Song of the Wind God

The Wind God was a free and unrestrained deity, always possessing a youthful heart that pursued novelty and change. He couldn’t stay in one place, always wandering around as he pleased. He had been to many places, seen everything, and encountered many things he liked, but they all passed in a flash. Hundreds and thousands of years had passed, and nothing had ever made him want to stop and wait.

But on a summer night, as he was rushing the clouds past a castle, he heard a song that made him slow down. The song was melodious and beautiful, even though it was tinged with a bit of melancholy. The Wind God had never heard such an enchanting song before, and his curiosity was piqued. He landed on the castle roof and looked down. On the highest terrace of the castle, a beautiful girl was leaning on the railing, singing softly to the night. Her song was so beautiful, it seemed magical, and each note blended into the wind passing by her, carrying it to the surrounding forest, painting the starry sky above the castle, and sinking into the dreams of every sleeper, spreading far and wide.

The Wind God sat motionless on the roof, entranced. Even the rising wind had ceased. It wasn't until the girl stopped singing and took out a handkerchief to wipe her eyes that the Wind God snapped back to reality. He stood up abruptly, causing a gust of wind. The girl’s handkerchief slipped from her hand, fluttering lightly in the air before slowly descending. It didn’t touch the ground. A gust of wind lifted it, along with the Wind God, suspending it outside the terrace where the girl stood.

Although the Wind God had no physical form, he had ways to make mortals see his appearance. At this moment, the form that appeared before the girl was the one the Wind God had maintained for thousands of years: a tall, handsome young man, surrounded by delicate flows of wind, with even his short hair at his forehead swaying slightly. He controlled the wind to deliver the handkerchief back to the girl, his tone containing a hint of shyness he hadn’t noticed himself, "This is your handkerchief."

The girl examined the boy suspended in mid-air, not frightened or alarmed. She took the handkerchief and asked hesitantly, "You are..."

The boy scratched his head, "I am the wind."

The girl’s eyes showed a hint of joy, "So, you are the wind."

Beautiful things often resonate easily with each other, whether it’s a lovely ballad or a gentle evening breeze. The boy and girl, strangers until now, were able to sit on this terrace and chat all night without any barriers.

After hearing the boy eagerly recount the strange and wonderful things he had seen in various places over the years, the girl told the Wind God that she was originally the princess of this country. But after her parents died, her uncle seized the throne. Although the new king did not kill her when she was a baby, he guarded against her coveting the throne. Since she could remember, she had been confined to this castle, with only servants monitoring her, no friends or family to accompany her, and was never allowed to leave the castle. Singing alone on this terrace late at night was her only pastime and freedom.

"How wonderful, you’ve been to so many places, unlike me who has never left the castle." The girl lowered her eyelids, with envy and sadness, "It sounds so free."

This made the boy’s heart ache. He couldn’t imagine how hard it must be to be confined to one place for years, without friends and without freedom.

As dawn broke and the castle and its surroundings began to stir with activity, the boy, fearing he would be seen and cause trouble, told the girl he had to leave.

"Will you..." the girl asked, her clear eyes full of expectation, "come back tonight?"

The boy hesitated. He was the free-spirited wind, never stopping for anyone. But why did he feel a pang in his chest when he saw the girl’s eyes filled with reluctance?

"I’m sorry," the boy said softly. "I am the wind. I shouldn't and can't stay in one place for too long."

The girl’s eyes dimmed, but she quickly replaced it with a serene smile, "Yes, you are the wind, you should be free."

It was the thing she longed for most in her life, even if she could never have it. Seeing someone truly possess it proved that such freedom indeed existed, which was good enough for her.

******

The Wind God couldn't remember exactly how he left; he only knew that when he finally stopped after running headlong, he had arrived at a city he had never been to, far from that castle. Surrounded by unfamiliar scenes and new things, he should have been very interested, just as before, excitedly flitting past all the beautiful and fun things, looking here and there. But for some reason, his heart was always weighed down by an inexplicable heaviness, and he couldn't find joy.

Irritated, the Wind God drifted through the streets and alleys of the city, not even paying attention to where he was going, causing the gusts he carried to knock over drying herbs at the mouth of an alley and blow off wet clothes hanging on balconies, eliciting startled cries from the street. Okay, it wasn't on purpose. He was just... too troubled inside.

Finally, the Wind God, who had caused quite a bit of trouble, settled down, standing atop the city's highest clock tower, gazing at the distant mountains. Even though he could only see the rolling hills, he knew that behind those mountains lay a castle with pointed towers and a lonely girl who sang every night on the highest terrace of the castle, even if no one could hear her.

It turned out that his heart had been aching for that scene all along. The boy no longer hesitated, swiftly changing direction and rushing towards the castle.

When the boy returned to the castle, it was already late at night. The surroundings were quiet, with only the faint sounds of flowing water and insect chirps coming from the forest around the castle. There was no melodious singing; instead, there was the sound of low sobbing carried by the wind. The boy frowned and quietly flew towards the highest terrace of the castle. There he saw the girl crying, not elegantly or gracefully, her delicate features twisted, her eyes red and swollen, and tears continuously streaming down. When a person is truly lonely and sad, they don't care about appearances.

The boy panicked, hastily appearing outside the terrace, wanting to say something apologetic and comforting but unsure how to start. Without a physical form, he couldn't directly take things like humans, but he wanted to use the wind to pick up the handkerchief the girl had thrown aside and dry her tears. After some thought, the Wind God gave up on this idea. Instead, he raised a gentle breeze, the airflow lightly brushing against the girl's cheeks, causing her falling tears to dry in the wind.

The girl stopped crying, staring blankly at the boy before her. "You came back."

"Yes." The boy smiled. "I will stay for you."

There was one more thing he didn't dare to say out loud: If you cry again, I will use the wind to dry your tears.