Chapter 1
Once there was a forbidden place for people who wanted to love all throughout their lives. They said once you enter the place and hear the ringing bell, you won’t be able to love ever again.
Today, the man I love is getting married, so I went to that place with a broken heart.
He is the man who made me feel love and loved. He is the only man who I wanted to be with. But he’s getting married... with the woman he found with deeper love.
I started to walk to the entrance leading me to the gigantic gate. It was old with rusting steel but standing still. It was open so I hastily went inside to stop this pain I’m grieving.
“What is your grief?” A fine young lady asked me in a soft voice. I looked at her with a plain smile and said, “I’m just tired of loving people who always leave me at the end.”
She giggled and then laughed so hard as if she heard a joke. I was amused by the way she reacted to my answer.
“That statement from you people never gets old.” She said in the middle of laughing.
“Is that funny? I bet you don’t understand how I feel.” I said defensively.
“Maybe... I don’t. But you don’t know my pain either.” I didn’t bother to say a word because she was right. I didn’t know her pain. “Follow me.” I looked at her confused. I don’t know whether to trust her or not. “What? Why are you looking at me like that? Don’t you want to ease that tiredness you feel from constantly loving someone?” I nodded and followed her when she started to walk.
I gasped in awe when I saw the place. It was irony to the concept of forgetting love. The place is full of flowers and butterflies. Pastel colors is surrounding us, with benches, and water fountain and chirping birds.
“It’s beautiful, right?” She asked.
“What is this place?” I also asked with amusement
“This place was once full of love. But it was cursed because of one’s selfish desire.” I looked at her with the hope to listen to more of the story.
“What do you mean?”
“This was once a village of lovely and loving people. This place was established with love... An undefined meaning of love. People are happy and lively each day, there is always a celebration, a festive one. But everything changed when someone fell in love but failed to have that happy ending she wanted.”
“What happened?”
“The man she loved died. It was awful.” She smiled sadly. “Their memories together are slowly vanishing in her mind. Slowly forgetting the love she felt. She wanted to keep it, but she’s forgetting. She was grieving so much. That’s why she went to the village’s witch and asked her to recover her memories. The witch then said, ″if I do that you won’t be able to love ever again.”
She stopped and looked at the bell above the well.
“She agreed because that’s all she wanted. To live with his love. But the witch had to make an agreement. She wanted to take over the village so in exchange for the spell, she had to give her governance of the village to the witch. Because of his desperate desire, she agreed. Even if she knows that she’s sacrificing the good life of her people.”
We continued to walk as she continued telling the story.
“After the agreement had sealed with her blood, they went to the well and threw the piece of paper on it. The well shone and then the bell rang and after a few minutes she felt dizzy and went into a deep sleep. When she woke up, this village was already empty. Her loving people are gone.” Her tears began to shed.
“When she woke up, the corpse of the witch was beside her with a dagger on her chest. She was shocked, she was not able to move her feet because of fear. She shed a tear but it stopped when she heard an angry voice saying, “Now that you got what you want, what will you do with this village? What will you do with your people who have died because of your selfish ambition?” She was not able to answer because she didn’t know what happened.
She asked what the mother witch was saying and why she killed the witch. She answered, she killed her because that’s the only way to free her people who are under her spell!”
I intently looked at her while she’s telling the story and I can say that she’s hurting inside while speaking.
“That is when she knew that
she was not the only one who had forgotten how to love. The whole village was affected and it had turned the people into hatred. Some of them left while some killed each other. Because of what she’d done, this lovely village became this lonely and empty. And so the mother witch gave her a curse. She was not able to feel love again, the memories of pain will haunt her forever and she will live forever. She also cursed this village that whoever comes here will not be able to feel love again.”
She looked at me after she finished her story.
“Are you sure you still want to wish on this well? To not be able to love again?”
“That’s why I came here. I’m already here and I won’t be backing out.” I answered with full pledged.
“But the pain you had with your heartbreaks will remain on you forever”
I did not speak. I just want to not be in love ever again but still want my memories.
“It’s fine with me.”
“Okay, I think I can’t do anything now that you are desperate. Wait for the bell to ring. Once you hear it, your desire will be yours.”
She started to walk away when I realized that it must be her who is in the story.
“Wait.” I said and she stopped. “Are you the girl in your story?”
“I am.” She answered plainly
“Is there any way you could stop the curse?”
She laughed again. “Yes there is. But it is really impossible. I’ve been stuck here for 894 years and no one had ever broken it.” She’s this old? It must be very hard for her to endure the pain. Especially for someone who is immortal.
“How to break that curse?” I asked?
“Do you pity me?” I just look at her. “It will be broken once two people come here and fall in love with each other instead.”
That’s really impossible...
“So what will happen if there will be people who will fall in love?”
“I will disappear in this world as well as this place. Those people who came here will also be in love again.”
“You’re hopeless.” I said.
“Am I?” She laughed hysterically. “I need to go back there. Someone is coming here too.”
I nodded and sat here looking at my surroundings. This was a nice place to be in love with. A very nice place. But sadly it was tainted with grief because of love now. How can someone hate and love this place at the same time? It must be really hard for her to endure the pain for that long year?
My love, maybe he’s now crying while saying his vows. I wish it was me who’s wearing white gown now. I wish I was his happy ending. But life doesn’t give you that much. I was crying now remembering our good memories.
“You can wait here while waiting for the bell to ring.”
I wiped my tears when I heard them. I saw a man whose eyes were red, maybe because of crying.
“When the well begins to shine, whisper your desire and wait until it rings. You will fall asleep for a little while and then you will gain what you want once you wake up.” After she said it, she smiled at us and walked away.
I stayed quiet and so this man beside me. After a few seconds, the well started to shine and I closed my eyes to say my desire. After I’m finished, I couldn’t stop myself from looking at the sobbing man who’s here with me. He may also come from a painful heartbreak like mine. I’m just looking at him intently so I was shocked and stood frozen when he looked at me. He looks familiar, as if I had seen him from anywhere and I can’t understand myself why can’t I take my eyes away from him.
The bell started to ring and we’re still looking at each other’s eyes. Suddenly, I felt my body become heavier and I fell into a sleep with his image in my mind.
I felt cold when I woke up. When I open my eyes the place is full of fog.
“Hey are you okay?” Asked by the man who’s with me.
“Ah, yes. I just feel a little cold.” Why the sudden change of whether? What time is it?
“Use this. We’re getting out of here.” He said as he lend his jacket to me.
“Thanks.”
We both stand up and start walking to get out from here. It’s really cold. And this place’s aura becomes more sad and more quiet. It’s giving me goosebumps.
“You think we won’t be able to love again?” This man asked me.
“Well I hope. Loving is kind of painful, you know.” He laughed
“Yeah, it is. So we’re gonna live alone for life. That’s sad too.” I don’t know, but the idea of living alone is really sad.
“Well, it’s fine with me as long as I’m not gonna be heartbroken ever again.” I answered.
“But isn’t it the same as the agreement we had with the lady?”
“I don’t think so. At Least we only have to suffer from the same kind of pain. If we will be in a love again, the possibility of experiencing new kind of pain is high. I don’t want to suffer more.”
He nodded..maybe he understood me?
“You’re right with that. But do you think we will be able to still appreciate the love given to us?” I thought of it too. I think it’s only us who are not able to love right?
“Maybe we’ll? I don’t know. We’ll find it when we get out from here.” I didn’t know we will have a long conversation while taking our path to the old gate. It feels odd talking to this stranger. I feel comfort towards him without even knowing his story. I just realized that we are both smiling when we are finally at the gate.
When we were about to take our final step to our real world, we heard the lady calling us.
“Congratulations to both of you!” She said happily.
“Thanks.” The man beside me answered.
While looking at the lady, I saw a pure joy in her eyes that I failed to see a while back.
“I guess you’re happy right now.” I asked.
She did not answer but she showed us her hands instead. We both look at her. It was getting invisible. It was disappearing. Does it mean...
“Someone has already broken the curse.” She said while tears were flowing in her eyes. “I will now be freed.” So that’s also the reason why the place’s aura suddenly changed?
“I hope your hearts desire will be yours. Now, you can leave this place before it disappear.” She said and pushed us out. Before she close the gate she said, “Aianika will always be forever grateful to you two.”
We both look at the gate as we watch it disappearing while wearing our smile.
“I’m happy for her.” He said.
“I am too. Aianika will surely live in peace now.”
“She suffered for a lot of years. Now it’s time for her to rest.” We both smile at each other.
“Anyway, I am Markhael. Markhael Perez, It’s nice meeting you.” I smiled at him.
“I am Amika Dryle Toribio. It’s also nice meeting you.” We shake our hands together and we both laugh without knowing our actual reason.
“I’m done here so I guess I have to leave now. Maybe we’ll see each other again... you know the world is small.” I said and assured him with a smile.
“Sure. I will find you and we’ll have some coffee or eat together?” He shyly asked. I laughed at him.
“Sure. Why not right? I have to go now. See you around!” And I waved him goodbye.
He just watched me go away and when I’m already near far, he also drove the other way.
I don’t know why I feel complete again. This day was a ride of pain and happiness. Pain and happiness I thought and I stopped. I just realized what Ainika said, once she and the village disappear, the curse will not be effective again. That means, I have not forgotten how to love?
I don’t know but I am happy that I did not get what I desired at first. Maybe, this is really the end of me and my ex. Accepting that we are not for each other.
I hope Markhael also has thought of this so maybe... Maybe we’ll find each other’s heart.
But, I was shocked when my phone rang and my best friend was crying when I accepted the call. I was too stunned to speak when she finished what she said.
“Diego, your ex ran away even before the wedding began. He was desperately looking for you.”
