The Magic of the Emerald Pond

Once upon a time, in a faraway land, there lived a small family. The family was considered as one of the
higher castes in their village. They held a lot of pride in being the people of the higher castes. The family
had a son, Simon. He was very kind. He couldn’t care less about his family's ridiculous castes values. He
didn’t believe in such. To him, it made no difference. He treated everyone with kindness. He was content
with life. The only thing he longed for was a true companion. Someone as kind and selfless as himself.
This town was filled with people that believed in the class hierarchy. He often felt isolated for his
different beliefs. He wanted someone who had the same values as himself.
Simon loved stargazing. One day, when he was staring outside his bedroom window, he saw a shooting
star. He closed his eyes and made a wish. He wished to find a genuine friend, love. Little did he know,
that his wish had indeed been granted by the shooting star. Quite literally.
Jane was not from this world. He belonged to a planet in another galaxy far, far away from earth. He was
quite the adventurer. He enjoyed taking risks. He was spontaneous and bold. Ever since his childhood, his
only wish was to explore the wonder that is the cosmos. The idea of there being life elsewhere in the
universe fascinated him. So when he was finally permitted to explore space, he was on cloud nine. Hence,
he decided to give the earth a visit. Jane had dreamt of this moment all his life. While he was admiring
every bit and space of the universe from the window of his spaceship, he didn’t notice it malfunctioning.
Within seconds he found himself falling, spiraling down through the earth's dense atmosphere recklessly.
He landed harshly in the middle of a forest.
It was a full-moon night. Simon had just made a wish to the shooting star and called it a night, not
thinking much of it. Jane immediately fell unconscious due to the impact.
Simon had a habit of wandering around his village every morning. This morning as well, Simon took
himself out on a horse ride. As he was roaming around, he noticed something shining in the middle of the
forest. Perhaps it was a reflection of the sun. Curious, he ventured to find its source. There was a huge
spaceship lying in the middle of the forest. To say that he was baffled would be an understatement. He
couldn't utter a word. This was out of this world. After closing his gaping mouth he went further to
examine. To his surprise, he saw a boy inside the spaceship. He was shocked and wonderstruck by his
beauty. He moved the boy's hair away from his face to take a closer look. "Oh my god!" he whispered. He
noticed that there were bruises all over his body and thought it would be best to take him to the magical
healing pond. He swung the boy's arm over his shoulder and helped him on the horse. He let the boy rest
near the pond and went to fetch some water. He returned and sprinkled some of the magical pond water
on the boy's face. Within a few seconds, the boy fluttered his eyes open. All of his bruises had healed. He
was alive. Simon explained everything that happened and the boy thanked him for his kindness. "Who are
you?" Simon asked. "Jane". The boy replied. Jane explained everything about himself to Simon. Simon
was taken aback but was more than happy to get to know him.
They spent hours talking to each other beside the magical pond. Their conversation flowed as if they had
known each other for eternity. Both of them had finally found their home. As night fell, Simon walked
Jane to his spaceship and bid him goodbye. "See you again!" Simon shouted. Jane smiled. As days passed
by, Simon and Jane only grew closer. Each night Simon would sneak out to meet Jane. The magical pond
was their spot. Jane would tell Simon the stories and tales of outer space. Simon made sure that Jane
didn’t miss out on exploring the wonders of the earth. Jane was not even from this planet, but he was
more down to earth than most humans Simon had met. Jane found his comfort in Simon. He was nothing
like the humans in the stories he had heard on his planet. Without them even realizing it, they had fallen
for each other.
Simon wanted to introduce Jane to his family. They wanted to be with each other for the rest of their
lives. He knew that his family would never accept Jane and their love. But it was worth a try. When he
broke the news to his family, they were furious. After all, their son had decided to marry another man,
who was a literal alien. The caste hierarchy did not even cross their minds. Simon's father stormed out of
the house and left Simon behind, heartbroken. Simon and Jane were now hopeless.
However, Simon's father returned at night. He agreed to them being together only on one condition. Jane
had to prove himself worthy. Hence he had to pass three quests to prove his love and courage. The magic
pond was in danger. The quests were all related to ensuring its safety. The first quest was to slay the
seven-headed dragon that lived in the pond. It was slowly using up all the magic to attain immortality.
Jane was brave, he was ready to risk his life for Simon and the magical pond that saved him. He reached
the pond and called out for the monster. A fierce battle ensued. When the dragon's head was cut off, two
more would grow from the same place. Later, Jane stabbed the dragon right in the middle of his chest,
where its heart was, where all the magic was being used to keep it alive and immortal. The monster
drowned to its death leaving behind what looked to be, a shiny emerald.
Simon's father was impressed by his bravery. The second quest however was even more dangerous. Jane
had to bring the golden apples from the garden of Hesperides nymphs. Jane began by catching the old
man of the pond and holding the shape-shifting water god until he revealed the garden's location. Once
there, Jane found the titan Atlas holding up the heavens. Jane offered to take his place if Atlas would
retrieve the apples. Atlas eagerly complied, but Jane then tricked him into trading places again, escaping
with apples in hand.
The third and final task was to unlock the hidden door inside and complete the unfinished puzzle. Jane
had expected some sort of riddle or another monster that he would have to fight to unlock the door. But
that wasn’t the case. He brainstormed millions of ideas but could not find the hidden door. He would
return to Simon defeated, losing hope after each try. It broke the family's hearts to see their son
struggling. One night, while Simon and Jane were talking at their usual spot, Simon as always started to
serenade Jane with his guitar. For a moment, everything felt right. It was peaceful and calm as if someone
had lifted all the weight from his shoulders. Just then, they felt the ground shake. Within seconds the pond
had split into two halves, making a path that led to the final puzzle. This was the door. It could only be
visible when one sang with nothing but pure love in their heart. With this, Jane and Simon made their way
towards the final puzzle. There were several spaces to be filled. One by one, Jane put the golden apples
inside and they fit perfectly. The final slot was for the emerald that he retrieved from the dragon. As he
placed the emerald, everything glowed in bright green color. The pond was finally in its original state.
Bright, shining, and beautiful. Everyone was amazed by Jane's bravery and their love for each other.
The family's heart was warmed by their love. Nothing could stop them from blessing them for their lives
together ahead. Caste, gender, reputation, society's opinion were no longer of their concern. Jane and
Simon lived together happily-ever-after.