Hilda Bewildered

Hilda Bewildered is an illustrated short story about Princess Hilda, who comes of age somewhere in an unspecified European country. Tonight at midnight, she must deliver a prepared speech to “open winter,” but she is terrified of speaking before a live audience. The story runs for 32 pages.

Themes

The story explores celebrity, constant surveillance and Imaginary Audience Syndrome, social invisibility, the chance nature of birthright, beauty and self-image, and the feeling that the grass is greener elsewhere. It also considers advertising language, fear of public speaking, finding inner strength and loneliness among crowds.

Book features

The story is presented as a hand-coded interactive book with intuitive navigation and painterly artwork. It includes an original soundtrack composed for the story by Chris Hurn.