Beauty and Beast in Modern Times

Long, long ago (some 10 years back), there lived a young prince who loved his country very much. But then, there was a revolution which was known as the internet revolution. The whole country was taken up by the internet. Everyone had a mobile and laptops were a common household item, along with high speed wifi and internet connection. People stopped greeting each other in real life and would send good morning and good night messages on the internet. Almost everyone would know what was going around the world, but didn’t know what happened in the neighbourhood. People were so much engrossed with the online activity that the kingdom became more of a mess.

The young prince took up the internet and online activity so seriously that he forgot to discharge the duties of a Prince. He would seek online pleasure, and didn’t care what happened to his people. The old king was sad. He knew his end was coming near, but if the young prince didn’t take the responsibility of an heir, the kingdom would be in a state of chaos. So the old king went to the temple of his forefathers to pray to the goddess of wisdom, the ancestral deity, so that some miracle would happen that could instil some wisdom in his son’s head.

Next day, an old woman was seen in the kingdom, begging for alms. Nobody cared, for they were busy in their own work. And some of them who did, before giving her a penny would take a selfie and post it on the social websites to show their kindness. The old woman said nothing. Finally, she went to the royal palace. The prince was as usual busy on the internet. The old lady told the guards she knew the king when he was a kid. Perchance the King came that way, and greeted her. He took her into the palace, and asked his son to take blessings from the old woman. But the prince was rude and told the old lady he was busy and couldn’t bother her. This angered the old woman, and all of a sudden she shed her beggarly form and assumed a majestic form of a goddess. There was bright light and the prince was blinded by the radiance. “I am your family deity, and you all have grown so miserable in your fake world, that you all have lost the virtue of humanity. You do not treat the guests well, you do charity for show. And you spend most of your waking hours in a world that doesn’t exist. So I curse you die in that fake world of yours!” The King, Queen and the servants were shocked, and they fell on the feet of the goddess. The prince was in a dazed state, however when he realized how grave the situation was, he fell on her feet.

“Please forgive me, O’ Mother Goddess. I was blind and had become a fool,” he said. The King and the servants also implored her.

Finally she said, “I have already cursed you, so I cannot take back my words. But I promise you that if you can find your true love in that fake world before you complete your third decade, you will return back to the real world or you will be forever a part of that fake world.

 “Seek a woman who is old enough to understand your feelings or you will be lost in that fake world of yours. And do not reveal your identity for the curse will never weary off if anyone one outside knows about it. Now, you will become a part of the fake world along with the entire kingdom once the sun sets.” Saying the goddess vanished.

And the kingdom became a giant computer, hidden inside a cave in the high mountains once the sun had set. It was connected to the world of internet by some miracle, only which the Goddess of Wisdom knew. The poor prince became an anonymous identity. He was more of a pauper, without any identity and kingdom. He was a computer programme, devoid of real existence, and unless some girl fell in true love with him, he would remain just a programme forever…

So the prince created an anonymous profile of himself, to find his true love. He knew though the goddess had cursed him, but had also given him a boon that someday he would find his true love on the internet. He messaged on Facebook to many beautiful girls. But they turned out to be profile of some boys or girls with ugly hearts. He was befooled and cheated numerous times. The poor prince was heart-broken numerous times, for the dark net was a mysterious world of evil. And people once trapped found not an easy escape. Earlier he never felt the need of safety and precaution, but now he realized how hollow the internet was. Nobody was of nobody. There were people who only lusted and had multiple relationships and fulfilled their fantasies which they couldn’t fulfil in the real world. Being involved with anyone meant intense lust for something he was devoid of. If he tried to satisfy their lust, they demanded more, and it never ended. He regretted his decision of spending time on the internet. He wished he could once again see the morning sun, the dark night, the twinkling stars, and feel the cold breeze. How lucky he had been to be gifted with family and loving friends. But he had ignored reality for the illusion.

Finally tired of all these activities, he closed his profile and created a second anonymous profile, as Doctor Anon.

A thousand women will I meet before I find my beloved, he thought. These search attempts are so frustrating.

 The prince sometimes wanted to give up in his attempt, and just dump the reality. Soon he would complete his third decade and be erased from the virtual world. Not even a memory would be left behind. But then he thought of his kingdom. All the people, his subjects were trapped and had become more of useless viruses. He couldn’t let their life stale away. Try again he did. He fell in love with a beautiful girl. Her name was Shimpy.

It was on 14th of February, on the Valentine’s Day that he first messaged her. She was beautiful with thick lips and had long black hair. She was however a lonely girl. Her parents were busy and she would cry herself to sleep. She wished her parents gave her more time. She loved her mother and father and wanted to build a beautiful home, but her parents didn’t give her their time. She so badly wanted to travel the world and see the beauty of places. She was however, more of a caged animal. The internet was the only escape from the real world. She would seek new people on the internet and would wonder how people lived at different places. And as a matter of coincidence she met Doctor Anon. She was in her sixteen and her first love would be a lucky guy. Some fortune-teller had told her parents that she would run away from her home for the sake of love. And so her parents had shielded her from all men, sending her to a girl’s school and not letting her out from her home. Shimpy and Doctor Anon met as strangers, but very soon due to contrasting views they took to be virtual enemies. Shimpy gave the term to their relationship as loyal enemies. They would quarrel a lot in the groups on Facebook, and their quarrel let them to inbox messages, where the quarrel became private.

                                                                                                                                             Doctor Anon

Hello girl. How was your 14^th of February?

Miss Shimpy

Hello. It was fantastic.

I spent hours with myself, and I realised I will be stupid forever.

Nice. You didn’t go out with anyone?

Just for my chemistry tuitions (laughter emojis).

Let me tell you, I am a kid of sixteen.

I know you are sixteen, in 11th standard and will be in 12th this year.

Yeah. You are active and stalking me.

I never tried to find anything about you.

You should.

I won’t. May I know something about you?

Nope (laughter emojis).

(He takes a screen-shot of a picture in which her face is half-hidden and forwards her)

This is your picture?

Yeah.

You are half beautiful.

Thanks.

You have talked to Baron Gajbhare for how long?

Maybe, a month or so.

You like him?

Why? Is he a KitKat?

(laughter emojis).

Yes sort of.

Then, maybe I am blind.

No one proposed you today?

I find it better to keep priority of some people as my privacy.

If you were single, I would have given you company.

I am single, but I don’t need any company.

Then we can be business partners… (wink laughter emojis)

I can just be of use to a teacher as a kid.

I want you to do well in life.

And I want my life to be short and sweet.

(exasperated)

Then do well, live well and die quick.

And once Shimpy even blocked Doctor Anon’s messages. The poor prince was grieved and hurt and sought his revenge. He would someday teach her a lesson. So, he also blocked her.

Shimpy was careless and didn’t give the matter much weight. She continued posting and commenting in the groups, and Doctor Anon sought his vengeance by commenting sarcasm on her posts. Someday he would break her heart. But then for that he had to enter her heart, for the pain from within would hurt the most. The goddess had told the prince that his love would be old, and so Shimpy couldn’t be his love, and neither have a golden heart for sure!

Shimpy didn’t care, what he said, and one day Baron Gajbhare, a common friend on Facebook, told Doctor Anon the sad story of Shimpy. So Doctor Anon was filled with pity, and he genuinely wanted to help her. He however remembered what the goddess had said, to look for an old girl – but this Shimpy was only 16. What if he fell in love with her?

I don’t care, he finally thought. I did the mistake of hurting her, now it is my duty to make amends.

So whenever Shimpy came, the prince would talk carefully and he would try to be soft and kind to her. But she wondered if it was some hidden prejudice from his part, that all of a sudden he started behaving differently. But she too cooled and started talking to him sweetly. And one day, when they were discussing about loneliness and depression, they realized best to unblock each other and talk privately in the inbox.

Doctor Anon

So, how long have you been depressed?

Miss Shimpy

For a short while.

But in my age you can never call it short.

I have missed a lot (nearly 3-4 months) of studies.

Yes…It is not short. I missed 3 years of my life.

It is horrible.

Are you still alive?

I mean you are a strong man. (love-eye emoji)

Yes…I don’t give up easily.

Though my experience was horrible…

I was horrible within a month.

I can’t imagine your pain.

Are you alright now?

Yeah, much better. But I am toxic to myself when left alone. (teary –eyed emoji)

You stressed a lot on studies or someone cheated you?

How can someone cheat me when I trusted none?

And I stressed a lot on my character and what life is! (surprise emoji)

I also didn’t trust anyone.

Every day, I realise more and more of bad stuff.

How are you now?

Doing much better.

I don’t give a thought to what I do.

I used to overthink.

That is the primary reason.

Yeah. But that is all the past.

What about you?

For 3 years, I was in living hell…

Now, talking to you, I have never felt so much peace.

So I live every moment now.

Loneliness kills.

You are just 16, how come you took so much tension in your head?

I was 15 then. I had been active in social works.

Often been to orphanages, and age old homes.

Poverty is a wide subject to fill a small brain with jingling ideas.

I have been living just to adopt a kid and make him/her feel what life is.

It is futile wasting time on a soul-mate.

Yes, futile… Those who are destined to meet, will meet.

I don’t want to meet anyone.

You are only 16 now, how can you say so?

Not my age, again. You have a nice name.

What? Doctor Anon?

No, the name I am unknown of.

How do you know it is nice?

Because you didn’t give yourself a name.

And parents give a name to their child which is always good.

You must be truly be beautiful.

A person with beautiful thoughts can’t be ugly.

Maybe, but I am more wicked.

It is your way to think of.

I just have an image of me. You see what I show.

You are not wicked.

But others also hold an image of you. They see something which you don’t show.

Yeah. That is their creativity.

I have been exploring people on social networks.

Will you be kind enough to tell me your real name?

Yes. But not today, please.

They talked and their talks turned to matters more private. Shimpy had her exams, and she was stressed. The prince comforted her, and told her not to get over-stressed.

What do you want to do in life?

Just be something I can look back and be proud of, when I am taking my last breaths.

For that you will have to have clear goals from now only. Make an estimation of what you want, and how much time it will take. You will be very successful after that.

Yeah, I do.

I had real passion for science at the start of this session.

And what happened, then?

I was good at physics and biology.

I skipped meals for few hours which was not enough.

And now I really hate myself. I have lost interest in subjects.

Now I anchor myself to people who don’t even matter.

You should eat and sleep well.

But why have you lost interest in the subjects?

I had prepared well for that.

I am not able to concentrate.

I think I will have to talk to you.

You need someone.

I will help you as much I can.

Love yourself first, and forget and forgive.

And you need a good sleep.

It is 3:00 a.m. Please sleep.

Let it be. It is my struggle.

To forget, it is difficult. Forgiveness goes on.

Thank you.

And she passed the examination. She was very happy. He congratulated her. She seemed surprised that she had passed, but he knew in his heart she would, because she was intelligent. That day she wrote a note in her handwriting and sent him in the message inbox.

You have very beautiful handwriting. Just love it.

Thank you. Hard work was filling the cursive writing books in early classes. It’s difficult to overwrite.

I fell in love with your handwriting.

Weird.

I saved your handwriting. I wish my wife wrote as beautifully as you.

I really wonder what would have happened if you were my classmate.

Then I would have proposed you. You would be my first love.

You would have been standing outside the class, most of the time to accompany me.

Yes be sure of that. The first attraction happens at that age only.

You would never be able to do that… (laughter emojis). I study in a girls convent. (laughter emojis)

Then I would wait outside your school, just to get a glimpse of you.

I don’t know why I am not easily impressed by people!

Maybe I am still searching for the kiddy love of my parents.

Or maybe a fragment of me enjoys with myself.

Good… Until you don’t find the right person, don’t get impressed.

Teenage dream. I don’t want to be with the right or wrong person.

I want to die a virgin.

I fear that for myself now.

(Surprised emojis)

You are the first person who made me realise, I don’t sound that stupid.

And there is such category of people too.

It is good to keep your chastity.

And we have to answer after death. Applies both for males and females.

Yeah. A request.

Whenever you marry, never compel your lady to give away her dreams to replace your mother. And please give your kid quality time. Also try to adopt a kid.

I loved your opinion. I am going to see the girl’s handwriting before I marry her.

It can to some extent give me an idea about her character.

Explain logically.

A good handwriting requires lot of effort and dedication.

You have to be honest with yourself to make your handwriting good.

There are people who cheat themselves and others… They don’t care to take the pain to write well. There are a few exceptions however.

I am honest… even when I have wifi mobiles and PC, I don’t use them when I promise not to, to my parents. However, good logic for a silly reason.

I hope I get a wife like you soon.

May God bless you with an appropriate soulmate!

Thank you. And you too.

Hope you get the best husband in the world.

I don’t want a soulmate.

Pray for the patience and ambition to chase my dreams.

And when you have found them, then?

I would work for them who are not able to.

It is better to be of service to the mass then a grownup kid.

After that?

I will save enough to travel.

Mauritius, Madagascar, Egypt. I will travel with some purpose.

Hope you will travel with someone- your husband by your side.

A journey becomes less boring and more delightful in the company of a good companion.

A journey becomes wonderful when you interact with people of different cultures while travelling. Parents are always better than a husband.

But remember, your parents are not going with their parents…

They are spouses. So, it is logical you should go with your husband.

I won’t. I don’t know why I find that word irritating, ‘husband’.

You will. Because, you haven’t ever thought of marriage seriously.

When you will, then you will feel the love for your man.

You are young.

Think twice what life can be without family.

There is no life without family.

Okay true. I agree.

A family is complete without a spouse.

Incomplete.

These androgens makes you think so.

We waste time in family.

I think I will mature with time (laughter emojis).

They talked about the leaves, birds, sky and service to humanity. The prince posted in the Facebook group –

Looking for a wife

Who would stick to me all my life,

Through joys and pain,

Love me again and again.

Looking for a wife

All my life!

I seriously wrote the lines you liked just now.

They were nice.

I am seriously looking for a wife.

What? Online wife?

Yes… who can be offline after that, forever.

That is great.

But for me, it is offensive.

Why offensive?

I will also quit being online.

Still offensive.

It’s her choice after all. 

It will be our choice then.

And online relations… You know, we all know in our minds… somewhere in the core, is neither good, nor stable, nor legitimate, nor would anyone want it in their true sense.

You never had online friends.

I would want virtual friends even when I am seventy.

You want a virtual husband?

I don’t want a husband. There is a difference between friends and husband.

Yes. But the best relation for a girl is with her husband.

You badly need a soulmate.

Friends can be girls too.

I need a soulmate. You also need one.

I need patience.

When you will get one, you will run away from her.

After 10 years this is guaranteed.

Nope… I will slap her hard, for staying away from me.

Then I will bear all the world’s punishment she will give me, for the slap.

(Wonder emojis)

Hope she could read this.

She will kill me, before marrying me. (laughter emojis).

She will divorce you before marrying. (laughter emojis)

If she is the ‘awww’ girl, she will fall for you.

What is an ‘awww’ girl?

Stupid girls who say ‘aww’ for every silly thing they find romantic.(laughter emoji)

Oh… (laughter emojis)

You are not an ‘awww’ girl?

Why should I be?

Even though nowadays, I don’t act like a mini-adult, I would never do these silly things.

You should enjoy the ‘awww’ period.

Comes only once in a life time.

I am not in love.

That comes with teenage love.

You will find a very good soulmate then, once and forever.

(weeping emojis)

I really don’t understand why people want everyone to get married?

When I was your age, I thought the same. I never wanted to marry.

Even now sometimes, I have like flashbacks, what am I doing, looking for a girl/wife?

Let me tell you one thing.

Never be confused. Make decisions and be prompt.

I will never be confused, if the girl will make it clear we need each other in fidelity.

Loyalty, faithfulness should be mutual.

I am loyal to myself.

That is my only dream.

That is best anyone can do for themselves and the world.

But you will expect that in your marriage also.

Now, if it comes to my marriage then either you stay or I will shoot myself.

For that you will need a gun.

Shooting can be done with a camera also (wink and laughter emojis).

(wonder and smiling emojis)

Clever girl. You should be my wife.

Hallucinations. You need to sleep.

Yes. Deep hallucinations.

If I stay longer, I will fall in love with you.

Thank me, I blocked you. Now, you do it.

We are expected to be enemies. Keep your spirits high and be a good enemy.

You know most of them start as enemies, quarrel and end up falling in love and marrying each other.

I bought a ticket for action movie but it seems like a horror movie to me.

I thought you would be a good enemy but here it’s more of a romantic person and I call it a horror movie.

See, we are fighting against each other. Now we talk of romance.

If you were older, I would have loved to have you as my wife.

You are just the right girl for any man.

You talk.

I am 16. By 26, I will be one of those annoying girls, whom you would want to throw out of your life.

Nope...By 26, you will be all the more mature. I don’t know how you skipped the ‘awww’ stage. Anyway I think, it is between 16-19. I would love to know who your first love will be.

Are you 22?

In my 20s. But not 22.

I don’t know my real age, it varies.

Now I am a kid.

That is why I lament about your age.

Everything is so good about you.

You take my words in joy as my words in rage.

Maybe, you could teach me.

For I didn’t live my 16-26.

(wonder emojis)

Some are serious people with deep sense of humour. They have the talent to suppress their feelings skilfully.

I feel lonely, Simpy.

Sometimes you bring a ray of hope in my mind.

Like I have found my soulmate.

I feel peaceful talking to you.

I am glad to know that.

You will get someone really good.

I am your virtual friend.

Someday, I will see you and the virtual world will be replaced by the real.

That night day he dreamt about her. The prince could dream again, it was unusual and a miracle. It showed that he was on the right track. Maybe, he had found his true love. He was however, uneasy. He told Shimpy about his dream, she just laughed. It couldn’t be anything, she said. It all was but a dream. She told him not to think too much about her.

I am having a weird experience with you.

It makes me all the more feel strange.

I am a stranger to you.

Yes, I hope a good stranger.

A stranger who comes in dreams.

Imagine me to be the person you hate.

I can’t hate you. You are the best person.

People used to tell that love ruins life, I used to laugh at them.

But I now feel, love really can ruin a life if it is not balanced.

Yes, it does. Very few can control these feelings.

I don’t want to fall in love with you. It will get me nowhere.

You won’t. I assure you.

I will discover the immature half of me very soon.

And you can see it very well.

You are all the more enticing to me.

Like when you say, ‘don’t, to a child, they will all the more do it.

I really wonder if I am immature or you are. (laughter emojis).

I told you, I haven’t lived my 16-26 period. So am living now.

Then, you may fall in love and experience what a crush feels like.

You haven’t seen me, so it’s less of a crush thing.

I may have had crushes earlier, but I sense it is a little different with you.

It is good you are more mature than I am.

(laughter emoji)

Oh no.

I am in dilemma, what I should do with you?

Don’t do anything. I will become a kid with you.

And being a kid is the best part of innocence and love.

Be the first and last love of a person, sir.

First love has the sweetest. And last love of a person is knowing your worth.

I wish I could be your first and last love. I would have a lifetime of memories.

Can you love me?

Define love (in your terms)

I can’t define it… That is why I know it is love.

May I ask you something?

If I start feeling something for you (impossible) in future, then we would waste each other’s time. What is the purpose then?

Yes. By wasting each other time, we can get married, have kids, love each other, can’t live without each other, and finally die… We would be wasting each other time our entire lives to know the worth of each other.

Love your lady, be hers. I am just a stone on your path.

Step on me and move ahead.

You are an authentic girl to love. I would rather keep you in my heart than move ahead without you.

Will you keep your favourite boots in your cupboard?

The leather will be spoilt.

I don’t have favourite boots. I have only one pair at a time.

A lady like you will take a million years to fall in love with someone, but when you will, it will be forever. And fortunate will be the man.

I would love to fall in a well instead.

I have grown up to a stage where words don’t tickle my mind.

Maybe you got desensitized to words, or maybe you just don’t know yourself.

The latter has more possibility.

You know, I asked too much from you, today.

You know you are addicted to the internet.

Not me (laughter emojis).

Yes… I think we all are addicted to something. And me to the internet for some while.

But once I find my love, I will stop… I need someone who makes me realise that she much more important to me than the internet. As you just did, unfortunately.

The prince was grieved. He felt the pain of rejection. Maybe she was not his true love. She thought him to be much, much older than him. And she would look like a kid. How could she marry someone she had never seen? And the unfortunate prince couldn’t show a picture of himself. How could he say he was young? It had been many years since the curse, and he didn’t know how he looked like. If he revealed about himself, the curse would get all the stronger and that would be the end of him. The more he revealed about himself, the farther he would be from finding his true love and acquittal from the curse. He didn’t care about age now. But how would a girl fall for someone inside a computer?

He prayed to the goddess and asked her forgiveness and her blessings.

O holy Mother, if I can, I will surely marry this girl. She has become a part of me. O mother, infuse some love in her heart for me!

He used to talk to her and waited patiently every day when she would come online. He asked her what she ate, what she did during the day. He gave her the best of advice. He became her trusted friend, more like a diary. He was available all the time for her. He taught her when she wanted to know something. They however refused to show each other their face. It was like, you first, you first, and no conclusion finally came out. He would say, I look hideous, you may not like me. Someday, however I will show you my child hood picture.

And he would ask her, in a friendly playful manner, if she would love him and marry him. And she thought it to be a joke and would gently refuse. The poor prince was sad, but didn’t show his disappointment.

On her seventeenth birthday, Shimpy received an anonymous gift, through online delivery. It was a book of fairy-tales and especially the story of Beauty and the Beast had been marked in bold letters. And with it was a bouquet of red roses, with a note printed, Love you forever. She was delighted with the present. She wondered who had sent it, under so anonymous conditions. She hadn’t received a present that surprised her so much. Her secret lover maybe. As usual, she spent her birthday at the old age home. She shared her time with the old folks there, and gave them the warmth of a grand-daughter. They were happy with her cheerful nature. Finally in the evening, when she departed she gave them each a rose. The old people cried, how they were reminded of their younger days. They blessed her, and she had a sparkle in her eyes, when she returned at night. She talked with Doctor Anon with great fervour. She told him how she had received a bouquet of roses anonymously and she had given the roses to old couples at old age home.

Who do you think sent me the gifts?

I did (smiling emoji).

Oh, I should have guessed!

She told him about what she did, and he listened to her patiently.

 Will you marry me?

Shimpy was irritated of his daily questioning. She refused saying, just by sending me a bouquet of roses doesn’t mean I will accept your marriage proposal. I don’t need your gifts.

Thank you so much for bearing with me.

 I do not know what is in your heart. I don’t want to know.

If I have hurt you, I am sorry. I apologise.

Maybe I made a mistake in loving you, but I wouldn’t mind committing the mistake again and again.

It is something divine that attracts me to you, but I have a purpose… And mistakes do teach a lot.

 I am sorry for everything.

I will love you as someone who came in my life and churned my mind to another level.

Bye, my lady. Thanks for your company.

The prince was devastated. He quietly bid her good night and good-bye and disappeared. He didn’t come online after that. He was broken. His subjects went in despair. They would soon cease to exist once the prince crossed the third decade. The poor prince however took no notice.

I loved her, he said. And I don’t know why. She has her reasons for not loving me, and I respect her decision.

The poor prince hid in a zipped file in the computer and forgot that he even existed.

When he didn’t come online for some days, Shimpy wondered where he was. She began missing his good morning, good night messages. She missed her diary. She wanted to talk to him, but he had disappeared. She missed his cheery laughter. She missed his company. Oh, I must haven’t told anything harshly to him. He was so sensitive. She wondered who she would share her thoughts with. She missed him so much. She couldn’t find any genuine friend on the internet. All and everywhere, there were people who lusted for women. All talk ended up, in love making and false promises of marriage. She felt angry at them and she regretted how she had rejected Doctor Anon. He had talked romance but had never ask her to do anything indecent. How he had given so much of his precious time. She missed him very much and he was nowhere to be found. She asked about him to their common friends, but nobody knew about his whereabouts.

She gradually began to weary herself and grew sick. She worried, and then there was none to listen to her. She fell ill and grew bed ridden. Musing, she felt her end was near. Her father grew worried and wanted to know what was eating her from within. A family physician said, some deep guilt within. And her father gave her comforting words. But she missed the beautiful words of Anon. She was looking at his old messages and reading them again and again. She felt the truth in them, and she wished he would come back. All of a sudden, a message popped on her mobile screen. It was from Doctor Anon.

Get well soon. I can’t bear to see you ill.

She sprang up from her bed, as if the dissipating life had suddenly come back in a rejuvenated form.

How did you know I am ill?

I know. He said. I just had a dream, I saw you were ill and missed me. Our relationship is sympathetic, your pain caused me pain, I can’t let you die. You are my life that exists in the real world.

Tears streamed down her face.

 I know, I am your life, as you are mine. But why did you leave your life alone to the mercy of this rough world? She said. Promise me you won’t leave me again. Never go again without telling me.

(weeping emojis).

I always loved you. I promise you, I will never leave you again.

They hugged each other (hug gifs).

Shimpy (kiss emojis),

 Will you marry me?

Yes, my stupid beast. I haven’t seen you, but however you are, I will marry you.

And then the miracle occurred. She got a video call from him. She received it. She was surprised to see a handsome young face smiling peevishly at her.

Thank you, my stupidest girl (smiling emoji). You took so long to just say a word of 'Y'es. I had to wait for more than a year. And you are beautiful (kiss emoji).

(Wow emojis).

 You are handsome! I thought you would be some ugly, hideous old-man.

(laughter emojis)

Come to my kingdom and be my queen.

Now the kingdom thing is a joke. But yes, I would love to be your Queen.

Yes, for people who do not believe in fairies and goddesses, and curses and princes! Your heart is gold, and you have spent your time with age old folks so you are old in your experience. I will come to marry you once you complete your studies. It is a promise.

We all have a beast within us. And there is a Beauty who comes in each of our lives to tame that beast in us. The prince was finally relieved from his internet addiction. And what is more, he focused on life and reality. The goddess blessed the kingdom, and gave them back life. The prince had learnt to love and not see his interests before others. That is when true love happens. And that is what is called a true love story in a modern world…