They met on an auspicious Sunday in the park in front of the lake, the weather was slightly warm so she wore a frock along with a pink hat with a bow. She looked like a piece of art in the sun with her auburn hair swinging with the cool breeze. There was no worry in the world with him on her side. He was a little taller than her and had just crossed his teen; she was still young and innocent. They sat by the lake often and he read her stories, every day a new one. He was tall and handsome like the way a young man is supposed to be. He had big ambitions and a high will to achieve them all.
“She was a beautiful lady in her early twenties”, he says and begins to narrate a new tale. “She had a family with a loving father, a beautiful mother and a handsome elder brother. She had everything she could have wished for. She was knowledgeable in more than four subjects, knew art and culinary. Her only dream was to get married to her Prince Charming and live happily ever after. Every unmarried man in the town wished to marry her. She was the ideal woman in every man’s eyes. Her father was the Mayor of the town and her mother was known to be the most charming woman from the nearby village. He had met her during a hunting expedition and developed an instant liking towards her. After the death of his first wife, he married the girl’s mother. The son of the former wife was glad to have a sister like her.
On the Eve of New Year, the girl’s marriage was arranged. She was to be married to the Count of the neighbouring town whose second wife had died due to cholera. She did not approve of the marriage and expressed her feeling to her mother but her efforts were vain. All her dreams of Prince and Princesses were broken when the old man consumed their marriage a month after. In the huge mansion, she was alone with a large bedroom all by herself, a lavish dining cum living hall and a husband with his days numbered. Two years went by and she gave birth to a baby boy. The baby was as fair as her with a beautiful voice and was named Henry. On the Christmas Eve of a year after the death of the old man, she escaped. Leaving her toddler, her house, her identity and her self-respect behind, she ran as far as she could.
She reached a faraway land with no idea of the world outside hers. It was a strange world where people had no time for each other. They cared only for money and desire. People did all sorts of work to make a living and the scenery was the most hideous she had ever seen. It was always dark and rained a lot, still people did not care. They were too busy in satisfying their greed. With no status in society, she became what fate had always wanted her to be. She had always had an ability to sit still and look pretty instead this time she laid still to please. It was a very reputed job and she never ran out of customers. Men would come more than twice to spend the night with her. The little self-respect she had disappeared and what was left was a corpse; A living corpse which was ready to do anything to feed itself. Some years went by and she became old for the job and was thrown out by the owner. Now in her mid-thirties, she had enough to feed herself for a month in the expensive city.
Before her month could be over, the Great War started. The population of the city decreased to half its size. There was almost no food in the city and every week many injured came back. Under desperate conditions, she came forward to help and became a nurse. Regularly she would meet hundreds of injured men, some as good as dead and some still hanging on the edge of life. During the war days, she met a young boy, who had hardly crossed puberty. He reminded her of her own son who would have been of the same age. He called her mother and promised to take care of her once he recovers. But heaven was cruel once again; a week before the Great War ended his body was buried outside the church.
The girl had now turned into an old woman and was living at the public centre for the disabled. She had let go of all her memories and pledged to live in peace henceforth.”
“Oh but I feel happy for the girl” she replied as a remark for the story. “She finally found her freedom.”
A nurse comes and announces “Doctor Willsberg, we need you in the Neurology department”.
“Alright Ms Rosaline, I will have to go now. Remember to come here tomorrow for another story.” The nurse pushes Ms Rosaline’s wheelchair toward the patient’s wards.
The other day, they met again at the same place. “Hello, Ms Rosaline. I am Henry. Do you want to hear a story?” The old lady nods for a yes. “There was a beautiful lady in her early twenties”.
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