I hope you like the book. We had so much fun while working on this “Hayalden Kelimelere: İngilizce Hikaye Yazma” project for TÜBİTAK, and it was a very useful experience for us. Writing a new story by ourselves and knowing that others might read it is truly amazing. In my stories, I wanted to take you away from fairy tales and show you some real parts of life instead. I tried to share my thoughts with you, and I hope I was able to do that. Life can be very hard sometimes, but always keep shining like a star, because those who give up can never win…
    I would like to thank my English teacher Murat Han DÜBÜŞ and Rüstem OKYAY for guiding and supporting us in this project. And also, thank you to everyone who read or will read our work.

 Narrated by 

Edizcan GÖNÜL

                                                            An Abandoned Life, A Found Paradise
         

                                                        On one of London’s abandoned streets, a small girl with black hair and                                                             blue eyes was sitting. The area under her eyes was red, and her eyes                                                         were still wet — it was clear that she had been crying. This little girl had a                                 familiar face: Diana, the youngest heir of the Blackwood family. Her family was quite well-                    known, living a life that many admired — you know money and fame. Even though she was the                 youngest member of such a family, she was always invisible. She could never be like her sister Emily or         her brother Marcus, and her mother always complained about that.

            The little girl was the disgrace of the family, and most of the time, they didn’t even take her with them. There were strict rules in the house. Everything had to be perfect — they had to be the best, the most successful, and the smartest. Her siblings could be described as arrogant and selfish. They always spent time with high-status people and thought they were better than everyone else. They were spoiled.

        Her mother was a strict and arrogant woman, with a respected family background. She didn’t love her husband much; it was just a marriage for status. And finally, the little girl's father was a complete wreck.                 He was not a good father. He was careless and angry. Diana had never spoken to her father                                     in fact, he had never looked at her since she was born, but Diana didn’t care anymore.                                                         Now let’s ask the real question: Why was this girl sitting alone on an abandoned street?                                     Something was clearly wrong. The girl was crying. Was she just tired of everything? Maybe.                                     After all, she was only thirteen, and how could a child with no love survive? She couldn’t go home.                             Her mother was very angry with her, though the girl didn’t know why.

                                                    Maybe her mother was just mad at her for existing. So what was                                                     she going to do? Well, this wasn’t something new for the little                                                             girl. At least she had a little money with her. She stood up and started                                             walking through the empty streets. These weren’t bad streets, but when they were                             empty, they had a melancholic feel.                                                         

                        She saw a little black kitten on the road. It looked lonely too. It was hurt and                                 probably hungry. Diana gently picked up the kitten. Maybe this kitten would become her new         friend. She went to a nearby store and bought some food for the cat with the little money she         had. At least now the cat was happy.

        The little girl sat quietly at the corner of the street with the kitten in her arms and slowly fell asleep. When she woke up, she was in a completely different place. In front of her,                  a woman was sitting on a soft couch, smiling warmly at her. The woman looked like an angel.     She reached out her hand to Diana, and the girl, feeling an unexplainable trust, held it. 

        She allowed the woman to guide her. Diana looked at the black kitten that had followed her and it looked more alive now, and that made the girl smile without thinking. The woman led her outside. The little girl couldn’t believe her eyes. She had never seen a place so beautiful.     Children were running around and playing everywhere.

                                                    It was like heaven. The woman pointed ahead with a warm smile,                                                     as if she wanted the girl to join them. For the first time, the little                                                     girl felt safe. Without any hesitation, she joined the other children.                                             She felt happier than she ever had before. Meanwhile, a police officer                                 patrolling the streets of London noticed a little girl sitting at the edge of the                             road, with a small black kitten in her arms. 

                    She looked like she was asleep, and there was a peaceful smile on her face. The                         officer knelt beside her with sadness in his heart. What came after was chaos — the                 sound of sirens, people watching with pity in their eyes. The officer carried the little girl         to the ambulance, but she never woke up again.

        But why would she? She was happy “there” with her angel and her friends.                 Maybe, for this little girl, this was the best ending. After all, who cared if a body without              a soul had its eyes open or closed? No one cared when her eyes were open, so what was the point of crying now that they were closed?

                                            Between Self-Interest and Happiness

                                                    I don’t understand people. But then again, no one really                                                             understands anyone else in life — and most people don’t even try to.                                     Because for a human being, everything that isn’t their own problem seems                             unimportant. Nobody does anything without a benefit. In fact, everything in the                         world is based on self-interest. Humans have always wanted to know more. For                         generations, they searched for a true reason behind the world. But maybe the truth                 is that humans aren’t supposed to know everything. Maybe there are some things we                should never learn, because knowing too much can drive a person mad. That’s why humans should be blind and deaf to certain things. But we can never resist our curiosity and never will.

        The world is a place full of small joys and great sorrows. Strangely, people can feel happy from tiny things, yet there is still so much sadness in life. But no one really understands our     sadness — sometimes not even ourselves. Humans have looked down on each other for years, judged each other, acted with prejudice, and always saw themselves as smarter and better.

        One strange thing about humans is that they like to brag about their pain. They think no one else has suffered as much as they have, and they pity themselves. But that’s nonsense. No matter how much people deny it, humans are naturally selfish. They always act according to their own interests. But can we blame them for it? Not really — because a person has to be selfish to survive.

                                                    Otherwise, they become too weak, too easily broken. We always                                                     need a goal. Our personal interests become our purpose in life. We                                             always want better, more comfortable things. These desires keep us                                     going and help us find our way in the chaos of life. What keeps a person                                     standing is their self-interest and what they are willing to do for it. People love                         doing what they want. No matter what, they find a way to do what they desire.                      Let’s imagine a utopia. In this utopia, the rule is simple: everyone can do whatever they            want, as long as it doesn’t limit someone else’s freedom. Other than that, they can have or do anything — a society completely based on personal benefit.

        Now think: would people be happy in such a place? Would everything be perfect?             The answer is definitely no. And you’re probably wondering why. The reason is simple:             human nature. Even in this perfect-sounding utopia, where all your needs and desires             are met, you would still want more. And the one thing you'd want would be the only forbidden thing. Because even if humans say they want peace, they’re not used to true peace.                     They always want to do more. They always crave more — because humans are never             satisfied. That’s why humans can never reach true happiness, though they always                 believe they have. Good and evil — according to who? What does “good” even mean?