The lost princess

She was brown and tiny and wrinkled. She was in the furthest corner of the dank and ill-lit room where there were too many children to count. She cried softly having learnt very early that crying loudly had painful consequences. She was hungry most of the time and no one came to look at her very much. At three months she was one of the youngest souls in the orphanage dedicated to abandoned or unwanted children. She was born in guilt or shame perhaps or even just happened to be one more girl child the parents could not afford. In any case, she was a little nobody with dulled eyes and a whimper to keep her company.
One day she was cleaned up a little and carried to the next room where a young couple sat talking to the matron in charge of the orphanage. The woman’s eyes brightened and she reached out instinctively for the baby. Her husband’s eyes met her own and they both felt it at the same time – the acknowledgement that they had found the daughter they were seeking. Many days and more formalities passed before they could bring the baby home. And suddenly one day they had their very own little girl.
The tiny hands found other hands to hold. The tiny eyes began to brighten and focus on the loving eyes of those around her. She could eat as much as her little tummy could hold and no one would curse her. She was enveloped in a warm cocoon of love by a whole family – parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents. She was doted on constantly. Willing arms carried her everywhere and mobile mouths spoke to her of flowers, butterflies, stars and moons. She was everybody’s little princess and basked in the rays of their combined affection.
She grew a little bigger each month though she would continue to remain a slight. She began making tentative noises which were pounced on by the eager family as displays of great erudition. She was praised to the skies and carried about with so much pride that she started to look around her with pleasure. Her eyes filled with the light of curiosity. The children’s laughter and the sounds of their talk attracted her the most. And then one day she did it – something she had not done ever before in her life – she smiled. A blessed beautiful smile of happiness and well-being. Now she was truly home.