Once upon a time a twelve year old boy
named Edward was standing beside a tombstone. It was his mother’s tombstone.
She died a few years ago and Edward visited her grave whenever he wanted to.
Edward felt lonely without his mother around. His father was always out on
business and hardly ever spent time with his own son. Edward had a nurse to
look after him, but she couldn’t take his mother’s place. Edward missed his
mother terribly, he began to cry.
“What’s wrong” said a voice behind him. The voice belonged to a girl
about his age carrying a bunch of wild flowers.
“Nothing really” said Edward, wiping his tears away, “just visiting my
mother’s grave”.
“My mother is dead too and I’ve picked these flowers for her grave”. She
handed some of her flowers to Edward. “Here put these on your mother’s grave”.
“Thank you” said Edward and took the flowers from her. “My name is
Edward, what’s yours?”
“My name is Jane” the girl answered.
Jane asked Edward if he wanted to play with her for a while, but Edward
said that he had to go home now. Jane understood she promised her father she
wouldn’t be long. They quickly said goodbye to each other and went their
separate ways for home.
When Edward got home he told his nanny about Jane. His nanny was happy
that Edward had found someone his age to talk to because Edward had never
spoken to anyone his age before. Edward asked his nanny if he could meet with
Jane again tomorrow. His nanny agreed; Edward had never made friends with
anyone and now his chance to make a friend came.
The next morning Edward went to the cemetery again, hoping that Jane
would be there again. It wasn’t far from his house to the cemetery so he just
ran there. Jane was there and was happy to see Edward again.
“Nice seeing you again Edward” said Jane “my father and I are about to
go on a walk. Would you like to join us?” Edward accepted the offer.
Jane brought Edward to her house. Jane lived in a little white church,
with a little bell tower.
“My father is a clergyman and he runs that church” Jane explained to
Edward.
She introduced him to her father and then they both set out on their
walk. They walked through a little wood filled with lots of trees, a little
stream and plenty of wild flowers. Edward was having a wonderful time. He felt
happy being with Jane and her father; Edward had always felt lonely with his
mother dead and his father always out on business. But now he had found a
friend at last and didn’t feel lonely anymore.
While admiring the wild flowers Jane heard someone playing a tambourine.
She went to investigate. Then she found some gypsies in a field.
“Father, Edward look here” shouted Jane “it’s the gypsies who put on
performances”.
Jane asked her father if she could go watch them for a while. Jane’s
father agreed and gave her a penny. He asked Edward if he wanted to watch them
too. Edward wasn’t sure if he wanted to meet the gypsies. His nanny had told
him once that gypsies steal from people. But Jane’s father reassured him that
these gypsies were nice people, so Edward agreed to join in.
The performances the gypsies were putting on were marvellous. There were
jugglers, musicians and dancers and those doing acts with fire or knives. There
was also a fortune teller. The fortune teller sat at a table with a crystal
ball and items in front of her. She had charms for good luck and for happiness;
she even had charms to protect you from bad dreams.
Edward and Jane ran over to the fortune teller; they wanted their
fortunes told.
“You two want your fortunes told, yes?”
the fortune teller asked.
“Yes please” said Edward and Jane together.
The fortune teller looked into the crystal ball. “Ah” she said, looking
amazed. “I sense you two have a friendship bond that is strong. So strong it
will never break even when you’re apart from each other. I now sense a
separation will come your way soon, but it will not break your bond towards
each other. Now I sense that in the future your friendship bond will turn into the
bond of love.” She picked up two rings from her table. They were both golden
with a blue stone; they were a pair. “These rings are rings of love; as long as
you have these you will never forget your bond towards each other”.
Edward and Jane gave their pennies to the fortune teller and took the
rings from her. They said thank you and walked away from her. Jane tried on her
ring, but it was too big for any of her fingers. Edward’s ring didn’t fit on
any of his fingers either.
“Never mind” said Edward “the rings will probably fit when we have grown
up a little”. Jane agreed with him.
By the time Jane and Edward had finished watching the gypsies it was now
the afternoon. Jane’s father told them that it was now time to go home. Edward
thanked Jane and her father for a wonderful time and ran for home, promising
Jane he would visit her again tomorrow. This day was the best day of Edward’s
life; he hoped that he would have happy days with Jane every day.
But the next day Edward visited Jane with a sad look and sad news. He
told Jane that his Father said to him that they were moving to a different
town. This hurt Edward very much; Jane was the best friend he ever had and now
he was leaving her. Jane felt upset too; she didn’t want Edward to leave
either. Edward pulled Jane into a hug and promised her that he would return to
her one day. Then he took out the ring that the gypsy fortune teller gave him.
“I will wear this ring always to let you know that I have returned” he
said, putting the ring on his fourth right hand finger. It still didn’t fit him
but he did not care.
“I will wear my ring too” said Jane taking out her ring. She placed it
on her fourth right hand finger; it was still too big for her. “And I will
always wait for you to return”.
With tears in their eyes Edward and Jane hugged each other one last time
and said goodbye to each other. Edward had to rush back home quickly. While Jane
watched him run home; she prayed and wished that Edward would come back soon.
Ten years went by; Jane grew into a very beautiful young lady. Many men
had asked for her hand in marriage but she refused. She was waiting for Edward
to return. This sometimes made her father worry about her; he understood that
she promised Edward that she would wait for him, but they hadn’t heard from him
for ten years. Jane’s father was worried if Edward had forgotten the promise.
Jane believed that Edward had not forgotten the promise because of the ring he
took with him. Jane had kept her ring on her finger ever since Edward left and
had not taken it off once while she was growing up. The ring fitted her finger
perfectly now.
One day Jane got a letter; it was an invitation to a place called Mangiast
Hall. The master of Mangiast Hall wanted to meet and talk to her this afternoon.
“I do hope this master of Mangiast Hall doesn’t ask for my hand in
marriage” Jane said to her father.
“He may not Jane” said her father “but if he does, don’t say anything
that will make him really angry. Break it to him gently”.
“I understand Father” Jane replied.
That afternoon Jane visited Mangiast Hall. Mangiast Hall was the biggest
place Jane had ever been to. She was still nervous about meeting the master.
What was confusing the most was that she had no idea who he was. The master of
Mangiast Hall didn’t put his real name down on the letter he sent her. Jane
introduced herself to the butler and the butler led her to the study where the
master was waiting for her.
The master seemed to be a fine gentleman of society and looked very kind
and polite.
“I welcome you to my home miss Jane” he said bowing to her.
“I thank you for inviting me sir” Jane replied.
“I invited you here because I have something to ask you,” the master
said “you see it is now time for me to find a wife. And I was wondering if you
would like to become my wife”.
Jane was not surprised that the master would ask her for her hand in
marriage. She took a big breath and gave him her answer. “I’m sorry sir, but
the truth is I have no plans of marrying anyone. I’m waiting for someone
important to me to return”. Jane told the master everything about her childhood
friend Edward and about the promise of waiting for him till he returned. The
master listened to every word Jane said and smiled at her.
“This boy Edward you speak of,” the master said “did he leave you any
parting gift?”
“Yes sir he left me this ring I wear on my fourth right hand finger”
Jane answered.
When Jane revealed her ring to the master the blue stone began to glow.
Jane couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Then a glow came from the master’s
right hand. His right hand revealed the ring he was wearing. Jane saw that
their rings were an exact pair. Then she realized something. The master of
Mangiast Hall was really Edward!
“I’m sorry that it took me ten years to return to you Jane” said Edward
“but I am now free to stay with you this time”.
With tears of happiness running down her cheeks Jane ran into Edwards
arms. “I always knew that you would return Edward” she sobbed.
“Now that everything is revealed and I will no longer leave you again”
said Edward “I ask you again, would you become my wife?” This time Jane changed
her answer to yes.
“That fortune teller who gave us the matching rings was right” said Jane
“our friendship did turn into love”. Edward agreed.
Edward and Jane’s wedding day was the happiest day of their lives. Jane
was happy that Edward was going to be with her forever and never leave her
again. Edward was happy that the best and only friend he ever had was now his
wife. Now nothing or no one was going to separate them ever again.
