There was once a girl who carried the burdens of all the world on her shoulders.
She walked around school with these heavy burdens every day, the weight almost suffocating her - but never really engulfing her. Sometimes she felt that she wanted these troubles to squeeze her in between the cold hard concrete floor and itself.
Everyday, people with long downturned faces would come up to. her and say, "Little Girl, I'm sad". And then they would walk along with the girl, telling her all their troubles. While they spoke, their faces became less tense and they started walking with springs in their steps. While they spoke, the girl felt her shoulders weigh down more and more.
At the end of it all, the people would smile brightly at her and say, "Little Girl, thank you!"
Then they would prance away happily, with nothing sad in their minds.
The girl would stand at a corner and smile back, but that smile was empty. She was in fact, terribly troubled by all that they'd said; she'd think day and night about their problems and try her best to help them in whatever tiny way she could.
With each passing day, the girl became more and more tired. But she was unwilling to tell anyone that. She thought to herself, "I would be terribly selfish if I showed that I am tired. People would not come to me and tell me their problems, and then they'd be sad."
So the girl continued with her ways. More and more people became happy, but the little girl herself was sad. One day, all the burdens the little girl carried came crashing down on her. I was there to see it. And I cried, because this little girl was my friend, and I was one of the people that told her my troubles, and I watched her become pale and haggard without reaching out to share some of her burdens. And I realised how much this girl had helped me in my life, and I cried harder.
The burdens of all the world spread themselves out on the cold hard concrete floor, covering the little girl in the process. I desperately wanted to save my friend, and pull her out of the burdens she was drowning in, but I could not reach for her hand in time.