Once upon a time there lived a girl in a cosy house on the edge of a lush green forest. She was a darling little child. Dark as a raven with bright eyes and a dazzling smile that lit up her face. Her parents called her Nila.
Nila was well-loved. Her father carved pretty figurines for her. Her mother sang her lullabies about all sorts of beautiful things. The inky black sky above shimmering with stars. The midnight ocean spilled with the milky moon below. The sweet songs of mermaids who rode along the glossy waves at night.
Nila was a happy child. But she didn’t have many friends to play with since their house was on the edge of the forest. So she became friends with the birds and animals of the forest. She learnt their language and they played with her and told her all sorts of stories.
Stories from nearby lands carried by bird songs and hums of bees. Strange and magical stories from far flung realms brought home by geese whose visits lasted only a few moons. Stories of snow and mist and fairy queens. Of desert winds and golden dunes and mighty djinns. Stories of orcs and trolls and dragons. Of dwarves and elves and enchanted forests.
The forest and its creatures knew that Nila was full of magic. The magic lived inside her heart. Her magic shone so bright when she was happy which was always because she was such a happy child. And this was her secret. A secret that no one else knew about. Not even her parents.
Except it was not true. There also lived a wicked witch and her two evil daughters on the forest fringes. The wicked witch knew about Nila’s powers too. She was so jealous because Nila’s magic was much stronger than hers. So she decided to destroy it.
The witch cast a spell on Nila’s parents. On their eyes, the witch placed an enchanted mask made of fine gossamer woven from giant nesting spiders. Then she poured magic wax into their ears.
Nila’s parents were fully bewitched. The eye mask prevented them from seeing their daughter’s troubles and the wax prevented them from hearing their daughter’s woes. She also destroyed all the mirrors in their house.
Afterward, the witch caught Nila and started pulling the magic out of her heart. It left bleeding nicks and cuts all over her heart. Nila cried out in pain. But enchanted as they were, her parents could not hear her cries. Only the forest did.
The forest wept with her. Dark clouds gathered above and the wind started howling. Blinding streaks of thunder lashed out. The skies opened and pelted the witch with fierce rain. But the witch did not stop. She pulled and pulled until she wrenched out all of Nila’s magic except a teeny tiny speck that was buried so deep inside her heart.
The witch then took her magic to the shores of the silver lake at the end of the forest and sealed it inside a dandelion that grew on the banks.
The witch was crafty and cunning. She knew that separating Nila’s magic from her was not enough. As long as Nila was happy and content, her magic would return and strengthen. The witch did not want to take any chances. She wanted Nila’s magic to be completely gone. So she plotted ways to make Nila sad and unhappy.
Every day, the witch sent her evil daughters to play with Nila. The two daughters were real bullies. They always made fun of Nila and made her feel bad.
“O Nila, you are as dark as midnight.”
“O Nila, no one can see you in the dark.”
“O Nila, you have become uglier than yesterday.”
“O Nila, you are so ugly to look at. That’s why no one likes you.”
“O Nila, your parents are so ashamed to have an ugly child like you.”
Each day, the witch and her daughters would send flutters of hurtful whispers Nila’s way and pluck out pieces of happiness from her. Each loving lullaby was forgotten. So was every happy smile. Dark clots of sorrow replaced each fond memory and warm feeling.
On the banks of the silver lake, the magic dandelion drooped and wilted. Bright yellow petals fell off. In their place appeared a round fluffy seed head full of thin feathery seeds, ready to fly with the wind. And one by one, they were blown away until a single stalk remained; teetering and wobbling with each whoosh of the wind.
Poor Nila believed the poisoned words of the witch’s daughters. Tears filled her eyes and her heart ached with sorrow. The lullabies didn’t make her happy or feel loved anymore. Nor did her father’s little gifts bring a smile to her lips.
Alas, her parents could not see her suffering. Neither could they hear her sobs that echoed into the sleepiest hours of the night.
One day, Nila ran away from home to the forest. She knew the forest like the back of her hand. She felt safe inside the forest. But it was not the same for everyone. People got lost in the forest all the time. People sometimes lose their way and need a little help.
It happened to a boy who wandered far from his home too. He could not find his way back and he wandered the forest in panic. His name was Ayin. He was scared and alone. His panic rose with each passing hour. He was nearly in tears when night fell. He had lost his way and was now losing all hope. He needed help. But how was he going to find it? Who was going to help him in a forest, of all places?
Ayin felt the watchful eyes of owls and nightjars as darkness cascaded over the forest. Stars speckled the sky and under the faint glow of a sickle moon, the forest turned into a terrifying world of shadows and silhouettes. Cicadas sang, crickets chirped, and frogs croaked. These sounds tangled with the deep silence and left Ayin in a pool of jitters. Rustling leaves and sighing winds startled him.
Ayin looked around for shelter. His eyes caught flickers of lights ahead. Relief swept through him as he walked towards the flickering lights. As he got near, he stopped and gazed at the sight in front of him, his eyes full of wonder.
A girl was sitting under a giant old tree, leaning against its gnarled trunk. Hundreds of fireflies flitted around her; all of them aglow. The sounds of the forest were less harsh and not so scary where she was sitting.
Ayin wanted to be friends with this girl who was so loved by the forest. He approached her slowly; careful not to spook her.
The girl seemed surprised to see him.
“Who are you? What are you doing in the forest after sundown?”
“Hi, I am Ayin. I am lost. I wandered into the forest and couldn’t find my way back. I am looking for shelter. What is your name?”
The girl hesitated for a moment before responding.
“I am Nila.”
“Can I also stay here? Please? I will be on my way at first light.”
“Sure. I guess.”
“Oh! Thanks a lot! It’s really scary on your own. Are you lost too?”
“I… I live in the forest.”
“Oh! So you don’t have a home?”
The question hurt Nila so much and she struggled not to let it show.
“The forest is my home now.”
“But aren’t you afraid to be alone in the forest?”
“No. I am not afraid of the forest.”
“Yes. I can see that. It’s amazing. You are so brave.”
Nila’s lips curved in a smile.
“Where are you from, Ayin?”
“I live near the silver lake. I need to find my way back. My parents and friends would be worried.”
Nila felt a pang of sadness thinking about her parents. Were they worried about her too? And her friends? Were this boy’s friends anything like hers? No. They were not my friends. Good friends do not hurt you like that. But this boy seemed nice. She wanted to be friends with someone like him. Someone who was not a bully and who did not make you feel bad all the time.
Nila and Ayin talked and talked through the night. Nila was so glad for his company. She didn’t want to be alone and friendless.
When dawn broke, the boy decided to return to his village. Nila told him which path to take. Although she had never been to the silver lake herself, she knew where it was. The lake was so loved by the birds and animals of the forest. Nila was a little sad that once Ayin left she would be alone again.
When he was about to leave Ayin asked her, “Do you want to come with me to the village? You can play with me and my friends.”
Nila wanted to follow this boy and meet his friends. But she was scared.
“But what if your friends don’t like me?”
“Why wouldn’t they like you? You are so brave and wonderful.”
“But will they want to play with someone ugly like me?”
“Ugly? Who is ugly?”
“You don’t find me ugly?”
“Not at all. You are beautiful. Haven’t you seen yourself in a mirror?”
“Mirror? What is a mirror?”
Ayin frowned and bit his lip.
“Never mind that. Come with me. I promise you that you will have fun with my friends.”
His words convinced her a little. She could see that he was nothing like the witch’s daughters. Besides, she was secretly thrilled to meet new friends despite her fear of them not liking her. And off they went as the soft rays of the morning sun wove through the canopies and kissed the forest floor.
After a long walk, they reached the end of the forest path. They emerged from the treeline to the lakefront which was covered in a blanket of green moss and grass, sprinkled with brightly coloured flowers. Among those flowers stood the single seeded magic dandelion. Her magic dandelion. But Nila couldn’t feel her magic anymore. Her powers lay forgotten.
The lake had a long pier. Ayin walked towards it, beckoning Nila to follow. She loped along behind him. It was her first time seeing a lake. She climbed the pier, walked towards the edge, and looked at the crystal clear waters below. She did not recognise the beautiful girl staring back at her.
“Who is that?”
“It is you. Do you still think you are ugly?”
Nila was so surprised to see herself in the water. She looked again. The girl in the water was beautiful. That’s me. I am beautiful. Nila thought. As soon as she thought those words, the one-seeded dandelion started glowing and the magic that was sealed away flowed back into Nila’s heart. She got her magic back but her heart was still threaded with cracks and bleeding from the dark spell cast by the witch.
Very soon, they were surrounded by Ayin’s friends who were waiting anxiously for him to get back to the village. Ayin’s parents came running when they heard about him getting back safely. They hugged him tightly and scolded him for wandering into the forest and smothered him with kisses.
They all welcomed Nila. But seeing Ayin’s parents made Nila miss her father and mother so much. Instead of staying, she quickly said her goodbyes to Ayin and his family and friends, and strode into the forest, eager to be home as soon as possible.
The forest shifted its paths for her and the wind lifted her in its wings, whisking her homeward. Her magic brought her home safe and fast.
The door was left open as if waiting for someone. Nila stood at the doorstep and looked inside. She saw her mother weeping and her father trying to console her; his own eyes glittering pools of sadness. Nila’s toys lay scattered around them. Her mother was clutching Nila’s favourite doll.
Seeing her parents’ grief broke Nila’s heart. She rushed to their side. Her parents were overjoyed to get their daughter back. They wept tears of happiness and relief and pulled her into their arms.
Nila pulled away and looked up at them. With her magic burning brighter than ever, she could see the enchantments placed on her parents.
Nila told her parents in a clear voice. “Ma, look at me, see me, hear me!”
“Pa, look at me, see me, hear me!”
As soon as those words were uttered, the gossamer veil that covered their eyes fell off. So did the magical wax that plugged their ears. Their eyes and ears were now open. They saw their daughter’s suffering in her eyes, heard her unspoken sadness, and felt the wounds on her heart. They hugged her again and asked her for her forgiveness. The last fleck of sorrow finally gone, her heart began to heal.
Nila was a new girl now. The one who got her parents back from the wicked witch’s spell. The one who made friends who were not hurtful and bad. She was a girl who knew she was beautiful and powerful.
Nila faced the wicked witch and banished her and her vile daughters. She was happy and whole. Unbroken. Remade. Once again full of magic.