:: chinese cinderella ::

"It was simply too painful to admit the truth because then the dream would vanish forever."

the story is poignant. told in deceptively simple language, yet the sorrow and the bone-deep damage is so deeply felt. adeline yen mah captures the essence of a child who has been deprived of so much, that she automatically assumes that the worst is always for her.

it's like the story of Dave Pelzer in A Child Called It. except that in this instance, the little unwanted daughter did not turn bitter and cold and unreachable -- she retains her optimism, her gaiety, and her childlike wonder. that's what makes the whole story even sadder...

sigh...

but would you not admit the truth so that life would be easier? so that your dream remains even dimly lit? would you rather live a lie, or live the harsh reality? perhaps the line between the two is so fine that sometimes we just let the lie grow on us till eventually it becomes real.