What Life is All About - Chapter 1

Grace was playing in the lawn of her mansion. The pretty flowers amazed her. Their beauty mesmerized her. But what she did not know was that the beauty of her innocence was far more valuable than the flowers she so adored.

Her Nanny watched her with love and affection. Mrs. Garter had been the family’s maid since she got married. She had loved this family as her own and considered her a part of it.

She could see little Grace was getting impatient. She always fidgeted when her parents were late from the time they were supposed to be home.

Just then, the phone bell rang. Leaving Grace to let her enjoy herself, she went inside to answer the phone. And the news that she received shook her world and destroyed Grace’s.

"Nanna why are you crying?" this little angel asked trying to comfort her Nanna. How would Mrs. Garter ever get enough courage to break this little girl’s heart? How could she ever muster the strength to shatter this girl’s dreams?

But she knew she had to be strong, for the sake of Grace. She had to wipe the tears from her own eyes to prevent the ones that would soon be running a trail on Grace’s beatific face.

"It’s okay little Gracie. Everything is going to be okay." She said her voice barely above a whisper.

"Where are Mommy and Daddy?" Grace asked innocently.

"Your Mommy and Daddy went up to the stars Gracie. They won’t be coming back." Nanna said. And finally the reality of what she was saying sunk in.

Grace had lost both her parents in a car accident. This little ten year old girl, who had never known the meaning of losing something, had just lost the most important people in her life.

This was the end of Grace’s perfect life, the end of her fairytale. She did not know what the fate had in store for her. At this moment, she thought that nothing could go worse. How wrong she was. How young and innocent.

Fate was cruel. It took away from us the things that matter the most.

But this is what life is all about. For without pain and sorrow, there would be no love and compassion.
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Nanna was glaring at the woman that now sat on the sofa of the living room. The funeral of Grace’s parents was over and now this horrible woman was sitting here with the lawyer discussing the legal documents.

Martha Shawn was about to take the custody of Grace. She did not want this. She had always hated her sister and therefore loathed her only child. But she had no choice. The girl had no other living relative and being the head of child’s right association, it was only option open for her.

She couldn’t destroy her reputation by letting her dead sister’s daughter go up for adoption. So she took the hardest decision she had ever made in her life and took the custody of Grace.
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"Listen to me loud and clear girl. Your mother was a disgrace to our family. She ran away with that man you called your father against our father’s wishes. You will turn out just as ungrateful as her. I am sure of that. I don’t want you near my daughter or my son. I don’t want you to ever pollute their minds with your wild thoughts. So stay away from them." Martha said this to the little ten year old girl with venom in her voice.

Said this all to the girl who had just lost her parents. Whose perfect life had just been shattered to pieces.

Her fate was sealed with unending hate of her aunt without ever knowing what she had done to deserve it.