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Is There A Dragonfly On Your Shoulder?

Anonymous

There were two sweethearts in a quiet and beautiful small town. They went to the beach for sunrise and sunset every day. Every passer-by envied them two very much.

But one day, in a car accident, the girl got hurt very seriously. She was lying in bed in a hospital and still never came to life after quite a few days. In the daytime, the boy was calling his sweetheart who was unconscious all the time at her bedside; at night, he ran to the church in the small town and prayed to God. His tears had run dry.

A month passed, the girl was still unconscious .The boy became very languish, but he still continued his calling and prayer. Finally one day, God was moved by him. So He decided to make an exception for him. God asked him: "Are you willing to trade it with your life?" The boy answered without any hesitation: "I am!" God said: "Ok, then I could let her come to life as soon as possible, but you have to become a dragonfly for three years, will you?" The boy was still very determined: "I will!"

At dawn, the boy became a beautiful dragonfly. He said goodbye to God and flew to the hospital quickly. The girl really regained consciousness and talked with a doctor next to her, but the dragonfly could hear nothing.

A few days later, the girl recovered and went out of the hospital. But she was unhappy. She seeked news about the boy everywhere. But no one knew where he was. She sought him every day. But actually the dragonfly that was just the boy flew around her every time everywhere, though he couldn't whisper her name or hug her. He had to bear her turning a blind eye to him alone. The summer was gone and the wind of the fall blew off the leaves. The dragonfly had to leave. So he landed on the girl's shoulder for the last time. He wanted to fondle her face with his wings and kiss her forehead with his small mouth, but he was too small for her to notice.

How time flied. The spring came again. The dragonfly couldn't wait to fly back to his sweetheart. But he saw a tall and handsome young man standing beside her this time. At that very moment, the dragonfly almost fell from the air. People talked about how serious the girl hurt in the accident, and how sweet and kind the doctor was, and how reasonable their love was. Of course they also said the girl was happy again as before.

The dragonfly was very sad. And in the following days, he often saw the man taking his own sweetheart to see the sunrise and sunset together on the beach. But he could do nothing except stopping on her shoulder occasionally.

It seemed that this summer was extremely long. The dragonfly flew around with his broken heart every day. He had no courage to approach his sweetheart. He felt suffocated when he heard their whisper and laughter.

In the third summer, the dragonfly didn't fly to see his sweetheart that often any more. She was cuddled by the doctor, and her face was kissed by him. She had no time to pay attention to a sad dragonfly and she was in no mood to look back on the days with her previous sweetheart.

The deadline of the promise that the dragonfly made to God was nearing fast. On the last day of the third year, the dragonfly's sweetheart married the doctor.

The dragonfly flew to the church quietly, and settled on the shoulder of God. He heard them vow to God: "I do!" He saw the doctor putting the ring on the finger of his sweetheart, and them kissing sweetly. Tears full of sorrow fell from the dragonfly's eyes.

God sighed: "Do you regret?" The dragonfly wiped his tears and said: "Never!" God felt happy about that and said: "Then, you can become yourself a man tomorrow." The dragonfly shook his head and said: "No, thanks. Just let me be a dragonfly forever and ever..."

Sometimes, it is your destiny that you have to lose someone. Sometimes there won't be a good ending for you and somebody. To love someone is not to own her, but if you have her, you should cherish her forever. Is there a dragonfly on your shoulder?

Translated from the Chinese and submitted by Annie Chen.

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