In Bondage by Fyodor Sologub Summary

Paka is a young boy of eight, growing up in an affluent family. He has a governess and tutors and spends his day in protected isolation from other children. He finds the company of adults boring and watches other boys, less wealthy boys, playing in the countryside and swimming in the river, and he envies their freedom. Paka begins to imagine that his mother is really a fairy that has ensorcelled him and carried him away to a strange magical land where he is held in bondage: in the distant real world he imagines himself a prince. Paka's daydreaming continues and becomes quite real to him. As he is so compliant, his governess grows careless and one day Paka wanders away and meets three brothers, Antoshka, Lyovka, and Lyoshka. He explains to them that he...