Prashansa Shahi
I felt my cheeks and fingertips burning from the cold as I walked through the dark alley. The crusty old lamp was flickering and I could hear the high pitched squeaking of rats from the drains. It was almost midnight and my stepmom sent me to get some groceries. As I walked through the icy wind blowing against me, I cursed at my stepmom for treating me like trash. After mom passed away, our family fell apart and my dad married another woman, Victoria. I still remember the first time I met Victoria. I was only ten years old when this tall lady with blonde hair walked into our house. I did not want a new mother, but I saw my dad's radiant smile after so many years. Seeing dad happy brightened the world around me, not until my step mom turned out to be a monster.
I entered the huge mansion with a bag of groceries. My friend Emma always told me how my life was like the story of Cinderella, but it would be incomplete if I didn't escape from this quandary. When I turned seventeen, I was determined to run away and live a better life. My mother always told me that a dream doesn't become reality through magic. I knew what my dream was, to become a musician. Music was my language of emotions. I looked at my guitar in the corner of my room with hope. I wanted to prove to Victoria that I was worth more than how she treated me. I had hopes and the much awaited music fest was in town the next day. I decided to perform in front of everyone and prove Victoria wrong.
It was the day of the music fest. I sneaked out of the house with my guitar. It was a bright day and the streets were crowded with people. There were stalls and decorations all over the place. The dark alley that I walked by everyday was now bright and colorful. I walked around as the area was filled with laughter and sounds of instruments. The air was filled with self possession. I walked up the empty stage hesitantly. I took a deep breath and fixed the mic in front of me. I sang one of my favorite songs. I didn't realize the crowd was so huge, I was nervous, my knees were shaking. My hands trembled as I strummed the guitar. I noticed people leaving the field and my heart dropped. Tears streamed down my face and I ran away. The melodious laughter was now like sinister laughter. I felt pathetic and not worthy enough to show myself. My hopes died along with my love for guitar.
I got back to my normal life where I went to work, came back home to my step mother making me feel hapless. I let a small incident crush my lifelong dream. On my way back home from work, I passed by a street musician. The middle aged man was surrounded by a few people. The people around him danced and sang along as he laughed and sang with joy. When I looked at the busker's eyes, I saw nothing but pure happiness. I watched him perform several songs and it made me feel elated. The busker signaled me to come over so I went to him. "Hey young lady, I noticed you at the music fest he said to me and I felt a sudden melancholy. "Was it your first time?" He looked me in the eye. I looked down and nodded. “I know how you feel. It's a bitter experience but remember, success consists of going from failure to failure, without loss of enthusiasm. You should be capable of getting the most from the least you have." When he said that, it hit me. I had completely ignored the people who were still in the field listening to me. I realized I still had a second chance.
The next day, I went to the street to perform again. I sang hesitantly in the beginning, but as people stopped and listened to me, it made me feel more confident. They sang along which instantly threw me into a buoyant mood. I had the biggest smile plastered on my face as I looked at the celestial pearl in the night sky and thought to myself, “In the end, I deserved a happy ending too."
