Fiction, but not entirely.. Volume2

Once upon a time, not too long ago there lived a milkmaid. She was a simple girl. She wished for simple things and wouldn't care for trivial and material things. Yet she faces a problem. Her problem was that she falls in love too quickly and falls out of love long after. Not that she wants it to, but it's just how things were.

She was in love. He was a shepherd. The shepherd is a simple looking youth with a good heart. The milkmaid loved his kindness and simplicity with all her heart. It was just a simple feeling that started within her simple heart and after two years of casting wishful glances his way, she confessed to him.

The shepherd looked away and simply said, 'Sorry my dear milkmaid, my heart beats for someone else. And she is the nurse in that big house yonder. She hears none of my love, too. But I believe she will one day come to love me.' And with that he walked off towards the hills, whistling a sad tune.

The wind carried the melody down to the poor milkmaid who sat down next to her favorite brown and white cow, Buttercup. She cried silent tears of bitterness as she stroked the beast. 'All I wanted was someone to love. It's just a simple request to love and be loved. Why does it have to be such? My heart is now broken and it will take many Springs before love will bloom again.' The cow just continued chewing the cud. Poor milkmaid continued sobbing her heart out, but shepherd was no where to be seen. He was on top of the hill, trying to catch a glimpse of the nurse he love playing in the garden of the big house. Shepherd loved the nurse so much that he didn't realize that the milkmaid is truly hurt.

Year after year, milkmaid continued her everyday routine. She tries to come out of the dairy earlier after skimming the milk for cream so that she could catch a look of the shepherd. Day after day, shepherd walks past her without a passing glance. Still milkmaid did not give up. This went on for another three years. Milkmaid grew thinner and the circles under her eyes grew darker. Still, shepherd walks pasts the dairy everyday with his sight set front. The milkmaid soon ran out of tears.

One fine winter's morning, the milkmaid stood by the gates of the dairy, the place she had been standing for the past three years waiting for the shepherd to pass. She heard a tinkle of silver bells and a clear ring of laughter. Clutching on to her loose apron, she turned to see the shepherd and nurse walking hand in hand. As usual, the shepherd walked past the milkmaid without even acknowledging her presence. The simple milkmaid uttered a cry of despair and ran into the milking shed. She flung herself down on the soft hay beside Buttercup and sobbed. 'I wish I could forget him!' Buttercup mooed softly and continued chewing.

Suddenly there was a soft hum. Milkmaid looked around and saw a white figure. It was her fairy godmother. Fairy godmother said to her, 'Child, how could you love someone when you do not even love yourself?'

The next day when the other milkmaids walked into the milking shed in the morning they found the poor, thin and worn milkmaid lying next to Buttercup, frozen to death.

All she wanted was just simple love...