"Did You Think...?"

Once upon a time there was a Little Girl who wasn't a little girl.  She wasn't a Woman either.  In fact, she didn't really know what she was.  All she knew was that she was cold, hungry, lonely, and very, very lost.  And she didn't know why she was any of those things; she had blankets, and food, and there were lots of people around. 1

Sometimes, she went for long walks by herself.  On one such excursion, she found a small pool of water, as clear and blue as the sky.  She stared at her reflection for a moment, astounded--what a beautiful face! 2

"I am what you want me to be," it said.  It had a scary voice, though--pretty, really, but wrong-sounding.  The Girl ran away from it.  But from then on, it followed her everywhere.3

Once, she took something from another girl.  She felt bad, but the Voice told her it was okay, because the other girl didn't deserve something so nice.  But once, when she was crying, the Voice laughed at her, called her Bad, and said she should cry forever, because she was so very wicked.4

She met a Boy who said he'd give her the moon.  She'd always wanted the moon, so she went with him.  But he thought she was Bad too, because he never gave her the moon.  No, instead, he went away.  The girl cried for a long time, but the Voice said she should not cry, but learn--people will do anything for the promise of the moon.5

The girl met another boy, and they played together every day.  But the Voice didn't like him, and said to run away, so she did. This boy was sad--but the Voice said not to care, so she didn't.6

The girl did everything the Voice told her to, because it was her only constant friend.  She promised the moon to people who would believe her--though she never delivered, just like the first Boy had taught her--and ran away from anyone who...well, from Everyone, eventually. 7

After a long time, she realized that she felt different.  The Voice told her it was Happiness, but...she'd always thought Happiness would be more...happy, somehow--like how she used to feel, before the Voice.  But, she had to admit, she wasn't hungry anymore.  She was cold, sometimes, but couldn't usually feel it.  And she was never alone or lost because the Voice was always there to guide her.  So why did she feel like something was missing?8

She was wandering one day, long after All had Changed, and found that same quiet pool once more.  But now, it was not pretty at all, but black and thick-looking.  The reflection horrified her--so cold, worn, ugly!  The hag staring back laughed the Voice's familiar laugh.  9

"Did you think that Happiness was free?" it asked.10