She was born in a big house.She had almost everything in the world. She was the apple of the eye of her parents. She always got what she wanted. Her demands were varied, intense, and difficult, but nevertheless were met with equal ferociousness by her rich parents. Her wish was the command of the house. She was the princess. She was the Queen. She was the ruler of the house.
She came to this world on a moonless night, her poor parents finally blessed with an angel to light up their otherwise dark life. Right from the time she was born, she was a happy girl, softening the rough and harsh features around her small house. She was never sad. Even the fact that she lived in the smallest of the house (if the shed could even be called a house at all) couldn’t dampen her spirits. She loved being herself. She just loved being her parents’ daughter. She was the princess. She was the Angel. She was the lucky charm of the house.
She was fair, very fair. Her beautiful hair was long and golden, and only highlighted her gorgeous skin. Her eyes were a deep blue, the color of the oceans in them, and when she cried her tears were a golden color. Her precious tears were never wasted. No, they were too precious and beautiful to go to waste. He tears always got her what she wanted.
She was dark. Her skin was rough and dry, her hair sticky and red with neglect. Her face was scarred with all those tears flowing from her eyes, and had dried up with neglect. She was still a happy girl, smiling all day long. She only cried when she was hungry, cold or sick. But no one came running to wipe her tears, or to support her, or to give her warmth.
She went to a big school, an expensive one. They made her wear a beautiful uniform, an expensive one. But she hated it. She had wonderful books full of pictures, and stories about princesses and witches. But she didn’t admire them. She had so many dolls in her room, each one fighting for her attention. Her room was beautiful and bright, with the animated characters, the moon and the stars watching her sleep from the walls of the room. They felt lonely. Because she never even looked at them.
She didn’t go to any school. Her parents couldn’t afford to send her. She was always seen in the same old smelly dress, with all those stitches and patches all over it. She wore it till it smelled so bad, that her mother had to ask for another dress from the memsahib at whose house she worked. She had only one wooden doll to play with. It was always seen with her, and there wasn’t even a moment when she wouldn’t carry it in her arms. She would feed it whenever she got to eat anything herself, she would bathe it whenever she went for a bath, and she would cover it with her dirty blanket during those cold nights. They were inseparable.
As she grew up, she became even more beautiful. Her golden hair became thicker and longer, her skin grew fairer and her eyes became an even deeper shade of blue. She was popular, very popular. She had lots of other people around her all the time, each one fighting for her attention. Everyone wanted to befriend her, be seen with her or share their lunch with her. But she ignored them all. She felt they were not even worthy of her. She was after all the Princess, the Queen of this world. Even being in the midst of the crowd sometimes made her feel lonely and alone.
She grew up in harsh conditions, facing extreme discomfort. She was sick most of the time. She was thin, so thin that it looked like she could fall down and collapse at any moment. She was alone. No one wanted to be friends with her. No one wanted to play with her. No one wanted to share their toys with her. No one wanted to share their food with her. She only had the same old wooden doll with her for company. It had become so old now that its color had completely faded away, and it looked very ugly. But she still carried it with her wherever she went. They were still inseparable. The doll was her only company. And she never felt lonely when she was with it.
She grew up, and became even more beautiful than ever before. The number of people who wanted to be with her was touching the skies. She had everything she required, wonderful and loving parents, a big bank balance, a beautiful house of her own, and an expensive car. She was rich, and independent. She lived in a big city, which was always full of life and joyous people. She went wherever she wanted to go, did whatever she wanted to do. But still sometimes when she was alone, and none of those joyous people were around her, she would feel so lonely and scared, that sometimes she would even want to kill herself.
She was still thin, a very thin girl. But she had the most beautiful smile in the world. She had got used to the harsh realities of life, and had accepted it the hard way. She had made her peace with life, and was always very happy. She laughed loudly and uncontrollably, and spread happiness wherever she went. She still had her old wooden doll, kept somewhere carefully along with her old clothes. She was a happy girl, and loved everyone. People responded like wise, and she was now the apple of the eye of the whole neighborhood (if you could at all call it a neighborhood).
She was sick. She was lonely. And she was heart broken. Deserted by those joyous people who used to be seen with her earlier, deserted by her near and dear ones, she was alone now. She was dying, and no one was even around her. Her husband had left her, and lived separately with the kids. Her own children never ever came to see her. Sometimes she felt so lonely that she could do anything just to get the attention of anybody. She missed her childhood toys, her school friends, and anyone who ever cared for her. She wished she had given more importance to them in her life.
She is a lovely woman, with a caring life partner, and lovely children who loved her so much that it made her forget all those childhood neglect, pain and sufferings. The past was gone, and the present is the only thing that mattered. The pain, the sufferings, and the loneliness was gone, and it was the love, warmth and the care that mattered now. And she knew the future too would be bright and happy. She also knew for sure that her daughter too would love and value the old wooden doll of hers.
