Once upon a time, there was a little girl who loved ladybird classics and Enid Blyton books. She started reading from the age of 4 and never looked back ever since. She escaped into worlds of faraway trees, golliwogs, the naughtiest little girl and secret seven. She dreamed of having a fairy tale husband who took care of everything and she never had to worry about anything. Her parents had great hopes for her. She played the piano, aced her studies and did all the things little girls should.

This little girl soon grew up. She went to a SAP school that her parents are proud of. She hates the school, the system, the culture and all that it represented.

She longed for freedom. She longed to be free.

Soon, she got what she wanted. She stayed in a studio all by herself at the age of 17. She explored the world. She flew the skies as the docile Singapore Girl but she was never docile at heart. She was wild, like an unrestrained horse.

But not once did she step beyond the boundaries of her principles. She remembered what her mother said. She listened and obeyed even though people around her “did the scene”.

But still, the clock struck twelve, the pumpkin dealt her harsh cards and she found herself pregnant despite being on the pill. “HOW??!! How did it happen?!” she would always question. But the truth is, no matter how many times she question herself, question fate, the baby inside her would still be growing , living, breathing as her dilemma continues.

She decided to keep the baby. She decided to marry the baby’s father against her instincts and better judgement.

She had no wedding, no dinner, no celebration. She signed on the marriage papers one month before the delivery of the baby. Her parents hated him. Perhaps they knew better.

The baby sustained her enthusiasm for life. The fairy tale husband she dreamed of, had not materialized after all, perhaps trapped in the Never Never Land. Her husband, like an Israeli trainer, taught her survival and independence the harsh way. She wanted four children. She decided to settle for two instead, as she could only afford two on her own. She was already making plans to walk the lone path.

Once again, she rebelled against her bad cards, the obstacles, the “bad luck”, the seemingly dead end. “This cannot be my whole life! This can’t be what I am facing for the rest of my life!” she decided.

She decided to walk the lone path, no matter how hard it might be. She refused to fret about “how would I be able to take care of the children myself, how would I be able to cope financially, etc”

She is an educated and able woman with no physical disability, so why not?

She decided. She did. She moved on.

She thought that, that would be her life from now on. The children, work, hobbies, travelling a little, seeing the children grow up, get married and have their own kids.

She never thought about having another man, remarrying or such. “It’s impossible” she thought. “The marital status, the children, the emotional baggage… it’s impossible”

Then one day, the rain stopped, the rainbow appeared and she found the hidden treasure at the end of the rainbow.

Will she keep it? Or she relinquish it to a more worthy owner? Would she dare to believe in a fairy tale ending after living through a cursed nightmare?

Is life ever fair?