This is the story of the girl who didn’t stop trying. Those around her told her she was stupid for her efforts, but she didn’t care about their uninformed words. Everyday she made more of an effort than the day before, always surpassing herself and her achievements. Her ambition was great and her drive was strong. But, no matter how hard she tried there was always something that stood in her way. Something of magnificence that took a lot out of her and forced her to withdraw. It took her a little while to recover, usually, but once she had, she came back bigger and stronger than before, ignoring the small defeat, and rising up further. And then she tried again.
There was one particular time that stood out for her. A time that will always be etched in her memory. You see, this one particular time, something so bad happened that it made her become very withdrawn and melancholy. Needless to say, she was deeply affected to the very core of her soul, which forced her to withdraw her efforts and, for once, stop trying. The unfortunate and unfolding circle of events meant that even she didn’t have control of the situation, for it seemed she was doomed from the beginning for just wanting to be a part of this person’s life.
Who was this person? And, what possible meaning could she bring to her life, or theirs, by giving so much time and energy to this one thing? The details of the unfortunate incident are inconsequential. What matters is that she was changed by it. So much so, that those around her began to notice. Her appearance started to take a turn for the frazzled and her hair’s usual flair was left to grow out. She no longer wore make up and lived only in her baggy jeans and t-shirts. Bathing become a loose option rather than mandatory and there were moments when one could swear they saw her usual glow start to fade.
As time passed, she achieved less and less per day. Nothing was a priority and nothing seemed to interest her as much as before. Things became very complicated for her and her life started to go downhill. There wasn’t anything anyone could do and they all knew she wasn’t going to survive in the modern world if she had lost interest in things.
Until one day, one of her friends decided to find this mystery person. They rallied all of her friends together and they decided, between them, to send this person a letter. Nobody informed The Girl of their plan and she was, consequently, kept in the dark the whole time. They weren’t sure of this person’s involvement with her and they couldn’t make assumptions in case they turned out to be wrong. So, how would they go about it? They held a meeting and it was decided that if they assumed they were just friends they couldn’t make too many mistakes. So, a letter was written. And, a letter was posted. They waited. And The Girl began to look much worse. She had started to slouch and chew her food with her mouth open. The glow was reducing.
A week later, they received a response. They held another meeting and the letter was read out to everyone. In it, the person claimed that they no longer wanted to be a part of her life and that there was nothing left to say. They were also told off for being so flippant and assuming that the two of them were friends; that they were much more than that and words could not express the bond they had shared. They signed off requesting to be left alone.
The concerned friends of The Girl all held their heads in their hands. They were doomed unless one of them could come up with another idea. And fast. As they ummed, ahhed and deliberated, refreshments were brought and more people were forced to take part to try to come up with a solution. They had nothing, though. Peering through the glass walls of their meeting room, they could see The Girl walking around in ripped clothes, all very filthy and mucky. She was oozing a smell so bad; she left a waft trail – all of which gave The Girl’s friends more of a reason to try even harder to get her back to her old self.
She certainly turned into The Girl that once tried, for now her glow was so low it flickered. Like it needed new batteries. She seemed like a television that wasn’t quite tuned in properly. One that was so close to having the channel, but never quite made it; where the picture just jumped up and down in dismay. Or perhaps that of the blurry image one gets when one wears spectacles. You know the one; when you wake up in the morning and all you can see are blurry edges and blocks of colour. She had turned into The Girl that nobody wished to look at any longer. A sad and sorry sight, by which everyone could relate, but no-one could do anything about.
The Leader stood up and yelled that they needed to do something, quickly! He exclaimed that they must write this person another letter and this time they would concentrate on the nature of their relationship and how important it must have been to them. A fellow member asked that if the relationship meant so much to them, then surely they’d still be together? Another member stood up and asked if assuming they were a loving couple was, in fact, the correct way to go about it – or if that was a foolish endeavour. At last! A proper debate, thought The Leader. He commended their efforts and told them they were on the right track. But, they decided to vote on matters that were afoot. It was decided that they would write another letter (a mere two people disagreed with this idea) and that they would assume that they were lovers (a hearty four out of ten people decided against this, but the majority ruled).
And so, another letter was penned with very little haste reminding the person of The Girl and how she used to make them feel. Some said it was a little foolhardy and some said it brought them to tears. But, who knew what reaction it would provoke after the intended person had read it? They read it out aloud to themselves one last time; checking for mistakes. The letter was folded, the enveloped was licked and the stamp was stamped.
All they could do was wait.
A few days later on the other side of town, a form that once resembled The Girl that they all knew that once tried so hard her nose bled, walked to the library. She was returning some library books that were over six weeks too late. Why now? Well, who knows. Perhaps the books were in the way of the fridge door, stopping her from eating more and more cheese. She was noticeably larger in size than before, as now she had stopped trying to keep trim. Her fingernails were unruly and she had developed a twitch in her eye. She unknowingly winked at everyone she encountered. The sight of their friend slowly deteriorating made them all very unhappy and they tried to offer to pay for her to get a haircut or a manicure, but all offers were politely refused. She muttered less than five words a day now, some of which simply sounded like grunts. Her feet dragged across the floor and the bounce in her step was replaced by a crook in her leg, which forced her to limp. There was only one word to describe what everyone saw, and that was that she was broken on the inside. Her glow had disappeared.
On the thirteenth day of waiting, the friends received a response. And, it wasn’t what they were expecting. They were called meddlers and they were called tyrants! They were called fabricators and made to feel as small as one could possibly feel for interfering in something that didn’t concern them. It was very clear to them at this point that they were on a losing streak. That the work and effort they were putting in was amounting to nothing. They were told not to underestimate the special bond that two people could have and what would they know about their connection anyway? The hard graft in constructing the previous letter all seemed like a bitter waste of time.
They could all do nothing but stare at the empty shell of a girl that now stood in the place of the vibrant, fun-loving beauty that once was. Her charms alone brought smiles to those she encountered. But not anymore. Today, you’d be lucky if you could catch anything but a cold from her, as the poor hygiene and terrible bathing regime she practiced was enough to make even pigs want to move away from her. They could no longer see the friend they once had.
The more they read through the second response, the worse they all felt. They were berated for making assumptions and vilified by this person for their inaccuracies. But, how far off were they? They first assumed that the two of them were friends and they were wrong. They then took on the notion that they were lovers. And, yet again, they were demonised for their selfish opinions. What were they doing wrong? What could possibly have happened between these two – out of the conventional norms of two people being able to find solace in one another? As they read through the letter, though, something very clear did stand out to The Leader. Whatever happened between the two of them was shared by those two people only; that they could never even come close to an explanation. Understanding is what they needed. And, maybe a different perspective.
It was decided between them that they had caused more harm than good. They were all to leave well alone and not meddle in The Girl’s business any further. Besides, she had not even given them her consent for all the trouble they had caused – and the person they wrote to had no idea they were acting without permission. A few more months went by and things were at an all time low. Morale was lacking and the simple fact that the group could not save their friend made them all very miserable. It seemed as though they had started to stop trying too. The Leader, in his mind, was adamant not to give in and decided to go to the library for inspiration. Not to mention peace of mind. A quiet place for solitude, for all this hassle with The Girl had brought him a tremendous amount of pain. More than he cared to share. She was hurting and he could do nothing to help his young friend.
As he walked up the steps and through the large door, his nose picked up a scent he recognised. It wasn’t a pleasant smell and he allowed his nose to guide him ahead, stepping into the building. As he walked, he came across something astounding. There she was, in all her naked glory, standing in the library trying to return something. The irony being that she wasn’t wearing any clothes and so had no cash to pay for the late fees she had incurred on the one book that she was clutching. Under her other arm, it seemed as if she was holding a bright red pillow. The Leader walked closer towards her and saw the library attendants all walking swiftly towards her also. She was about to be kicked out, and/or arrested for indecent exposure in the public library!
She grumbled at the librarian and slammed the book down on the counter. The librarian, holding her nose, kindly asked The Girl to pay the late fees and leave. The Leader saw the ruckus unfolding and reached into his pocket, placing some money onto the counter. He told the librarian he would be paying for the late book and escorting his friend home. At the same time, he removed his coat and placed it around The Girl. Taking The Girl, he exited the library just in time for her not to be caught.
She didn’t hang around for long and was soon darting off down the street. He yelled at her to wear clothes from tomorrow and simply hoped that she heard his message. He looked down in front of him and saw the very same pillow that The Girl was holding; she had dropped it. He picked it up to see that it was in the shape of a heart. A big, fluffy ironic heart. Kneeling down, he sat on the steps and started to think. What was he going to do about his little friend? He thought for nearly an hour and then it hit him. The one thing that The Girl was missing in order to possibly restore her to her old self and stop this madness. He ran himself home and picked up a pen.
The Leader spent the rest of the entire evening penning a letter to The Girl’s old associate. In it, he went into great detail about her activities over the past few months and how her behaviour had changed. He thought of including pictures, but had decided that she was best seen in her prime – not in her current state. This encouraged The Leader to write in such great detail and so vividly, so as not leave anything out.
In the morning, and without delay, he arranged a meeting with the old team that helped him write the previous two letters. He explained to them that, although he wasn’t going to tell them everything in detail, they should trust him and be patient for a little while longer. With the letter he sent a small package and mailed it off as soon as possible.
A few days went by, and nothing. The Girl had deteriorated into something her friends could no longer bear to see… or smell. They turned their backs on her as she was barely trying to be human these days. There was nothing left of her that anyone could remember. Another week went by and The Leader was starting to wonder whether what he had done was the right thing. He didn’t want to give up on her, but it seemed that this was their only hope. A few more days passed. And, a couple more. The Leader had given up hope. There was nothing more he, or anyone else, could do.
On the fifteenth day of the following month, something extraordinary happened. As The Girl slumped over her desk, a package was dropped off at her desk. Everyone around her was very curious. The last time The Girl had received a package was the year before, for her birthday. Her eyes lit up so much – and her glow was ever so luminous – that her friends knew it was from someone special. She didn’t tell anyone who it was from, but they didn’t care. She was as jolly as could be – and tried even harder at everything she did after that, for at least a month! Her friends reminisced between themselves, but knew that the chances of that repeating were very slim. For she was merely a shadow of her former self now.
The Girl lifted her head and stared at the package, rather perplexed. She remained this way for at least another five minutes before using one of her fingers to poke the box. Nothing happened. She stared. Everyone else waited. After a couple more minutes, The Leader placed a pair of scissors on the desk right in front of The Girl, between her and the box. She looked at them intently. He motioned to her to use them to open the box. After much coaxing, the box was finally open and the contents revealed to her.
She lifted out of the box a small, corked, glass jar. On the label it said, ‘My Soul’. Inside the jar, was a stamp. She felt a little frightened, but continued on with the contents of the box. She pulled out the letter from underneath the jar and began to read. The letter was from the same person her friends had written to before. In it, he explained that he was really very sorry for the way things had turned out. He hadn’t meant to cause so much destruction, with so few words, and hoped she could forgive him. Tears began to fall down her cheeks, cleaning the dirt that had collected over the past weeks. As she read on, two pure streams of fluid ran down from her eyes, making her clear, radiant skin visible once again.
The emptiness she felt was represented by the bottle he was sent by The Leader. In his letter, he explained that she was merely an empty vessel now, waiting to feel complete once again. The Leader had apologised to him for all the things they had previously written to him and had hoped that they could one day meet and put the past behind them.
As she continued to read her letter, he told her that he, too, had been feeling rather vacant, but had needed some time apart to collect his thoughts. But, when The Leader wrote to him to tell him about her, he realised that his want and need to be alone was surpassed by this greater need to restore things as they once were. That two soul mates should never have to be apart in such a fashion where one can’t live without the other. He told her that he had thought long and hard about his decision to separate themselves and that he no longer wanted this to be the case. Whenever she was ready, his soul would return to hers.
The collection of friends watching The Girl read the letter had no idea about the content, but were simply happy to see a small glow reappear to her. They each smiled contently and hoped that this was the end of all the misery she had harboured inside her over the past few months. The Leader was happy to see that some life had been restored to The Girl.
The following day, there was a marked improvement on The Girl’s appearance and general disposition. She was walking a little straighter, had clean clothes and no longer smelt like an armpit. She smiled a couple of times during the day, but still wasn’t quite there yet. Over the course of the next week or two, there were drastic improvements. The Girl started to smile all the time, got her hair cut and made tea for everyone in the office. She cleaned her desk and helped other people maintain theirs. She was, once again, a complete joy to be around.
No-one had ever worked out if she had written back to her soul mate. But, it didn’t really matter. Their friend had returned – back to her old self. That evening, The Leader made his way back to his home. He stared at the pillow long and hard, and smiled. The next day, he mailed the pillow to The Girl’s companion and decided he would try to do something to make somebody smile that day. Unknowing to him, he had already been the cause of a number of happy faces the minute The Girl started trying again. All because he tried to save his friend.
A few days later, The Man walked up to her desk and placed the pillow on the table in front of her. She turned around, to feel her soul no longer alone. There he stood; ready to give her a warm embrace. They held each other close and you knew that was all they needed. The Leader smiled and shook The Man’s hand. And that was the story of The Girl Who Tried.
