After the stars fell

Write a story after the happily ever after

I often wondered what love is. Is it truly the warm, fuzzy emotions that ooze out of true mirth of care and adore, or is it a product of prevalent capitalism that exists within our world? That makes it easy for the consumeristic and hyperagile construct to sell products to the humans as a marketing tactic, to slip in through the psyche of innocent minds, to create a buzz, to find their weaklings and exploit them for company profits and expansions.

I still find myself wondering what love is, pondering over that thought. I searched on Chatgpt What do you think love is, What does love truly mean? Is there any premise in the age-old tales of true eternal love, or are they just some flipping pages of history that are known to mankind through the legends of time, through the sands of ripple effects that last through time? Does happily ever after truly exist? I scrambledly typed and asked the language model, aka AI genius.

What followed next was something so bewildering and so real that it felt like a dream I was living! It shared a story with me, the one that felt I was breathing through every ounce of my breath through it and here is how it goes to be.

Imagine yourself as the main character of this tale, or you can interchangeably give it a name - Chatgpt said

Many many years ago, in the ancient land of Verona, existed an unknown charm, a beckoned and mysterious secret kept under the wraps of magical forces. And the only way one could access it was when there was a balance of amicable amorous rays in the chakras of existence. The town of Verona was known as the place where love was eternal, where light never lost its way and where virtue never found its malicious vice.

There was beauty, there was radiance that shined so brightly that one never felt hopeless and desolate ever. Many clans called the land of radiance their abode, but there was the family of the Youngs, who were the most well-known. Respected and renowned for their business endeavours all across Europe, they were worth wealth that was forged to serve seven generations to come. Everyone in their clan was perfect, or at least they seemingly were. Bestowed with three sons and two daughters, they were the picturesque benchmark of tradition and elegance. With their sons upholding their business endeavours and their daughters serving as perfect brides to the high-class society of Europe, they considered themselves to be deeply bestowed by god.

Their eldest daughter, Evaarah Young, was considered to be different from her siblings. She was too outspoken for her nurture, too loud for being a girl and too unconventional to fit their definition of beauty. She dreamt of making a name of her own, to stand on her own two feet and to elope to a land where no one knew her. She did love her family and knew they were only acting like they were taught to by the social construct around them. But her dreams never let her settle for what they wanted out of her, for what she was supposed to do, to only be known as a man’s wife and dissolve into the nothingness of shadows. Her soul knew it could not suffice being the reflection of someone else when it could see its radiance in the mirror. She knew she wanted to dare to dream, to see the world and live life on her terms.

It was a dazzling light when it was time for the Young Sisters to debut in the high society and find themselves respective grooms. Evaraah looked like a spectacle of mesmerising stardust splurged on Earth to dazzle the room she walked into. She stole the hearts of many fair suitors as she danced the night, but none of them gave her the sparks she was looking for. The night ended with many vying for her attention, but alas, none could truly find a place in her heart. She stepped outside for some fresh air, as it was 12:53 am on 5th May 1825, she saw a series of meteor showers in the dazzling sky, and she saw the most beautiful imagery of heavenly bodies seeking the mercy of humankind as they fall while the divinity cries through falling stars.

In her tear-welling eyes, she wished

Oh, beautiful land of Verona, I plead to thee!

To plunge me into the land of heaven, where my mind feels calm and my soul feels free.

I seek not a suitor but my dreams that do not let me sleep.

So I bow to you, to send me to the lands where I find my happily ever after, where I find the purpose of my soul that lies within me deep.

That's when the heavenly eclipse turned into a storm, where the mysteries of the charm bespoke

Dear Evaarah, you are a gift of god, the one who is destined to live a different life,

So we answer your prayers and plonk you into a land that makes your wildest dreams come alive.

Before Evaraah could register the heavenly call, a daze of light fell upon her, and she lost sight of time. As she woke up, she found herself in a strange land.

One where there were flying giants that roared in the sky, and talking boards told a lie. She woke up in a beautiful bed as she saw these things outside the window. As she went downstairs, she saw a beautiful woman who called out to her and said, Good Morning, Alaska. How are you doing? Evaarah was dumbfounded. Why is this lady calling me that name? She questioned her back and said, My name is Evaarah. Why are you calling me that? The lady said, This is why I tell you not to read these tales anymore, Evara asked Which tales are you talking about. Her mother replied, The tales of eternal love and magic.

And the absolute nonsense you talk about - what was it she giglingly asked, oh- rebirth and teleportation. Evarah stood dumbfounded, questions raced through her mind as she questioned the very existence of her being. Maybe she had a look-alike in Verona who looked exactly like her, and maybe they just found her stranded during the lightstorm and took her in. But what were the giants she just saw? Maybe she might be dreaming, and it might just be a reverie she is experiencing. She rushed back to her room, and as she saw her reflection, shivers ran down her spine. Her appearance completely changed, the way she looked altered, a metamorphosis she never saw coming.

She stumbled across the room, trying to find something that might give her some solace, and she found a strange-looking book with springs that marked today's date as 4th May, 2025. Frantically searching for her books, which Alaska’s mom said she had read. As she searched, she found a rusty novel that was locked with a digital password.

It asked What is your name and she said Alaska, The lock did not open. Then she typed Evaarah, and that is when the book opened. As she read the novel, it was about the land of Verona. She flipped the pages as she began to read, to her dismay, the book described the town exactly as she lived in, right from her home, to the lanes and to the family she lived with, The Youngs. As she flipped to the pages, the novel ended exactly as Evaraah wished upon the stars. Perplexed, she wanted to know what had followed, what exactly happened. Then there was a note that fell from the side of the bedside table, a note that read- The Secret of Verona. Intrigued, she pulled it out,

It read

To the beautiful soul who comes across this, I commend thee for taking the plunge into the unknown,

To find thyself lost in sadness, you yearned to flee the land that left you forlorn.

It is once in a lifetime when the stars rise and the sky cries, when the charms glare,

To give the ones what they wish for, only if they choose to dare.

Undecipherable and unfathomable, Evarah found herself in the confounding conundrums of confusion as she read the note. She thought to herself, What does this mean? What does the destiny on its precipice denote? Alaska, her mother called, It is time for you to go to work She shouted, I will be right there, mother, She answered. Though afraid, Evaarah wanted to see what the land of modernity held for women to see. Did she finally get her chance to be free? She dressed herself as Alaska would and went down, having breakfast with her mother. Evaarah asked Where are the others, Her mother looked concerned as she said, Darling, I know you miss your father, but it has been five years since he passed away. I hope you are okay. Evaraah replied Yes, I am ok, just had a bad dream last night. She stepped outside the house, where the cab was waiting for her. Her mother said Let me drop you off at your workplace as you feel unwell.

As they commuted through the streets, she realised she lived in Ireland. And Alaska was a writer who worked for the number one publication in the entire of Europe and was being promoted to a Senior Manager today. She entered the office with pride as she adorned herself in this new form. Alaska’s colleague greeted her and asked, Are you excited for the promotion announcement today? She replied, “ Yes, I feel like I am riding on Cloud Nine!” Her colleague smiled and both of them went to the meeting hall. The director of the publication announced the promotions and then finally came to Alaska’s promotion, as he said. I take immense pride in announcing our new senior director, Alaska Young. Evaraah felt like an impostor as she accepted the announcement and made her way to the central stage.

The director continued ,"I hold immense pride in Alaska, and with her story- The secrets of Verona being ready for summer issue, our readers are extremely excited to read what the tale unfolds." It was like the earth being sprung wide open, and the celestial beings whispering to her, the dots seemed to connect. She accepted the token of honour and asked her coworker indirectly- Are all the stakes of this firm depending on the success of her tale. Her coworker replied- Oh, Alaska, yes! That is why our boss was counting on your tour to Verona. How was it? Evarah felt like a storm brewing inside, she knew where she could find the answers. She replied Yes, it was great and told her colleagues that she feeling under the weather. Can I take the rest of the day off? And they agreed.

She went home as Alaska’s mother hugged and told her how proud her father would be today. Evaraah asked her, When did she go to Verona, As she could not remember, her mother told her it was last week. She pulled up her phone and to her plight, she showed her Alaska’s picture on the same rooftop where her debutant ball was held. Alaska’s mother replied I was quite worried when your phone was untraceable and the news said there was a terrible meteor shower in Verona, which led to a thunderstorm. It was like the pieces of a puzzle coming together. Alaska, too, was unhappy in her life, and it was the same time and the same spot where both of them said the exact syllables that recorded their essence out of thin air and made them interchange their existential realms.

In 1825, Alaska woke up as Evaarah as her mother checked upon her and asked her if she was fine. Alaska looked around her and saw herself dressed like the character of her favourite novel of all time. She looked at the antique drawers and the pastel colored lace dresses filled with satin curves, oh, to find a love, the one that she forever deserves.

She felt like she lived in the land she dreamt of mindlessly as she worked through tales, to love and to be loved through the winds and the sails. Alaska knew it was the charms of Verona that brought her here, she was ready to embody her dream without any fear. Evaraah’s mother asked her if she was ready for the debutant ball tonight. She asked what the date might be of the night. Mother answered it was 4th May of 1825, she smiled, knowing fate had played an uno-reverse card in its eternal style.

Evaraah ran through the novel, to maybe find something that would help her find an answer to this anomaly. She frantically searched through the pages to maybe find something. That would silence her racing thoughts, that's when she came across the page that read,

Evaraah looked in the mirror and saw herself meant for something more,

In the land where her words become her light, is where she finds her core.

In the dance of fate, the secrets of Verona belie in contrasting dualities,

Where two unhappy souls align,

In dreams of finding their happily ever after, the myriad of their anomalous narratives intertwine.

She looked in the mirror and thought to herself Why did I not see this in this novel before. But then, like a lightning bolt, it hit. The dance of fate has a magic of its own. Evarah told Alaska’s mom she needed to go to Verona right away, as her story needed its ending, for her to find her true way. Her mother smiled as Evaraah left for Verona.

Meanwhile, Alaska had the time of her life as she dressed herself for her ball; it was like the divine had finally answered her heart's call. As she admired her new look, Evaraah’s mother told her, Darling, it is time to hit the nook. They went to the castle where the debutante ball was held, where there was one fair suitor who left Alaska’s heart beheld. As she danced her night to her heart’s content, the clock struck midnight, and she knew what it meant. Stepping onto the terrace as she looked yearningly at the sky, it struck 12:53 am.

Evaraah moved through the speed of light as she reached the same terrace that she time-travelled through years ago, 12:53 on 5th May 2025, it struck, she knew it was time to go.

Repeating the test of time, both Evaraah and Alaska said the same lines.

Oh, beautiful land of Verona, I plead to thee!

To plunge me into the land of heaven, where my mind feels calm and my soul feels free.

I seek not a suitor but my dreams that do not let me sleep.

So I bow to you, to send me to the lands where I find my happily ever after, where I find the purpose of my soul that lies within me deep.

The sky roared with a dazzling light as the heavens plonked both of them into a land where time stands still. Some place between the heavens and the earth, where eternity meets mortality’s will. Evaraah and Alaska looked at each other, smiling as they took each other’s externality and being. The divine replied

Happily ever after is a decision that belies oscillating between the choices you make,

For there is light in every speck of this earth, for your life can only metamorphose for your sake.

You Evaarah, my darling! Can find yourself and your light even in the old sands of time,

And you, my love, Alaska, can find an eternal home of amor even in the modern realms of the lover’s rhyme.

I beckon to leave the choice to you, do you want to live the destiny of another generational being?

Or do you dare to find the light within, like the land of Verona, with the cards you are dealt with, even when hopes forge to be unseen?

Tears ran down their cheeks as both the girls knew they could find themselves only in the destiny that is meant to be theirs. Living the life of another person will always leave you feeling unbelonged and uncalled for. Evaraah returned to 1825, where she told her parents that she wanted to be a writer, as her passions called for her to be inked in her creations. Her mother smiled and said, Do whatever makes you happy. Evaraah Young, the beautiful girl who became a famous author, found her happily ever after in her creations. And Alaska Young, who went on to become a famous publicist who married the director of the firm and found her eternal love, as she lived her happily ever after.

Chatgpt ended the tale by saying -

Love can be a product of capitalism or dripping with amorous ounces of eternal togetherness,

It's what you choose to see,

Your life can either be a testimony of happily ever after, or it could have been something else.

The choice in your hands belies to be.

I smiled as I found the answer to my question- you can be as happy as you want to be. No matter where you come from and what hands of cards fate has dealt you, you can create the life of your dreams if you have courage and faith within you. And also the hope for a little bit of magic- maybe a plunge into the unknown that will lead you to your happily ever after

This is completely imaginative, and Chat GPT has only been used as an element of relatability. I have not typed this on it nor created this through AI, and it is completely created through the depths of my craft

Hope you enjoy it.

Best

Hridya Sharma