"Love Beyond Years"

It started with a letter.

Anna stumbled upon the old mailbox during her evening walks, hidden behind a forgotten stone wall near the woods. It was peculiar — no house in sight, no road leading to it. The mailbox looked ancient, its iron body weathered with rust, but something about it felt... alive.

On a whim, she opened it. Inside, a letter, neatly folded and addressed not to anyone in particular — just "To You."

Curious, Anna slipped the letter out. The paper was thick and smelled faintly of lavender. The handwriting was elegant, the kind you don’t see anymore.

"To the one who finds this,
I am James Harrington, writing in the year 1895. I don't know if anyone will ever read this, but if you do, know that you are not alone. The world may change, but some hearts remain the same."

Anna laughed to herself. A prank, surely. Still, something in the words clung to her — a quiet yearning, a loneliness she understood too well.

That night, she couldn’t stop thinking about it. On a sudden impulse, she wrote back.

"Dear James,
If this isn't a joke, know that your words found me. It's 2025 now, and though the world has changed, loneliness feels timeless. Tell me about your world, and I will tell you about mine."

She placed the letter in the same mailbox the next evening, feeling slightly ridiculous. But the next day, there was a reply.

And so it began — a conversation through time.

James wrote about gas lamps and horse-drawn carriages, about the slow, golden days and the quietness of nights without electricity. Anna shared stories of neon lights, crowded streets, and the strange beauty of a world always rushing forward.

They spoke of favorite books, hidden dreams, heartbreaks neither dared to say out loud to anyone else.

Through their letters, a friendship blossomed, fragile yet fierce. It wasn't long before Anna realized she was waiting for his letters more eagerly than she wanted to admit.

One night, James’s letter came differently. The handwriting was shaky, the words more vulnerable.

"I dreamt of you last night. I do not know your face, your voice, or your world, but somehow, I feel closer to you than I ever have to anyone. Is it foolish to imagine I could love someone I have never met?"

Anna’s breath caught. She sat there, letter trembling in her hands, feeling a warmth that was both beautiful and painful.

She wrote back, her heart in every word.

"It's not foolish. I feel it too. Maybe love doesn't belong to just one time or place. Maybe it simply... is."

The next day, she ran to the mailbox, heart pounding. But it was empty.

The day after — still nothing.

And then a week passed. Two. Anna felt the world growing colder, more ordinary without James’s words. Had he given up? Had something happened?

On the 15th day, she found a letter, rain-soaked but intact.

"My dearest Anna,
Forgive my silence. I have been unwell. The doctor fears I do not have long. But know this: meeting you, even through ink and paper, has been the most extraordinary joy of my life.
I shall write until my last breath, for in every word, I find you.
Forever yours,
James."

Tears blurred her vision. She pressed the letter to her chest, wishing desperately for a miracle.

That night, she wrote the longest letter she ever had, pouring her soul into it — memories, dreams, hopes. She told him of all the things she wished they could share: a walk in the spring rain, coffee at dawn, a dance beneath the stars.

She ended the letter with trembling words:

"If there’s any way for souls to find each other beyond this life... wait for me."

Days turned into weeks, and the mailbox remained silent.

Life went on. Anna still visited the mailbox sometimes, leaving small notes, little memories, believing somehow he could still read them.

Years later, on a crisp autumn morning, Anna, now older, stood before the mailbox once again. She smiled sadly, tracing her fingers over the rusted metal.

As she turned to leave, a soft breeze stirred the trees, and something fluttered out of the mailbox — a piece of paper, yellowed with age.

On it, in that same familiar handwriting, were just five words:

"I have waited for you."

Anna closed her eyes, feeling the warmth of an unseen hand slipping into hers, and for the first time in years, she knew — he was still with her.

Beyond time. Beyond years. Beyond everything.