The Secret of Lanesville

 In the quaint town of Lanesville, a closely guarded secret revolves around an extraordinary love story. Even now, as time passes, locals can be found in bars enjoying their favorite drinks, recounting stories of James and Elsa and their passionate romance. The stories vary greatly, each painting a different picture of the couple and their love. These stories often culminate in intense arguments about who really knows the real story, leading to heated discussions and the occasional friendly spat. Meanwhile, the moon above Lanesville keeps a silent vigil as if to suggest to the townspeople that they may never discover the whole truth behind the story of James and Elsa.

Everyone somehow agreed that James and Elsa lived in Lanesville and that they made this small, almost insignificant town the famous place of the story of their immense love. Everyone agreed that James had traveled far from these streets to the big city to conquer him. They also knew that James had returned to Lanesville after many years, but they didn't know that the lure of the Big Apple's tall buildings and the bustling crowd where he lived and achieved success had faded over time. The glow of the metropolis bathed in light suppressed the growing feeling of loneliness among the great multitude of people and in failed loves. He could only heal that feeling by returning to Lanesville, which had always remained the only place in the world where he felt at home.

Years ago, in Lanesville, amid unfulfilled aspirations, James' parents built the framework of their aspirations for their son to graduate from a prestigious New York University and then take advantage of the promising opportunities that would allow him to achieve success. The weight of his family's considerable influence proved too much for his hesitant, youthful shoulders.

Elsa's parents had different aspirations for their daughter. James was young and unpredictable, so they believed that a local car mechanic, who was twice Elsa's age, would provide her with immediate financial security and support for her parents. They cared nothing for Elsa's feelings and desires nor for the joys of her youth.

It was James' first night back home from his childhood after many years. He was lying on the couch in his old room with the window open, letting the cool breeze of the beautiful summer night gently brush his tired face. As he looked out the window at the vast night sky, he saw stars arranged in the shapes of the zodiac characters, which seemed to smile at him. The bright moon took center stage in the sky. In the Big Apple, this scene would be impossible because the skyscrapers hid his piece of heaven. However, in Lanesville, the universe seemed to expand without limit. Everything exuded the peaceful warmth of that summer night, interrupted only by the occasional refreshing breeze.

At that moment, James's mind was filled with dreamless dreams and memories of the lost years. He was suddenly jolted out of his thoughts by the sharp sound of footsteps on an old stone path that led to a nearby lake. Curious, he sat down on the sofa and looked down at the road. His heart was pounding as he looked at the figure of a woman illuminated by the moonlight. The woman was wearing a gorgeous white dress and was walking gracefully towards the lake. He knew for sure that it could only be Elsa, his first love and the love of his life. Memories of the joys and sorrows of his youth flooded him.

As she moved elegantly, her every step seemed to cast a spell on him, enrapturing him with the grace of her presence. Tears streamed down James' cheeks, each stinging as they fell, carrying with them a poignant testament to their unrequited love. In the days when they were young and innocent, it seemed to him as if their love had surpassed the endurance of the most solid rocks, even the indomitability of time itself. They were a radiant couple, basking in the purity of their love until the inexorable force of rumors and social pressures tore them apart.

Watching Elsa's white dress fade into the dark shadows of the night, James felt a new, piercing stab at old wounds he thought were healed forever. For a moment, he doubted what he saw and did not know if it was some unreal image created from the depths of his longing or if Eliza had really passed by his house, right under the window of his room where only restless dreams and nightmares appear at night since lost Elsa, which is why he finally had to go to the Big Apple to realize his professional ambition.

At first, he felt fear, suppressed by the desperate hope that forced him to leave his room. The yellow moon winked at him and lit his way, encouraging him to hurry along the familiar path to the lake, where he had spent countless golden afternoons with Elsa.

When he reached the lake, his breath caught. Elsa, beautiful in her beauty, completely naked, stood in the lake. The white dress remained on the beach.

"Elsa?" His voice was a whisper, half afraid that any louder sound might shatter the illusion that would then never come back.

She turned, eyes wide with a mixture of surprise and joy.

"James, I didn't think I'd meet you here."

His heart trembled at the melody of her voice that once filled his days with happiness.

"I just got back. The Big Apple has not become and never will be my home."

"Why, James?"

"There, Elsa, there aren't many things I miss. My home is where you are, after all."

Elsa turned and swam away. James quickly took off her clothes and swam after her. Soon, they were swimming close to each other. They spoke, and their words brought back memories of the years they had not been together. Eliza tearfully spoke words of her pain after his departure. She said that she longed for something higher, too, deeply disappointed by his departure. James listened with a great pain in his chest. He tried to talk about his longing and pain, but the words wouldn't come out of his mouth. Slowly swimming in the water, which was becoming cold, he came up with the idea of ​​reconciliation and a new beginning.

"Can we forget the past, Elsa? Or maybe not forget the past, but...start again. A new beginning, not as a youth blinded by love, but as...mature and serious people."

Eliza looked at him, and her smile was soft and sad.

"I don't know, James. We've both changed. We've grown. I'd love to try with you again, but life without you brings unbearable pain. It hurts so much, James. A living man can't stand it. I was brought to the lake tonight by a suicidal idea, James. Can you imagine that?"

The first shy rays of dawn began to illuminate the world with a soft glow. Daylight drove the yellow moon and stars from the sky.

The two of them swam in the lake's already cold water silently, without saying a word anymore. They swam in a golden trail on the water towards the red morning sky, exactly where the sun would appear.

Whether they swam together, or Elsa swam first, and then after a few years, whether James swam after her along with her ghost, will remain a secret, the Secret of Lanesville known only to the yellow moon.

Mirza Pasic