The lost hope of the lost princess.

    THE LOST HOPE,

                              OF THE LOST PRINCESS    

-Retelling of Cinderella

 

A biting gust of wind sliced through her face, jolting her from her slumber. Amanda, a girl with a fiery temperament and a haunting past, awoke abruptly. Abruptly, a blood-curdling scream tore through the tranquility of the night, accompanied by the ear-piercing wail of a police siren and the shattering of glass. Startled, Amanda ripped her headphones off, her gaze darting to the side, though she couldn't bear to witness the harrowing scene where a young child had met a tragic end. With a heavy heart, she muttered, "105th soul ascends to the heavens."

Such calamities were an all-too-frequent sight on the Western Express Highway—constantly plagued by the grim specters of traffic, accidents, and death.

 Amanda gingerly navigated the perilous road and proceeded towards her humble abode, a decrepit and timeworn apartment building that had seen better days.

"Where is that girl?" The booming voice of her mother reverberated in the air. "Mom, my clothes aren't washed!" cried out her demanding stepsister. "Where is my file?" bellowed her father.

 "Another day, another cacophony," Amanda sighed, bracing herself for yet another tumultuous evening, as she embarked on the daunting ascent up the creaking staircase to her apartment.

Upon reaching the door, she hesitated, her trembling hands grasping the doorknob. She drew in a shaky breath and, with newfound determination, released her grip. Amanda cast one final, longing glance at the door before making a dash toward her elusive freedom.

 As she sprinted down the street, her breaths labored and heart racing, she collided with an unexpected obstacle. Gasping for breath, she gazed up at the person she had inadvertently bumped into—a young man, scarcely older than 19, extending a chivalrous hand of assistance.

 Though she declined the offered help and began walking away, the young man regarded her with a perplexed expression, as if trying to unravel the enigma that was Amanda.

 "So, it seems history is destined to replay itself," he mused, scooping up the abandoned shoe and embarking on a swift pursuit of the retreating girl.

Finally catching up to her, he gallantly knelt before her, cradling her foot on his knee, and assisted her in slipping into her shoe. As he delicately secured the lace, he gazed up, locking eyes with Amanda. In that electric moment, an overwhelming surge of emotion passed between them, captivating them both in an unbreakable spell.

An elderly woman, a silent observer of the serendipitous encounter, couldn't help but interject, "At last, the prince has found his princess! And so, the fairy tale begins."

 Ding. The clock struck twelve, and the night sky exploded into a dazzling spectacle of fireworks, marking the arrival of the New Year—a new chapter in the intertwined destinies of the young prince and princess, where exaggeration met reality in the most extraordinary of ways.

Written By:- Muskan Nim

Date:- 21/09/2023