I had been stuck in that box for over a decade, but I was finally let out, and it felt like I was breathing in fresh air for the very first time.
You see, I was lured into the most beautifully decorated box by the most charming man I’ve ever met. Whatever I wanted to put in there, he gave me, as long as I didn’t leave. But that was okay for me. I felt special and loved, and leaving didn’t even cross my mind. This man put a magic spell on me, to the point where I didn’t realise the door was locked the whole time. As the years went by, my surroundings started changing. It’s as if the decorations put in my box to make it seem so beautiful were all an illusion. The magician, as that’s what he appeared, would shift from a monster to a charming prince in a heartbeat, and I got more and more confused as the years passed by.
I tried to find a way to escape the box, although little did I know at the time that the key was actually in plain sight. Maybe I was exhausted and mentally drained, or perhaps it was the manipulation. I actually came close to finding a way out a few times, but that’s when the magician does his best work. He redesigned the box and made it beautiful again. Whatever my heart desired, it was there. His charming side comes out like never before, and it actually remains for a while. Anything to distract me from escaping. And it worked, time and time again. But it also broke me mentally, over and over. Did I dare say
something? It was pointless. My unhappiness was my fault, or so I was told.
But alas, the door was unlocked and swung wide open one day, and I was free. Here’s the twist: the magician, later discovered to be a narcissist, would never leave his box unoccupied. In order to release his current source, a replacement must be found and ready on standby. While I was leaving my box, I looked back and saw the disastrous state it was in, and looking at my replacement walking in, I knew she was seeing the opposite – the illusion of the most beautiful box she’d ever seen. It pains me to know that someone else had to replace me for me to be able to escape, but what can I do? Nothing the previous tenant will say will change the current tenant’s mind, especially while they’re in the love bombing stage.
What’s the point of this story, you ask? If you’re reading this and you’ve been nodding your head throughout, but you’re stuck and feel you can’t escape, I’m here to tell you that you can. Identify the tactics the narcissist will use, and do not let him lure you back in. He will start feeling discouraged once he sees that he no longer has any power over you. This is your chance to run and never look back. Run, darling, you deserve better.
