True Stories: The Dragonfly on the Shoulder
In a tranquil and beautiful small town, there was a deeply loving couple. Every day, they went to the beach to watch the sunrise and bid farewell to the sunset in the evening. Everyone who saw them cast envious glances their way.
One day, however, the girl was seriously injured in a car accident. She lay quietly in a hospital bed for days and nights without waking up. During the day, the boy stayed by her bedside, continuously calling out to his unconscious lover; at night, he ran to the town’s church to pray to God, having cried his eyes dry.
A month passed, and the girl remained in a coma, while the boy was already exhausted. But he continued to persevere. Finally, one day, God was moved by the boy’s devotion. He decided to make an exception for this persistent boy.
God asked him, “Are you willing to exchange your life for hers?” Without hesitation, the boy replied, “I am willing!” God said, “Alright, I can wake your lover, but you must agree to be a dragonfly for three years. Do you agree?” The boy, still resolute, answered, “I agree!”
At dawn, the boy had turned into a beautiful dragonfly. He bid farewell to God and hurriedly flew to the hospital. The girl was indeed awake, and she was talking to a doctor beside her, though he couldn’t hear what they were saying.
A few days later, the girl was discharged from the hospital, but she was not happy. She inquired everywhere about the boy’s whereabouts, but no one knew where he had gone. She searched tirelessly, while the boy, now a dragonfly, stayed by her side at all times. He could neither call out to her nor embrace her, only enduring her obliviousness silently.
Summer passed, autumn’s cool winds blew the leaves down, and the dragonfly had to leave. For the last time, he landed on her shoulder. He wanted to caress her face with his wings and kiss her forehead with his tiny mouth, but his fragile body went unnoticed.
Spring came quickly, and the dragonfly eagerly flew back to find his lover. However, he saw a tall, handsome man standing next to her familiar figure. At that moment, the dragonfly nearly fell from the sky. People talked about how severely ill the girl had been after the accident, how kind and lovely the doctor was, and how natural their love seemed. They also mentioned that the girl was as happy as before.
The dragonfly was heartbroken. In the following days, he often saw the man and his former lover watching the sunrise and sunset on the beach, but he could do nothing except occasionally land on her shoulder.
That summer was particularly long, and the dragonfly flew low in pain every day, lacking the courage to approach his former lover. The whispered conversations between her and the man, their happy laughter, suffocated him.
In the third summer, the dragonfly no longer frequently visited his lover. Her shoulder was gently embraced by the doctor, her face tenderly kissed by him. She had no time to notice a heartbroken dragonfly, nor the inclination to reminisce about the past.
The three-year agreement with God was about to end. On the last day, the dragonfly’s former lover married the doctor.
The dragonfly quietly flew into the church and landed on God’s shoulder. He heard his former lover vow to God, “I do!” He watched as the doctor put the ring on her hand and then saw them kiss sweetly. The dragonfly shed tears of sorrow.
God sighed, “Do you regret it?” The dragonfly wiped away his tears and replied, “No!” God, with a hint of joy, said, “Then tomorrow you can return to being yourself.” The dragonfly shook his head, “Let me remain a dragonfly forever…”
Some fates are destined to be lost, some fates will never have a good ending. Loving someone doesn’t necessarily mean owning them, but if you do have someone, you must love them well. Do you have a dragonfly on your shoulder?
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
