Destiny's Gamble

Happily Ever After

"Ma!" The little girl's yell is enough to flood the corridor with life. The sun has barely risen above the horizon, so it's no surprise that other than her, the hallways of this house are empty. "I've finished it." She squeals, as she skids towards her destination. As always, the said destination's door lies wide open for the little girl to stumble through. After all, the resident of this room's most awaited time of the day is when this ankle-biter joins her. 

"Oh my," Ma chuckles, shaking her head in disbelief. "Has your reading speed increased by twofold, Little Missy?" Grinning proudly, the girl stations herself at Ma's side, as the latter waters the various plants that line her bedroom's windowsill. 

"Well I'm not sure about that." The girl replies, hugging a paperback to her chest, almost as if it is her lifeline. "I got obsessed though." She sighs, tearing the book away from her body and eyeing its cover with pure adoration. 

"I was unaware that you had such a soft spot for romance." Ma comments, as she places the watering can away; solely focussing on the little one at her side. "Is it because of all the fairytales your mama reads to you?" 

"Ma, you and I both know that Dad's the one who is on bedtime duty daily." The girl corrects, her tone softening at the mention of her parents. "He's the one who never stops talking about love, and how it's our saving grace." Upon hearing these words, Ma smiles to herself knowingly. Oh, how times have changed him, she thinks to herself. 

"I'm not sure if I love romance novels." Maheroo says, drawing Ma back to the present. "I do love this one, though, with all my heart." This time, the former passes her fingers over the spiral binding of the novel. "The journey of these two lovers and their struggles..." She trails off, a dream-like trance enveloping her orbs. Once again, Ma smiles secretively. "If only such love stories took place in real life. I wish it wasn't all fiction." 

"Oh, and what makes you say it is?" Ma questions, lowering herself onto a sofa. "Does it state that anywhere in the novel?" Pouting, Maheroo shakes her head slowly. 

"You're right, it doesn't. Yet, I am also big enough to know that these happily ever afters are all a figment of a creative writer's imagination," she says. 

"Dear girl," Ma chuckles, patting at the empty space beside her. Without hesitation, Maheroo seats herself there, turning to face Ma eagerly. After all, the latter always had some interesting topic or the other to discuss with her. "Doesn't it make you wonder why such a beautiful tale of romance was never published?" 

"It's not?" Maheroo's eyes widen with surprise. "But it should be." As if to back her words up with proof, Maheroo opens the book and flips through its pages. "The world knows of Cinderella, Snow White, and Sleeping Beauty, so they should also be aware of their tale." Maheroo jerks her chin in the direction of the novel, her eyes refusing to leave its pages. Truth be told, this little girl spent the past two nights immersed in the words of this book, and although she concluded it as of yesterday, her heart yearns for another read through. 

"Some lovers wish to keep their journeys a secret. Anyways, what's the point of getting it published?" Ma leans back, folding her hands in her lap. "Just like you, the rest of the world would simply assume it to be a work of fiction, and nothing more. And making them believe that these events actually took place...that's not an easy task, my love." 

A moment of silence passes between the two females; one, replaying the events of years past in her head, while the other marvels at the thought of the book being based on reality. 

"Oh oh oh," Maheroo exclaims, her eyes lighting up with excitement. "Do you think Mama and Dad had a love story like this?" If only she knew, Ma thought to herself.