The girl with the irises of gold

Once upon a time, many eons back there was a Kingdom named “Despair”.
Surrounded it was with four mighty walls and unknown to the people four devils ruled over the walls; Fear, Doubt, Stagnancy, and Gloom they were called.
No rivers flowed in Despair, only ponds stagnated.
Weighed down with tasks in hand, bowed heads and drooped shoulders for the denizens of Despair life was not a boon.
Up above the world so high to the magical skies their hollowed eyes would never look.

The royal castle was made up of stone: rigid and firm
Windows barred, doors shut
The Sun tried warming its heart, the rains tried soothing its soul,
 but for the Castle of Despair its way of life was also set in stone.

Mirroring his castle was the King of Despair,
Called “King Past”; a strapping young man but old at heart.
Imprisoned he was by his silken robes of responsibilities,
worn down by the bejeweled crown of traditions.
The four devils had sunk their claws so deep in his heart that the carefree naughtiness of his childhood seemed like a distant dream’s part.

The old priest of Despair- “Wisdom” was his name, suggested a marriage would cure it all.
“Princess Present” of the neighboring kingdom was sought,
Skin the color of chocolate, curls like undulating ocean waves, specks of gold in her hazel eyes shone.
Carefree and happy she dazzled on her wedding day!
But as the shadow of King Past fell on Queen Present, the four devils struck!
Present was lost in should- dos and should-be, duties and etiquettes,
principles and prestige.
Hounded by fear, doubt, stagnancy and gloom the specks of gold in her eyes became inconspicuous soon.


Dictated by the Past and caught up in the Present, the Kingdom of Despair worked like a clock; all wheels churning never making a stop, dreams were not known, and desires were never grown.
But old Priest Wisdom had a solution again, a baby he said would cure it all!
But how was new life to form between the shackles of the past and the burdens of the present?



When all seemed dark Mother Earth took matters in her own hands; a patch of wet soil, a little slip up for the Queen and forced she was to look up above the world so high to the magical skies.
The gold in her hazel eyes flickered alive and a spring morning bought
Mother Earth’s miracle to life!
Present gave birth to an angelic baby girl, magic eyed with irises of gold!
Chubby cheeks, dimple chin, chocolate skin and curls galore.
Her first cry reverberated across the Kingdom of Despair like a tinkling of a thousand bells.
As she fluttered her eyes a golden light bathed the kingdom.
The four devils shivered as they could see their end quite near.


As she touched Queen Present with her tiny fingers, dullness of the present acquired a golden hue.
With her feet on the ground but gaze towards the sky,
Present stepped out of the shadows of the Past
She held the child close to her bosom till their hearts began beating as one, the sweet music pulsating in the old stone castle spreading waves of dreams, desires and aspirations.

As King Past cradled the baby in his arms, butterflies tugged at the King’s heart, the bejeweled crown, the silken robes, the traditions, the norms; he felt unbound from it all.
Gold lit the past and lightened from the burden the King laughed at last!

As the girl grew up, there was one confusion abound,
 the King and the Queen and the Denizens of Despair wondered and pondered;
“What do we call our magic eyed Princess?”
The girl with the irises of gold just smiled her radiant smile.
Her magic kept spreading across the Kingdom;
broken hearts fluttered to life, ailing bodies sought out cures, hollowed eyes learnt to dream,
fearful souls were with courage filled!
Up above the world so high to the skies one and all would look-
the magical shapes that clouds took, the birds that flew, the twilight pink, the twinkling stars, the pearly moon...


The four devils though weakened, refused to give in.
They called her a sorceress, a distorted reality shows she, they said
“Dreams only disappoint, what is their point?
Without our walls, your world will collapse!
We are your anchors, we show you the truth of life.
Leave us and you will falter!” they roared in unison.


As the thunderous roar across, the Kingdom echoed,
 the denizens of Despair thronged towards the castle.
Torn they were between the walled way of life and their faith in the Princess
Sensing their confusion, the girl with the irises of gold just smiled her radiant smile
She knew the time had come for her to address her people
and so, an announcement she made,

 “Oh, Kingdom of Despair ruled by the Past and the Present,
the devils are scared and hence they roar.
What is the reality they so talk about? Who even knows the truth of life?
I don’t promise you all the sun & the moon, the roses & the rainbows and all things good.
But the devils not on those walls reside, in your hearts they make their homes
I can only weaken them but you must vanquish them on your own.
 Shake yourself up take some of my golden dust let your irises shine and let that shine reach your souls there is no more need to mope because, here I am, Lady Hope!”

-Sneha Karle