The girl with the matches: αnother version of the story
γράφει ο Νίκος Λαμπρινός Γ2
Once upon a time, there was a little girl, living with her sick father. They had no home, and living in the streets, they were desperately trying to find ways to earn money, so they can buy food. Their clothes were dirty and very light, and as christmas was coming closer, they were extremely cold.
One day, the father told his daughter: »Daphne, i have to find us food, some way. I will search the whole city to find an opportunity to steal some food, or money». His daughter replied: »No, father! You’re too ill to walk all this way to the city! I know my way around this place, and so I’ll be the one to search for food and money, but I won’t steal, because we both know that stealing is a sin, and that there will be consequences for my actions as well. We will most definitely end up in jail. I have dignity! I am going to earn the money fairly, on my own. Her father agreed and lied down on a nearby bench, and so Daphne started her adventurous journey.
Firstly, she went on the road, begging for people to give her some food, or asking them if she could wash their car, in exchange for some money, so that she could feed her sick father, and eat some of the food too. However, as the time passed by, she started feeling pretty tired. Nobody wanted to give her any food, and no one wanted their car washed. No one, except two men. As Daphne was about to pass their car, because it looked fully clean and brand new, the vehicle pulled over. She was surprised. The window that was on her side opened, and she saw two men, wearing fancy suits, and giggling. She wondered why they were almost laughing out loud, but she didn’t question them. They suggested that she should wash their car, in order to get some cash. The young girl agreed happily, and with hard work, she cleaned and polished their car. The two men couldn’t hold it in anymore, so they burst out laughing. Daphne would finally ask them why, but as she was about to, she quickly understood why. The car rushly started, and the men drove as fast as they could. The poor girl ran behind them, begging them to give her at least something. »Because of the fact you’re such a fool, this is all you deserve» said one of the two cruel men, as he threw a pack of matches at her. It hit her head, and it hurt alot. She sobbed. She was now completely exhausted. She wanted to give up, and so she started to walk back to where her father was, with no money or food whatsoever, and now completely disappointed.
On her way, she found some coins on the floor, and she picked them up. They were not enough for a meal, so she decided to get a ticket for the bus, in order to get back to her father faster. She bought a ticket and was now waiting at the bus stop. she was freezing, it had started snowing. In order for her not to be too bored while waiting for the bus to arrive, she was looking at the chemical traces, almost smiling. Daphne loves watching the airplane’s chemical traces. She believes they’re a very beautiful sight. Her dream was to become a pilot, and enjoy driving an airplane while watching its chemical traces. When the bus finally arrived, she gave her ticket to the driver and took a seat. She sat in the back, so she could cover her tears, but she couldn’t. Her pain was huge, so she quietly started crying again. A young couple approached her. They asked her what was the reason she was crying. »Two mean men tricked me! They made me wash their car, and then left without giving me any money. I have no energy left, and my father is waiting for me to bring him food. I am going to disappoint him! What should i do?». The couple smiled. The woman wiped Daphne’s tears and said: »You know… You remind me of… Well, me». Daphne’s eyes widened, and confused, she asked politely: » Huh? Miss, what do you mean I remind you of yourself?». “well, when I was your age, it was very difficult for my parents to take care of me. Sometimes they even had to go out on the street to beg for money. They did all that to pay for my colleges so I can graduate, and I love them so much for everything.” A tear fell down from Daphne’s cheek. “my dad does not have money for colleges, in fact, he doesn’t have money at all.” the guy looked worried, so he asked the young girl: “Would you like to get us to your father? We would love to meet him.” The woman looked at him. “you didn’t tell me your names though.” and the woman said: “ oh, my name is Elizabeth, Lizzy for short, and my husband’s name is Scott. Now, we’d like to see your father!’’. “Sure thing! Follow me.” Daphne said as they all exited the bus. She leaded them to her father, who was in terrible condition. The young couple quickly called 911.
The doctors examined him and found out he was suffering from COVID-19. He was hospitalized for almost a month. During that time, a lot of things happened. Daphne started loving Lizzy and Scott to the point she thought of them as family. They spend numerous fun times together. When her father got out of the hospital, he had a deep talk with his daughter. He realized that he was really not that good of a father, and she they decided one thing. Because of how much Daphne had connected with Elizabeth and Scott, they all decided that she should get adopted by them. They all signed the contract that wrote “Scott Cawthon and Elizabeth Woolridge Grant adopt Daphne Adele Martinez”. To celebrate her new family, Daphne, with the help of her new parents, threw her first party. It was the Christmas day, and they were all eating together, happily, feeling completely peaceful, and now Daphne finally felt safe. In the night, it started getting cold. Daphne found the pack of matches the two men threw at her that day, so she lighted one up and put it in the fireplace. They all sat together, and sang Christmas songs for hours.
The years passed, and Daphne grew up to become and of the best pilots in the world. Lizzy and Scott helped Daphne’s father become a successful business man. Daphne met an honest and kind young man, and got married with him some time later.
The lesson is, that you should always try your best and work hard in ordered to achieve your goals, and don’t refuse help from people that love you. The most important thing to have is hope, you should never loose it. Hope never dies.
