The GLASS BOX

Once upon a time, in a kingdom surrounded by silver mountains and crystal rivers, there lived a young glassblower named Elian. He worked in a small shop at the edge of town, where sunlight poured through the windows and made his creations shimmer like trapped rainbows. Elian was poor, but his hands were gifted. Every vase, cup, and ornament he made seemed to hold a piece of magic — though no one knew why.

One evening, as Elian was about to close his shop, an old woman in a dark cloak entered. Her eyes were bright as moonlight, and her voice was like the whisper of wind through glass. She handed him a piece of crystal — unlike any he had ever seen — and said, “Make me a box with this. But take care, for whatever you place inside will never age or fade.”

Elian bowed and promised to craft it with all his heart. For seven days and seven nights, he worked without rest. When the box was finished, it gleamed like frozen light. Its sides were so clear they almost disappeared, yet inside, a faint silver glow pulsed — alive, mysterious.

The old woman returned, smiling. “You have done well,” she said. “Keep the box. Its gift is now yours.” And before Elian could speak, she vanished like mist.

At first, Elian didn’t know what to do with the glass box. But one morning, he found a dying rose on his windowsill. Out of curiosity, he placed it inside. The moment the lid closed, the rose came back to life — its color deep and red, its petals soft as if freshly bloomed. Days passed, but it never wilted.

News spread through the kingdom about Elian’s magical box. People came from far and wide, offering gold and jewels for it, but he refused to sell. “It was a gift,” he said, “and some things cannot be bought.”

Then one day, the king heard of the miracle and summoned Elian to his castle. “You will make another box,” the king demanded, “one large enough to preserve my treasures — and perhaps even my youth.”

Elian bowed but shook his head. “I cannot, Your Majesty. The crystal was unique. There will never be another.”

The king’s eyes darkened. “Then give me yours.”

Elian refused again, and for that, he was thrown into the castle dungeon. The glass box was taken to the royal hall, where the king placed his most precious jewel — a sapphire crown — inside it. Indeed, it stayed as bright as the day it was made. But greed grew in the king’s heart. He thought, If it can keep jewels fresh forever, why not people?

So he ordered the box enlarged by the kingdom’s best craftsmen. Yet every attempt failed — the glass would shatter or melt, the magic refusing to be copied. Furious, the king decided to test the box on something living. He took Elian from the dungeon and said, “You made this box. Let’s see if it can keep you as perfect as your rose.”

Before Elian could speak, guards forced him inside. The lid closed with a soft click.

At first, the king smiled. Elian stood inside, motionless but peaceful, as if frozen in time. But days passed, and strange things began to happen. The glow inside the box dimmed, and the air around it grew cold. The once-sparkling glass turned cloudy, as though it was weeping. Then, one night, the box shattered — soundlessly — and both Elian and the rose vanished without a trace.

The king, terrified, ordered his castle sealed and the shards of the glass buried deep beneath the mountain. Yet whispers spread that on quiet nights, near the riverside where Elian’s shop once stood, a faint shimmer could be seen — like moonlight trapped in invisible walls. Some said it was Elian’s spirit, forever guarding his art. Others believed he had been freed from the world of greed and time, living eternally within his own creation.

Generations passed, and the tale of The Glass Box became legend. Children grew up hearing that true beauty and love cannot be locked away — for anything caged, even in crystal, will one day shatter.

And so, every spring, the townspeople place a single red rose by the river. The flower never fades, as if an unseen hand still protects it — a reminder that art, kindness, and truth are the only things that can last forever.