It was another day of volunteering at the orphanage. A little girl was asking everyone if they could read a story for her, but most of them said they were busy and sent her away. The little girl felt sad and was going away. Nandini who saw that, called the girl.

Nandini : "Come here, I will read it to you."

The little girl gave Nandini the story book she was holding.

Nandini : "Which story do you want me to read?"

The little girl showed the story she wanted to be read and Nandini began reading it for her.

Nandini : "The Princess Who Never Laughed - Once upon a time there was a king and a queen, and they had only one daughter. The princess never smiled or laughed. The king and the queen were worried for their daughter. The king called clowns and magicians to the palace and tried to get the princess to laugh, but she didn't smile or laugh. Finally, the king sent out a message that whoever can get the princess to laugh would get to marry the princess. People from everywhere came to the palace and tried to make the princess laugh, but no one succeeded.... (the story went on) .. then one fine day a person came their and his antics made the princess laugh so much that she couldn't control herself. The king and the queen rewarded him and got him married to the princess."

The little girl heard the story and looked at Nandini thoughtfully.

Nandini : "What happened? Didn't you like the story?"

Little girl : "Are you like the princess too?"

Nandini : "Why are you asking like that?"

Little girl : "I see you here everyday, but I have never seen you smile or laugh, like the princess."

Nandini didn't know what or how to explain to the little girl. She thought for a while and tried to explain in a way that would make sense to the little girl.

Nandini : "Doesn't your smile disappear when you lose something and reappear when you get it back?"

The little girl nodded her head indicating an yes.

Nandini : "Similarly I have lost something too and haven't found it yet. I will get my smile back when I manage to find it."

Nandini's thoughts : "Will I ever be able to get it back? It seems impossible even in my dreams."

Little girl : "Are you waiting for someone like the princess to make you laugh?"

Nandini nodded her head indicating a no.

Little girl : "Are the king and queen helping you find it?"

Nandini : "I don't have a king and queen like the princess has."

Little girl : "Who is helping you find it then?"

Nandini : "Who helps you find when you lose something?"

Little girl : "My friends"

Nandini : "My friends are helping me find it too."

The little girl showed Manik whom she had seen with Nandini most of the time.

Little girl : "This friend."

Nandini : "Not him.. my friends are not here."

They didn't know that Manik was there with the intention of taking her smile away, and not bringing it back or helping her find it. Manik was so busy hating Nandini and thinking of how to make progress with their plan that he hadn't realized that he had never seen Nandini smile or laugh until he heard the little girl talking about it. He also didn't know until now that Nandini visited the orphan more often than the rest of the volunteers.

Manik's thoughts : "What is the reason behind her being here everyday? How does it benefit her? Has she really never smiled or laughed since the time I have been here? How come I didn't notice it till now?"

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One day at the orphanage, a staff from the orphanage was supervising a group of kids while they were playing a little away from a pond. The staff got a phone call and he was talking over the phone. The staff didn't realize that one of the kids had gone into the pond trying to catch the ball he was playing with.

Around the same time, Nandini was outside the orphanage to take a call since she didn't want her well wishers to know that she was at the orphanage. When she finished the call, she heard commotion and reached the group to find the reason for it.

When she came to know what had happened,

Nandini : "I will keep a watch on these kids, and you can go and help that kid."

Staff : "I can't, I don't know how to swim and I don't want to risk my life. I will call someone for help."

The staff tried calling someone at the orphanage and that person didn't pick up the phone. The staff continued to try. Nandini wasn't sure if the kid in the pond would survive till help arrives. She didn't know if she could save the kid, but she couldn't just stand there and watch. So Nandini went towards the pond.

Meanwhile, the staff managed to contact someone at the orphanage and some of the staff and volunteer club members rushed out to help, and Manik was one of them. How much ever he didn't like to be at the orphanage, he wasn't someone to back out when it was a matter of someone's life.

Manik was the first one to reach the pond. He saw a girl holding a boy and struggling to wade through the pond. Since she was at a distance, he couldn't figure out that it was Nandini. He got into the pond, swam and reached her.

Nandini : "It is good that you are here. Please save him."

She handed the boy to Manik and Manik got the boy out of the pond and made sure he was fine. One of the staff members took the boy back to the orphanage.

When Manik looked back at the pond, he found that Nandini hadn't moved much forward from the point where she was earlier. He had heard when his friends were coming up with another rescue plan that Nandini didn't know how to swim, so she was scared of water. It was clear that she didn't know how to swim even now because she was trying to walk across.

Manik swam back to her and found her shivering. He didn't tell or ask her anything, but he helped her get out of the pond. Nandini was exhausted, so she didn't deny his help. From there, others helped her get to the orphanage and change into clothes from the orphanage. Nandini decided to leave early because she wasn't feeling well.

Nandini : "I will leave now."

Manik : "I will drop you home."

Nandini : "No thanks, I will manage."

Manik : "Seeing your condition, I doubt you will be able to manage. If I drop you one day, it isn't going to change your habit."

Nandini agreed and they reached Nandini's home. Nandini was fully exhausted, so she had fallen asleep. Manik tried to wake her up by calling her, but she didn't wake up. So he tapped her to wake her up, and found that she was burning hot. Nandini woke up.

Manik : "We have reached."

Nandini : "Thanks."

Nandini got down from the jeep, but she found it difficult to even walk to the gate. She held the gate for support once she reached it.

Manik found her standing at the gate and not going inside, and he had figured out that she had a high fever. So Manik helped her get to her house entrance and Nandini's caretaker opened the door. Seeing Nandini's condition, the caretaker was very worried.

Caretaker : "What happened Nandini?"

Manik explained what had happened, the caretaker thanked him and he left. When Manik reached his jeep, he found Nandini had left her bag and he went back to return it.

Meanwhile, the caretaker gave Nandini medicine to reduce the fever. Manik was about to knock at the door, but stopped when he heard the caretaker and Nandini's conversation.

Caretaker : "There were so many people at the orphanage, someone would have helped that boy, why did you have to go and put your life at risk?"

Nandini : "They were yet to reach there and the one who was there didn't know how to swim, so he didn't go to save the boy. I couldn't stand there watching that boy drown. I tried to save him, but the person who saved him actually is the one who dropped me just now."

Caretaker : "You don't know how to swim either. Moreover, you are scared of water, then why did you even get into the water? What if something would have happened to you?"

Nandini : "That boy's life felt more important than my fear, and see nothing happened, I didn't drown, the pond wasn't that deep. If something had to happen and I had to die, I would have died long back."

Caretaker : "Don't think about the past. They let you go to the college, and I let you go to the orphanage without taking their permission thinking that it will help you stay away from those thoughts. But if you are so careless, it will effect your health. Have you forgotten the doctor's advice - Stress isn't good for you."

Caretaker : "If you don't care for yourself, at least think about them. If you don't, I have no other option but to inform them. They will have to leave their work and come back. You won't listen to me, but you will listen to them."

Nandini : "Please don't tell them. I will be careful. I will listen and follow whatever you tell."

Caretaker : "Good. For now, you aren't going anywhere, neither college nor orphanage, till I feel that you have recovered fully."

Nandini was fully drained and dozed off immediately. Manik waited for a few more minutes and then knocked at the door. He gave Nandini's bag to her caretaker and left. This incident left a lot of questions about Nandini in Manik's mind.