Truth is stranger than fiction they say. And sometimes truth matches so much with fiction that it amazes you.

Manasi was 10 year old when her parents died in a car accident. She was an only child. Her father’s kins were not very keen to take her to their home. They asked her mother’s brother to take her responsibility in exchange of a fat sum.

Her life was not very different than Cinderella after that. She was treated as a maid, beaten & abused at the drop of a hat. Only solace was they had continued her schooling. She was timid by nature & the shock of her parent’s death had made her further drawn into a shell. This went on till she was 16 year old. After she finished her schooling, she thought she would join a college, get a job & be free of this life. But alas, it was not to be. Her maternal uncle & aunt didn’t allow her to join college. She was barred from further studies. She cried her heart out for couple of days but then accepted her fate.

Years passed. She was now 19, an adult, but her life had only worsened. Her once shining eyes had now turned blank. She had no hope, no dreams left. She was scared to run away. The thought of wolves outside her home, if she could call it her home, deterred her.

Today was probably the worst day of her life. She had mistakenly put a bit extra salt in the curry & her aunt had burnt her face with the hot pan. She ran into the back yard & started sobbing. Her tears did not go un witnessed though. Harsh, 14 year old son of their neighbours got a glimpse of her from their window. There was something about her sobbing which touched Harsh’s tender heart. He had heard stories about misfortunes of Manasi whenever his mom gossiped with other neighbours. Today he saw how bad it was. He looked again at the tender face of Manasi & took a pledge there & then.

It was 7 years after the incident. Harsh was 21, a hopeful engineering student. Manasi was 26, still being abused by her relatives. Harsh, meanwhile, had become her good friend. He used to share food with her, cheer her up when she was low & always tried to build her confidence. He used to get her good books to read as he knew Manasi was fond of reading. Harsh was the balm for her painful wounds.

Harsh had been selected for a top IT company during the campus interview. The day had come to fulfill his pledge. He rushed home. He wanted an opportunity to talk to Manasi. As usual she was waiting for him in the verandah. He jumped from the wall of his house to meet Manasi. Today was not the usual chit chatting day though. He took Manasi’s hand in his hand and told her that he was in love with her since the last 7 years. He wanted to share his life with her. He asked her if she would do the honour of becoming his life partner.

Manasi was shocked. She would have never dreamt about such a thing! She tried to resist him. But he was as determined as the day he had taken a pledge that he would rescue Manasi from the clutches of her evil relatives.

Harsh had not only to fight his parents but also Manasi’s own insecurities & her apprehensions about their differences. He fought singlehandedly & emerged a winner. They both were disowned by their own families in the process.

Today, they both have created their own family and they lead a happy life together. Manasi thinks she was lucky to have Harsh to rescue her from hell while Harsh thinks it was due to Manasi he got a purpose in life.

I am privileged to know both these beautiful people. Their story inspires a hope. A hope that, true love, conquers everything. And you can find a fairy tale in the midst of an ordinary life. ❤