Tuesday, January 17, 2012

The girl who always smiled..


There was once a little girl, in a remote village. People from far off lands came to visit her, show her to their children, their families. The girl was all of ten and she was special because she would always smile. No one had ever seen this little girl ever cry or even make a sour face. Gradually her name spread and people came to see her and they said wistfully to each other, " If only we could always smile like that", " She is so lucky she has no pain in her heart". They showed their children, the little girl and asked them, "Cant you be a little like her?" The little girls parents were very happy. The people who came to see her brought her many gifts and the parents were conscious of doing no such thing that might take away the smile of their daughter. The parents were paranoid, even though the little girl tried to explain to them that she couldn't stop smiling even if she wished to.

But one day suddenly, the little girl grew up. And just as magically as she had smiled all day, she lost her smile. The parents were petrified. They were afraid all their name would be gone, they would get no more gifts, no one would come to see their daughter.They tried to show her to doctors, make jokes, bought her presents, they tried everything. But try as they might, they could not get back the lost smile of their daughter. One day the parents sat gloomily in their little cottage. The little girl walked up to them and told them, " Do not be afraid, just like you told everyone before that I was never sad, tell them now that, I have nothing to be happy about" Before long the astonished parents saw, young men from far off lands come to ask for the hand of their daughter. They were curious and being unable to sustain their curiosity asked one of the suitors one day, " why would you want to marry her?" The young man said, " Look at her eyes, there are realms of infinite sadness in them and yet nothing I can pinpoint at, that is what makes her so unattainable." "I know there will be one part of her that I will never own, that will never be mine in totality and that is why I shall always try..and in that trying I shall be happier than most. "

© 2012 Maitreyee Bhattacharjee Chowdhury


( Image courtesy Google)

20 comments:

Raj said...

The incomprehensible paradox of human emotion: you brought it out brilliantly.

Kunal said...

..I know there will be one part of her that I will never own, that will never be mine in totality and that is why I shall always try..and in that trying I shall be happier than most....

killer ending...and I would like to think that though this ending fits perfectly here...the same can be said...for many situation..."in that trying I shall be happier than most...." This is worth remembering...

Satish Mutatkar said...

beautiful, very nice

Unknown said...

awesome!!

The Unknowngnome said...

It's magic.

subho said...

Very nicely written. The way you have connected two different streams of thought, of the lost smile and the suitor's motivation is beautiful.

Maitreyee Bhattacharjee Chowdhury said...

Thanks so much all of you for reading..am touched :)

Neeraj Kumar said...

WoW! this defined the crux of life: the try.

ra said...

wow..very well written. the impression of this story will last on me forever!!!

Elixir of life (dr_nidhi) said...

Well first of all thanks a lot! See I logged in today to read some blogs... read a few ...I was thoroughly disappointed .. the one I read prior to yours really made me crave to bang my head on the wall... I won't comment on the number of people liking such posts... anyways long story short your post rescued me cos it's lovely... insightful.. simple yet profound... not cumbersome and yes it made me smile :)....

I would agree with Kunal "Killer ending"!! Awesome keep the great work going :)..

Maitreyee Bhattacharjee Chowdhury said...

Thank you so much..more than anything else..for understanding

anatreek said...

Oh all these men, only in stories!..where can i find them?

Vijay Shenoy said...

The girl in a way to me was a metaphor for Life. Like her its all smiles for while and then its filled with moments of sadness. But both are never without reasons, But the reasons sometimes remains unknown. Well written, enjoyed reading it. Thank you.

Vijay Shenoy said...

The girl in a way to me was a metaphor for Life. Like her its all smiles for while and then its filled with moments of sadness. But both are never without reasons, But the reasons sometimes remains unknown. Well written, enjoyed reading it. Thank you.

CYNOSURE said...

Beautiful post...loved it... :)

S.R.Ayyangar said...

Happiness or Sadness...life goes on.

vinishah said...

awesume ending ..loved it .....beautiful is the word :)

Deepa Gopal said...

I agree with Vijay's comment coz thats what crossed mt mind as well. To live this Life(and not exist) with it's joys and sorrows is worth a try:)

Speak Ur Mind said...

Hi Maitreyee,

I am an admirer of Kamala Dhas, was searching her peoms where I stumbled upon your comment and from there to your blog.

This short story of yours is really nice work.

Knowing and learning people is a talent. And good that you are able to share it with us through your writings.

Prashanth said...

Everything that is needed to convey human emotions are all there in this beautiful post, loved it. The last line sums up it all....Cheers..:)