The Tired Lonely Man (Part 1)

The tired lonely man pushed the images of the beautiful graceful girl to the back of his mind, but hard as he tried he could never push them completely out. She was always there, dancing around and smiling at him. she seemed as though cut out of some perfectly written story where good always triumphs and true love always prevails, and all he ever long for was to be part of her story.
He tore his gaze away from the beautiful mountain scenery outside his window and settled into a chair at his kitchen table. The dream had come again last night. He had thought on the memory for so long now, he could barely dissern the truth from fantasy. Most days he wondered if it was only a dream. Regardless of the level of truth in it, it still haunted his nights.
The dream had started as all his childhood days had. Young and carefree, he explored the forest, fighting monsters and venturing where no one had before. That day was different though, because that day he heard something in the woods other than the occasional deer snapping a twig or the cheerful chirping of birds; he heard a voice.
Going in the direction of the voice revealed taht it came from a girl so pretty he thought she must be a product of his imagination. She had perfect curly hair the darkest shade of brown he had ever seen and flawless skin that looked as if it had never seen the sun. she was walking along the side of a river and humming softly to herself. She was entrancing, and as he sat watching the most unexpected thing happened. As she was crossing the river, her foot slipped on a mossy rock, and she was sent plunging into the water below.
He stood there stunned as she sank below the surface. After the spell which held him bound dissolved, he dove into the water and pulled the beautiful girl from her death. Her wet hair was clinging to her face, and pulling it away revealed a large bump was forming on her head. He bent down and gently dissed her cheek, covered her with his jacket, and as she started to stir, he dissappeared behind the trees.
That is where the line between the dream and reality grows fuzzy, because he had done the same thing everyday since. He wandered around doing the things he needed to do to get by and watched as the pretty girl turned into the most beautiful and saught after young woman in all the surrounding towns. Everyday he regretted leaving her there by the river, and he often wondered how differently his life could be if he hadn't. He sighed as he climbed into bad knowing that just as sure as the sun was setting outside, he would dream of her tonight.
When he went to market the next moring, it was abuzz with word that a ball was going to be held that night. He decided that tonight would be the night he would change his life. He went home and put on his nicest outfit. He shaved his face, combed his hair, and with one last look in the mirror, mounted his horse and set off. As he reached the end of his dusty lane, thunder sounded over the mountains and a few fat raindrops fell on his hat. Even with the rain falling harder and harder with each of the horse's steps, he rode on with undaunted optimism of what the night might bring.
Upon arriving at the ball, he quickly settle his horse and then went in search of the beautiful girl. The house was elegantly decorated and packed full of charming, smiling people. It seemed as though there were hundreds of people pressing in around him, but he found her where he knew she would be. she was in the ballroom twirling around and looking stunning in her sparkling dress. Her hair was bouncing merrily around her face with every movement she took. He sat down on a chair in the corner and watched as tthe whole room lit up whenever she would smile. She looked so happy, and every eye in the room was on her. He looked down at the small hole forming on the right knee of his pants and knew he would ruin the happiness she had if he were to win her heart. He couldn't give her a big house with cooks, and maids, or fancy dresses like the other men in the room could.
Right then the cheerful conversations of the room were inturrupted by a bolt of lightning that illuminated the mountain line outside followed by a deafening boom of thunder. Suddenly the lights in the whole house went out, and when they flickered back on, everyone went back to their dancing. No one noticed that the chair in the corner was empty and the tired lonely man was gone.
The night wore on and when the ball was over and the beautiful graceful girl was alone in her house, the air of happiness she always wore evaporated, and a single tear made a path down her cheek. There was an aching inside of her that never went away. There was some deep yearning for something she needed thoguht she didn't know what it was. Something poked at the bakc of her mind, but she couldn't remember what was so important.
She went to bed that night and had a dream of a boy with freckles scattered across his nose and perfect green eyes. She woke with a start and ran to the attic where she spend the rest of the night looking for something that might not exist. She finally found the dust covered box in the back of the attic just as the sun started to shine above the horizon. When she opeend up the box and saw the carefully folded and worn jacket lying there, she knew what it was that kept her awake at night.
She threw her robe on over her nightgown and ran all the way to the outskirts of town. She ran down the dusty lane, splashing through newly formed puddles as she went, and arrived at a humble little cottage.
she knocked on the door and it slowly creaked open. She entered, a little apprehensive, and looked around the room. Finally her eyes rested on a small folded piece of paper. With trembling hands she picked it up and read these words:

To whomever it may concern:

Though no one will probably take notice of my absence, it felt wrong not at least leaving some dind of a memento to the only house and town I have ever known. I have gone away and will not be returning. I don't know where I am going, but it will be far away as to keep from burdening those I care about with my existence. It saddens my heart to know my eyes will never look upon this beautiful town again, but know that you are better off without me there.

She read and reread the letter time after time searching desperately for a name or hint hidden within, but it wasn't there. she placed the carefully folded letter in her pocket knowing that htis day would forever haunt her nights. She started the slow journey back to town, her head hung low and and emptiness in her eyes, a wondering of what might have been if she had only come sooner pounding her skull.
She was halfway down the lane when the sound of an almost familiar voice gently said her name. she turned, her heart not daring to hope for fear of dissappointment, but there he was, his still perfect green eyes staring into hers. His packed suitcase fell to the ground splashing the contents of a mud puddle on the cuffs of his pants, but he didn't notice. He was too caught up in her presence.
As she ran to him and he held her, another tear ran down her face, but this one wasn't from sadness. She had found what was missing from her life, and the emptiness inside of her now overflowed with joy. Likewise the sad lonely man didn't feel sad or lonely anymore because he finally belonged in a story, and from that day on he was rarely seen not smiling.