Dream of the Eternal Lovers

An impasse was the young man's first thought as there were no other roads around him, but it was a matter of fact that he was in the middle of two roads. One towards a made out of ice, and the other to a forest, as dark as it was mysterious. There were no signs to tell him what each was and his only familiarity was the city. When he looked upon the city, all the residents were at each other's throats.

“This is my ice!” said one to another in argument.

“No, it is my ice!”

“You have enough ice. Let me have some.”

“You have too much. Why don't you share?”

And throughout this city, all denizens were fighting for all the ice that was abundant. The buildings, the streets, the cars, the lamps, the food, all was ice and each person was fighting to keep all of it for themselves.

He looked the other way and saw the forest peaceful and quiet, but eyes peered through the shadows. A cold wind was blowing through that gave him quite the chill. The sun was shining but the trees were so dense that few rays of light could peer through.

There was nobody in this forest, except for one person: the young-girl waiting for him on the outskirts.

He looked back at the city, its commodities, its comforts, its resonance to familiarity. Yet, the screams and shouts of the selfish people who kept hoarding ice made him feel uneased for he did not want any more ice, he had no love for it. He could not understand why many were fighting for ice even if it meant fighting their friends, neighbors, and even their family.

He returned his sight to the forest, so full of mystery, full of dread. But the girl beckoned him.

It was at this time that an old wise man appeared on the road. “You are at the crossroad of your life,” spoke the elderly man. “It is time to choose a path.”

“I know of her,” said the Young-man. “I have known her for so long. We have never been together for more than a mere moment before being taken away. Now she wants me to enter a dark forest.?”

“It is up to you to decide where to go. She can come along, or you can go with her. You decide the road you must take and you can even decide who you take with.”

“If I go back to the city, they will expect me to lust for ice. I do not care about ice.”

“Then what is it that you desire?”

The Young-man looked back at the girl waiting by the forest and said, “I want her to come with me and live in the city of ice, for she too does not want the ice, I know of this.”

“Then why not take her? Do you fear that the people will insult you for not wanting ice?“

“I must confess that I do fear them for that reason.”

“Why do you fear them for that?”

“Because I want them to like me.”

“But do you like them?”

The Young-man thought for a moment before answering, “I don't know anymore.”

“Then when was the last time you cared about them?”

“When I wanted ice for myself. But I wasn't selfish, or at least I didn't believe so. When I saw my friend decide to share their ice, they were seen as a hero. I followed their example and shared my ice, but I was seen with scorn and they acted most maliciously. I wanted to share the ice and lost all my friends. A strange phenomenon happened after that. Even though the ice was around me, I could not take any more. Not even one icicle would stay in my hand for it would melt before my eyes. I kept telling people I could not grab the ice and they mocked me for it, telling me ice was no longer in my favor. That is why I left the city and now I stand before a dark forest. I must admit that even though I despise ice, I do miss the times when I loved it. But now I have come to loathe ice and want no part in it.”

“Young-man, there is nothing you can do to change them. To tell them not to hoard ice when it's all around them, they will think you are mad. There is nothing you can do except live for yourself.”

“What do you mean?”

“If ice does not matter to you, then do not take the ice. If they insult you for not wanting ice, then walk past them. The people are so caught up in gathering ice, they have no time to deal with you, and even if they do, when they realize that all the time spent on mocking you gave them no ice, they will leave you be. You need not pay attention to them, for you will not be worth the effort in the end.”

When the old wise man said his final words, the Young-man devified for a moment before walking over to the dark forest where the Young-girl was waiting.

“Let us leave this forest. This forest is lonely and cold. I tire of dealing with its mysteries, never finding an answer. Come, to the city, but not for ice, but because we do not want ice. Perhaps one day the people will see us, happy, smiling, full of joy. They will mock us but perhaps, someday, when they see our merry life, then maybe they'll see themselves in the mirror, see their own miserable faces, and realize that too much of a good thing spoils the spirit. Won't you come with me and face the ridicule that will come to pass?”

He reached out his hand and she with a smile on her face placed her hand on his. “I will go wherever you go, no matter what the consequences, for as long as you are with me, anything is possible.”

Hand in hand, both started walking back to the city of ice, leaving the dark forest behind them forever.