The Tale of Lily

Lily lowered her head, trying to hold back the tears. With only her father left from her family, she knew she had to stay strong for him, as he always said that her mother was the glue keeping the family together. Now, standing beside her mother’s grave, Lily understood that she had to be that glue. “I don’t know what I’ll do without you, Mom.”

As her tears flowed endlessly, Lily felt someone standing next to her and assumed it was her father. She stood up and wiped her tears. “Don’t hide your tears, dear,” said a gentle voice, “crying for someone you loved deeply doesn’t mean you’re weak.”

Lily looked up and saw an elderly woman in a white gown standing beside her. “Who?… Who are you?”

The elderly woman’s dress shimmered, and Lily realized she could see through her. “Are… are you a ghost?”

To her surprise, Lily wasn’t frightened, as the lady wasn’t scary. “I am a ghost, dear. But don’t be afraid. I’m here to help you. You have a great power within you, a strong magic that can change the world. Use it wisely, dear.”

And with that, the elderly woman vanished, leaving Lily alone. When she returned to her father, she realized he had been watching her.

“Who were you talking to, my dear?” Lily looked at her mother’s grave. “No one, Dad.”

As time passed, Lily’s father married another woman, Miranda. “I don’t want you to grow up without a mother, my dear. Miranda has two daughters, and you’ll have the sisters you always wanted.” It was true; Lily had always wished for sisters to play with. At first, for a few days, life was pleasant. Miranda was kind to Lily, and her daughters, Nelly and Nora, played with her for hours.

Her father, a diligent farmer, had to go to a distant market. He told Lily he would be away for a few days. “Your stepmother will take care of you, and I’ll be back soon.” And then he left.

Lily’s life changed rapidly. When her father was out of town, Miranda and her daughters were harsh with Lily, making her do all the chores and forcing her to eat and sleep in the kitchen. When her father was home, they acted like a happy family.

“Dad…” she started, “… (Miranda) hates me…” But her father interrupted her. “She doesn’t hate you. She just thinks you should do all the housework, so I decided to hire someone to help with the chores you don’t need to do.” He then hired someone named Billy.

Billy was the same age as Lily, and they quickly became friends. He was the only one who talked to Lily when her father was away. One day, when her father left for another market trip, Miranda called Lily in. “You, girl. Clean the kitchen; it’s disgusting, you lazy girl.”

Lily knew the kitchen wasn’t dirty, but she did as her stepmother asked to get out of the kitchen. Billy was upset and wanted to talk to Lily’s father. Lily loved him and hoped he would ask for her hand in marriage. After speaking with Lily’s father, Billy was angry and left the house. Lily’s heart was broken. What had she done to make him so upset? He was her only friend in the world, and now even he wouldn’t talk to her. Lily felt even more lonely in the following weeks. Every day, Billy would come to work but wouldn’t speak to her. She would sometimes see him looking at her, but whenever she tried to talk to him, he would look away or pretend to be busy.

One day, Lily heard laughter and shouting from upstairs and knew it was coming from her mother’s room. She had made it clear to her father that she didn’t want Miranda or her daughters near her mother’s belongings. Furious and impatient, Lily ran to her mother’s room upstairs.

When she reached the hallway, she couldn’t believe her eyes. Miranda’s daughters had taken all of her mother’s dresses from the closet and were wearing them. As they fought over a dress, Lily recognized it immediately as her mother’s wedding dress.

Sometimes Lily would run her hands over the soft fabric, and her mother would hold up the dress in front of her, twirl around the room, and sing, telling Lily that she would give her the dress one day to wear when she married her true love. Lily thought she had found him.

Unable to contain her anger, Lily rushed at Nelly and Nora and snatched the dress from them. “This dress is not a toy! It’s a memory of my mother, and I won’t let you come near it!”

Miranda screamed from the bottom of the stairs, “What’s happening here? Why are you screaming, Lily?”

Lily shouted back, “I found your daughters messing with my mother’s wedding dress! I won’t allow it!”

Nelly and Nora began to cry, pretending not to understand what had happened. Miranda coolly said, “It’s just a dress, Lily. No need to scream.”

When Lily’s father returned home, she told him what happened. But Miranda and her daughters lied to him, claiming Lily had overreacted. Miranda said, “We just wanted to try on the dress for a while, but she suddenly started yelling at us.”

Lily’s father didn’t believe her and told Lily to be quiet. “Lily, you need to learn to control your emotions.”

Lily felt frustrated and lonely, but she didn’t give up. She remembered the words of the elderly woman she met at her mother’s grave. Slowly, Lily began to discover her magical powers. She could move objects with her hands and read others' thoughts.

One night, she heard whispers coming from her mother’s room. When she approached, she found Miranda and her daughters conspiring to steal her father’s money and run away. Lily decided she would not remain silent. She used her magical powers to record their conversation and, in the morning, showed the recording to her father.

Lily’s father was shocked when he saw the recording. He immediately decided to expel Miranda and her daughters from the house. “I have been blind all this time, but not anymore. Thank you, Lily.”

Lily and her father returned to peaceful living, and Lily began to use her magical powers to help others. She became a symbol of hope and courage in their town.

As for Billy, he returned to Lily and apologized. He told her he was just angry because he was worried about her. He asked her to marry him, and Lily happily accepted.

Lily and Billy lived happily together, working to make the world a better place. Lily learned that love and courage could overcome any challenge, and that true magic lies within our hearts.