A Miracle in Town

The alarm went off and broke his nightmare; it was another boarding workday. Although he was still sleepy, he got dressed quickly and left the apartment.

He was on the bus when he saw a message from his mom. Seeing her name, his heart warmed for a second, and a pleasant memory lit up his mind. Then he... wait! There was something wrong! He tried to smile, but he couldn't. He tried to move the muscles around his lips. He even used his hands to force the corners of his mouth upwards, but it didn't work. He got frustrated and, out of desperation, he nudged the stranger beside him. When that person finally looked up, he realized that he couldn't smile either. All the people in that bus lost their ability to smile one by one. It started with him, then grew and spread to everyone quickly. And it kept spreading until all the people of the town were affected by it. People panicked at first and tried to prove it was not real. However, it didn't work. Then, after a few days, they tried living without smiling and convinced themselves that they didn't need it.

Time passed by, and soon it was the second month of "smileless life". People were tired of pretending. Soon, the comedy industry died out, conflicts and violence grew due to misunderstanding, people got more depressed, and things couldn't continue that way. People gathered together to find a solution, and because humans are so adaptable, they found one!

That’s where they set up a new business, "smile masks". They started making and selling smile masks in different shapes and sizes for all ages. Smile shops opened up on every corner of the street. The most beautiful smiles were expensive for rich people, but cheaper, more ordinary ones were available for everyone else.

- I want a chic fit for the party I'm invited to.

+Alright, what size do you wear?

- Medium!

People spent money on fake smiles and took care of them, realizing how valuable they would be for the rest of their lives. Over time, they got used to wearing them and totally forgot they had been able to smile easily before.

Many years later, on one of those hot July days, a child was born in one of the poorest families with cheap and old smile masks. It may seem normal to have a baby, but this one was different. Once she opened her small, shiny eyes and looked at the world, she suddenly smiled. No mask, no fake smiles! It was the realest smile ever. One by one, people dropped their masks while looking at that heart-melting smile. All at once, they remembered how to smile again. Something they couldn't stop was happening. And at that moment, all the people of the town started smiling one after another.