...beautiful ...with but a tinge of sadness

*Emile Pandolfi
Αμερικανος Πιανίστας
Once Upon A December"
Dancing bears, painted wings
Things I almost remember
And a song someone sings
Once upon a December
Someone holds me safe and warm
Horses prance through a silver storm
Figures dancing gracefully
Across my memory
Far away, long ago
Glowing dim as an ember
Things my heart used to know
Once upon a December
Someone holds me safe and warm
Horses prance through a silver storm
Figures dancing gracefully
Across my memory
Far away, long ago
Glowing dim as an ember
Things my heart used to know
Things it yearns to remember
And a song someone sings
Once upon a December

Aina who was on her way to her engagement, dies in a car crash. She never really believed in the afterlife, but there was one. and the souls were ranked according to their abilities. the lowest rank ones would be workers at the floating palace of the king in the sky, which was only visible to souls.

Being the lowest rank didnt mean that they were worthless, they had a different kind of energy, an energy that would give life to the floating palace, but this was always kept a secret from the them, only the king could sense that energy. To the souls, they were just workers who had to get the chores done.

Aina was one of those lowest ranks ones, whose soul was taken to the palace by a huge pink cat, and at the gate she was greated by a masked man, who probably was in his 20s judging by his young sounding voice.

After the man explained the whole situation that she is dead and now she will be working here at the palace, Aina broke down in tears and pleaded to be taken back to her fiancee, her only relation. The masked man tried to explain that it is impossible, but she wouldn't listen. At last, the masked man showed her a false vision of her fiancee, who was currently drinking and partying with other women, with no care for her.

Seeing that, heartbroken Aina agreed on working at the palace, and she was taken to the workers hall, where every worker was assigned their own room, which was decorated according to what they loved the most before death. Being the nature lover, Aina's room looked like a small hobbit and the inside was filler with beautiful flowers and trees, and her bed was a small tree bent downwards and spread in a bed shape.

Aina thought that the king is too generous, and it made her feel a bit better.

Days passed by and Aina had trouble getting along with her fellow workers. Her days would always end with her running into her room, sulking. It was until a new worker arrived, who was a man one year older than Aina, with a very warm smile, his name was Evan.

Aina and Evan became great friends in no time and soon love started to spark between them, but none of them every confessed, since the king had forbidden them from having any intimate relationship, they were never told why. But the actual reason was that whenever two lowest rank souls fall in love, thier energy starts to increase, since Love is a strong feeling. The energy increasing sounds good, but it isnt. There is a certain level of energy the palace needs.

One night when Aina couldn't sleep, she stood at the balcony and looked down at the ocean, over which the palace had been floating for few hours. As Aina looked down, she could see the milky way reflected perfectly and the dark still water. Aina lifted her head up and with sparkling eyes saw the milky way that was reflected on the ocean water.

"Its beautiful.." Aina said, mesmerized. Aina soon felt a presence appraoching her, but she remained calm, since she could even recognize Evan's presence.

Evan placed his hand over Aina's, and indirectly confessed by saying that he wants to runaway with her and live in the human world. Aina agrees and the very next night, they both succeed in sneaking out of the palace, and runaway in the bus that illegally transported souls to human world. Whenever the bus would enter human world, the appearance of the souls would change, so no human or soul could recognize them.

As Aina and Evan entered the human world, they both turned into teenagers.

The end