The Phoenix
Through the salt-grimed asylum windows, I watch the Phoenix enter the harbor to cheering crowds, back from miraculous wartime exploits.
I launched that ship.
The crowd cheered me then, right up until they stole my crown and transformed it into a ballot box.
And imprisoned me here.
The door opens.
“Supper time, your majesty.” The orderly’s tone is mocking. It’s a final humiliation that everyone pretends I am crazy, that I was not literally sitting on the throne two years before.
I imagine an escape and triumphant return, like Napoleon from Elba. They will cheer me as the phoenix then.
The Green-Walled Treehouse 
What a beautiful photo to take inspiration from.That blue pops right through the screen.
Phoenix rising from the ashes comes to mind and I love love love, the Napoleon at Elba comparison. Such a clear, pure image. You’re the master of these shorties David. 🙂
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Uh huh… his majesty does have delusions of grandeur (which we truly hope remain delusions and not reality!!)
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We, of course, have no way of judging whose reality is realer, but I’m kinda with the jailers on this one
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I’m not sure whether to believe him, but your narrator’s voice is intriguing, whether he’s a deposed monarch or a deluded individual. Well told.
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all dethroned kings seem to have similar dreams
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Very mysterious. Often, those who break with reality have these type delusions, but I have a feeling he is who he thinks he is. Nicely told!
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Thanks, Brenda. I feel like it could go either way but I’ll let you decide for yourself. 🙂
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May it come to pass!
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Well, you certainly left us guessing on this one. I, too, love the Napoleon at Elba comparison. This is beautifully written.
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Thanks Alicia. I’m glad you liked it.
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I saw the tower on London and a deposed king. But perhaps in a alternative time line.
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Yeah, I could see that.
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Gaslighting at its finest!
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Yes, could be. 🙂
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It’s hard to know who to trust in this scenario. Well done.
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Yeah, really. I’ll let you decide that. 🙂
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Dear David,
I know who this sounds like to me, but we can’t be sure, can we? At any rate, we can hope for what’s best for the subjects of the kingdom. Well done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thanks, Rochelle. I didn’t write it with anyone particular in mind, but yeah, there are parallels. Hopefully the country is better off with this guy gone.
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I like what you did here and the ambiguity of it. Turning his crown to a ballot box is a great line.
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Thank you. Yes, I like leaving things vague, like what the real truth is.
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