In the Kingdom of Want

Every desire came true. Speak a wish, and the world bent to your will — gold appeared, love returned, hunger vanished. It was a paradise where no one ever went without.

But each wish demanded a hidden toll. A memory here, a feeling there — small pieces of the self quietly stolen away. The baker who wished for endless bread forgot his child’s laugh. The queen who begged for beauty no longer knew her own name.

In time, the kingdom fell silent. The streets gleamed with gold, the people stood hollow-eyed and smiling. They had been granted everything their hearts desired — until there was nothing left of their hearts to give.