THE WRITER'S CORNER

THE WOMAN WHO LOST HER HAPPINESS by Carolina Ramos

Once upon a time a woman woke up and she had the felling that something was different in her life. She got up, she went to the toilet and when she looked at herself at the mirror she said: “I have lost my happiness”. She took a shower and after breakfast she decided that she had to go and find it again. So she got dressed, took her handbag and, leaving her house locked because she didn’t know how long it could take to find her happiness, go out.

She started to walk and when she saw a man with a dog she went towards him and asked:

- “Excuse me Sir, can you tell me the way to my happiness?”
- “I’m so sorry”, the man answered, “I’m a visitor here”.

She thanked him and the woman continued her walk. Later she found a young couple and she asked them:

- “Excuse me, how do I get to my happiness?”
- “Oh...” said the young girl. “It’s a bit far away from here”.
- “You should take the bus number 16”, said the young boy.
- “Do you know where the bus stop is?” she asked them.
- “Yes. It’s quite near. Cross the road and take the first street. Go along this street until the end and then turn right. The bus stop is just opposite the chemist’s”, said the boy.
- “Oh, thank you. You have been really kind”, told the woman.

She followed the way and soon she found the bus stop. She waited for a while and she saw the bus. She asked the driver and he told her that she had to get off at the last stop and from there she had to ask someone again.

She didn’t know how long the bus took to get there but as soon as the driver told her that they had just arrived, she got off and went to the Tourist Information Office.

- “Hello”, she said. “I’m looking for my happiness. Can you help me to find it?”.
- “Yes, of course. Many people have lost their happiness lately. Because of that we have printed this nice map that can help you to find it. I’ll show you the way in a minute”, the lady from the Tourist Office said.
- “So, here we are”, said again the lady with the map in her hands. “We’re here. So, go out from here and turn left. Go along until the first traffic light. Then cross the road and go ahead until the end of the Main Road. There you will find a nice bookshop. This street is called Crying Street. So go down until the roundabout. Cross again the road and go straight on until you find a park. The park is called Forget the Past. Go through it and when you leave the park turn left. On the corner you’ll see a museum. Cross the road and go up. Then take the third street on the right and go straight on until you get to some traffic lights and a really big road. Cross the road, go along, past the gym and then turn right and then left. Your happiness is on your right. You can’t miss it!!!!!”
- “Oh my God!. It seems to be quite far away from here”, the woman said.
- “That depends on you”, said the lady with a big smile on her face. “I don’t know how quick you would like to find your happiness”.
- “Anyway”, said the woman. “Thank you very much, indeed. I’ll try my best”.

So the woman went out from the Tourist Office and she started to follow the map. The sun was shinning and it was warm. There were many people walking with maps in their hands and the woman felt strange because she thought she was the only one who had lost her happiness that day. She found the bookshop after the first traffic light. She crossed the road after the roundabout and walk across the park. She left behind the museum and the traffic lights. She past the gym and when she turned left after turning right she saw her happiness on her right. It was so small that at the beginning she didn’t recognise it. She looked at it and said:

- “I’m so sorry. I’ll start from today to be really, really happy. I don’t want to lose you again. I want to have the biggest happiness in the world”.

The woman took her happiness, kissed it and put it carefully into her handbag. And with the most wonderful smile on her face, she went back home.