THE HARD HEARTED GIRL

In the midst of a cold windy night, she sat still, while the world moved around her. It was a strange sensation, not feeling anything, not experiencing any emotion. She sat and stared at the room around her, with the rock in her chest, she was easily drained out since that day…

For as long as she could remember, people assumed she was stronger than she looked, tougher than she felt, and that she cared less than she actually did. So she attracted many crude remarks, one of which was ‘the hard hearted girl.’ It is true she showed no emotion? Every time someone took a jab at her, a piece of her heart burned off. There was a person she trusted more than any, her lifetime companion, in the beginning he saw her for what she really was, soft, sensitive, witty… As time transgressed he joined the masses in assuming she was stronger, tougher and cared less than she actually did.

The love she had come to rely on withered day by day. Slowly he stopped paying as careful attention. Soon after, he stopped doing small acts of kindness, then he became oblivious to the state of her heart. It was assumed that she felt nothing. It was her responsibility to look after herself as well as her companion, she had become her own guardian.

This new task of looking out for herself as well as her companion became more and more difficult as the pieces of her heart burned off. Soon there was an ache in her chest, a burning sensation, she could not bear. As if someone lit a fire in her chest, and instead of putting it off people were throwing paraffin on it, the fire burned brighter, wilting away whatever was left of her heart. Now she wondered if my heart if destroyed, how am I still feeling things, why am I still hurting?

Visiting a special doctor, she discovered that there was a part of her heart that refused to die, the little piece that screamed out, “I am here!” but no one ever heard.

“Cut it out,” said the girl. “Cut it out and save it before they destroy the last piece of my heart.”

The special Doctor was skeptical, but at last she complied with the girl's wishes. Cutting out the last piece of her heart and replacing it with a heart shaped rock. The saved piece was stored in a transparent bottle, the little heart could be heard sniffing and tears ran down its knocked around body, “I am here,” it still whispered, “I am here…” and still no one ever heard.

So she sat on the cold windy night, as the world moved around her, the rock heavy in her chest. Now she was finally stronger than she looked, tougher than she felt and cared less than she used to. She looked up at the glass bottle and said in a voice of steel, “No one can hurt us now. I am the hard hearted girl.”