Misfortune
Once upon a time in a far away land lived an old man who had no child to leave his estate. His misfortune had been brought about in his youth when he had married his bride, she was as pretty as a flower and as gentle as a lamb but fortune had not favoured them. Their happiness was short lived for she and their baby were to die in childbirth and leave the young man alone and without hope. For those who love fiercely do not readily fall in love again and prefer the solitude of their memories and dreams. How often youth is spent misguided in the search for love, for those who do not find it pine and become half of what they ought to be living unfulfilled and lonely lives. Then there are others who find their love only after years of familiarity to cast it aside like a left over dinner fed to the dogs. How hard their hearts become, empty voids of lack lustre. Non of this is true love for this is totally giving oneself to another for mutual help and respect. The fierce lovers are all consuming, domineering and stifling, more in love with possession than another’s wellbeing. The loveless search of the spinster is the love of a dream rooted in self-deception and poor self-esteem.
The old man wondered what he should do; to leave his estate to a worthy character or to break it up into sizeable chunks and rent it to local businessmen. Neither option especially pleased him however he knew he was too frail to run the family estate any longer. He became tormented by distant memories of his Father explaining to him as a boy that this would be his inheritance passed on among the generations to steward and pass on to his son in his turn. He had failed. The old man was about to leave this Earth without fulfilling his family duties and this plagued him. How could he go to heaven and be reunited with his Father in good conscience? He visualised his Father with tears in his eyes shining with sorrow, shaking his head and turning sadly away. He choked on a lump which came into his throat as he thought of his Father, as he thought of his wife and child and his lonely life spent in regret for the family he never had. Suddenly a thought struck him, he may be old and frail but he might still find a child he could adopt and raise for his remaining years. A new hope rose in his breast, his eyes lit up at the thought of no longer being alone and having someone to cherish. It was not too late to live once more.
