciated or considered pathetic. Whatever you do, it can be considered madness or the most suitable thing. You don’t need to show if anyone is thinking of you, if you are alone or if you are having fun. You don’t need to make someone think about something. Be is enough. For someone you will be the sea, for someone else the storm, for someone else still nothing. But you never stop! It is the biggest mistake you could make. That’s the secret, my little one: doing what makes you feel good, not others. If you have to turn something off, do it, leave it all on for yourself!