Once upon a time there lived a girl who always smiled. Everyone who so much as glanced at her loved her because of this; they felt her warmth and enjoyed her presence. They cherished her so much that when the town gathered together, the people decided to build her an exquisite house—remarkable and grand—but obviously made only for her protection; to keep her hidden from the world. Only the townsfolk could come into her home freely and they did as they pleased, leaving the girl with hardly any time to rest. For decades it remained the same—the people using her as they wished—and the girl kept her young, breathtaking image. The people routinely came; leaving their burdens with the smiling girl. And little by little her smile began to diminish with those same burdens. Eventually, her smile completely disappeared, leaving the people to an unhappy state for they did not know where else to find happiness. They lived this way for a long time, until the people realized they could be happy without the beautiful young woman. She was forgotten in her home; lovely still, with a heartbroken frown plain on her features.
One evening a young man who had learned of the girl’s home set out to feed his own curiosity. When he entered her home—a dark and gloomy place—he supposed that the people had been lying, for there was no sign of life to be found. But just as he was ready to leave, he heard the faintest of whimpers. He set out to find her—the lovely woman he’d heard much of—and found her at last in an armchair, tears streaming down her face. She didn’t even seem to realize him as he walked to kneel in front of her, and did not answer his questions regarding her sad state. She did not respond to him; only whimpered to herself and stared out the empty table in front of her.
The young man wanted to weep with her, for such a lovely face should not look so sad. Such a young woman should have no reason to cry so deeply.
He left late at night and thought endlessly of her.
The next evening, he returned, a bouquet of the brightest mountain flowers in his hand. He hoped this would bring her joy, for all the women in her town adored the flowers but could not pick them because of a difficult climb to find their hiding place. Yet, the girl did not respond. She stared at the table with the same face and did not move as the young man left her home. But he still returned every day, carrying the same mountain flowers. Sometimes he would stay and talk to her, telling her of different things that happened in the town, of all the bright colors and people. Still, she would not move, would not even look at him. Though, sometimes, he swore he could see the light shining in her dark eyes.
It remained the same for years to come.
The boy continued to bring his gift faithfully and continued to stay with the woman longer each time, occasionally falling asleep in her presence.
It was on a day when the young man felt overwhelmed that he brought the mountain flowers with the intention of giving up. When he placed them on the table for her to stare at, he turned toward her to say his goodbyes and was stunned by the small smile on her face. It was barely anything—just a small curve of her lips—but it was enough. He continued on, every day bringing her flowers, and her smile grew each time. She began to look at him as he spoke to her, and her eyes would light up with happiness as he kissed her hand before he left. Then, on a day where the rain poured heavily, she waited at the window for him to return. She smiled as he entered her home.
“Thank you,” she told him, in a voice like silk, “You have kept me alive when I had no reason to live. You have sacrificed much for my sake. I will forever remember and love you.” With these words, she kissed him.
They boy hugged her closely to him and wept with her words, for he had begun to lose hope once more, but she had saved him as well.
Months passed before the two were wed. The young man brought flowers to his lovely wife daily as a token of his love, while she forever remembered and shared her love.
And they happily spent the eternities together—lifting each other as it was meant to be.
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