A Friend Named Hope!!!

Thank You Rohit for doing this.... You don't know how much it meant to me... Its just more than special!!! :) :)

My first story from class 5...

It was one of those days for Margaret when everything went wrong, nothing worked her way. In fact things were so wrong that all her
friends, her teacher, her philosophers,guides were not there in whom she could confide.

What was that bad that no one was there who understood her? She came home tired from school and wondered ," Why. Oh! Why has God been so unfair to her?".

She was perched on a low stooping branch of the oak tree,thinking why had God made her a handicap? A handicap with one leg
smaller than the other and unusually slim frame. For a few years when she was home, her parents treated her as a normal child, cherished special, wanted and the best. Not making her realize that she was different from any other kid. But all good things must end
someday. The girl had to be educated, had thought the hapless parents, hence she was sent to school.

There she was in school either being teased by her classmates as a cripple or a ghost. She was intimidated and taunted.She ran away from them to the safe and loving arms of her parents. Her parents came home only to hear the distress of their daughter. Her
mother told her to confide in a friend, a friend who would give her a hand to walk, a shoulder to cry, to inspire her, to lead her,
who would exclusively be hear friend. The friend was HOPE!!

Margaret did not believe her mom but wanted a friend badly, so she thought of confiding in hope. Her mom told her that HOPE was from a different planet. So, she would teach Margaret the language and then Margaret could converse in that language.

So, every time Margaret was upset, She would go to her mom and ask her to call hope. Whatever problem Margaret had, her mom would show her a brighter side and tell her to believe in herself. She would tell her fictional stories of warrior princess or seemingly real
story of people to inspire her. Slowly Margaret was told that she didn't need her mom to talk to hope, she could do so herself now. This was when mom realized that Margaret didn't get intimidated by the school bully's anymore.

Margaret was now encouraged to lead her life like a normal kid with self-determination and belief. She knew that whatever the world may say, she was as good as the rest and had something in her to break the crowd clutter. She was taken to the hospital where a
false metal foot was attached to her lower limb which now enabled her to walk properly, even though she could not dance or swim.

With every passing grade Margaret started confiding more and more in Hope. She never did anything without hope As she grew older,
her parents started getting worried about her attachment to a fictitious friend, yet seeing her progress, they didn't tell her anything.

Surprisingly every time she confided in HOPE, she felt courageous and strong enough to face the world and with that grew a determination to join regular school from the special-ed school she was going to. With a lot of effort and determination to succeed,
she managed to join a regular 'normal' school. A normal school had compulsory gym classes. Her gym teacher showed sympathy
towards her, and asked her to sit with her and watch the other students. Then she would help her with few exercises which strengthened her. But Margaret was told by HOPE that sympathy was the worst thing in the life. So, in order to denounce sympathy
she asked hope to give her an opportunity.

God listened to her conversation and granted her wish. One week later there was an announcement in the school about a racing competition to be held in the school grounds and all were free to participate.

Margaret went to her gym teacher and gave in her name. The gym teacher though a little surprised didn't say anything and egged her
on by saying she will have to work hard but can do it. She and her friend HOPE then practised running day in and day out after school in the adjacent park to her work. She practiced hard not letting anybody know of her plan of actions.
Her parents started dropping her hints that hope will now have to go to other people also. His parents were shifting, Margaret accepted all this with panache as she was confident her hope wouldn't leave her and go and if he went he would always be her friend.
Then came the first big day of her life. The day of the race. Margaret along with her parents in the crowd came to the race. Off went
the whistle and along went Margaret. Margaret because of her handicap wanted to give up, but her friend HOPE was telling in her ears : 'GO ON! GO ON!'.
The others finished the gap and were nearing the finishing line, when Margaret was still mid-way. There was a resounding silence . Margaret was about to give up when to her surprise as soon as she slowed down people started cheering her. She looked around and everyone were on their feet cheering her wanting her to go ahead. The people who she thought taunted her or jeered her like in the special-ed school were waiting before the finishing line for her to come and join them and amongst them was their friend HOPE.
She ran and ran and ran to embrace her long due happiness. To the feeling of love, warmth and caring world of people whom she
called friends. She joined her friends and they finished the race together.
And she felt her first serious lesson. HOPE was her in her.
An year later when the race was over and result of her examination was out she had topped. She achieved a lot - friends, family''s love, philosopher, guide, most of all self-belief and positive thinking!! All this just because she had a friend named HOPE !!