This story takes place over a century ago.
In a small village of this kingdom, there lived a husband and wife who ran a little shop. The husband was named Elmer, and his wife was Violet. They had a son named Jack.
“Mom! Mom!”
“What is it? Why are you shouting like that?”
“Bob from the tailor shop is going to the capital with his dad! Isn’t he lucky? I want to go, too! Have you ever been to the capital, Mom?”
“…Yes.”
“Really? What’s it like?”
“Well, it’s a bustling place with lots of people and shops.”
“And what else?”
“I don’t really know much else about it. I’m sorry.”
“I want to go so bad. I heard the festivals there are huge! I’d love to go to one someday.”
“I’ve never been to a festival, so I wouldn’t know.”
“Oh…”
With that, Jack gave up on asking any more questions.
Whenever he asked his parents about their lives before they came to the settlement, they always gave him vague answers. Maybe there was something they didn’t want to talk about.
His mother sat on a plain wooden chair as she quietly sewed. She was delicate and couldn’t do much heavy labor, but she worked hard managing the household and serving their customers.
His father was a serious, hardworking man who loved his mother deeply. Jack’s friends always teased him and said his parents acted like newlyweds, but Jack thought it was great how close they were.
“Hey, Mom. Don’t you ever want to go to the royal capital? Don’t you ever get bored living out here in the middle of nowhere?”
“No, Jack. Every day I spend here with your father is like heaven. I love this place. I love walking in the forest, fishing in the river, and collecting walnuts and chestnuts to cook with. It’s so fun that I never get tired of it. And I got to give birth to you and raise you here, Jack. I can’t put that happiness into words.”
His mother always spoke of the simple things as though nothing could make her happier. Every time Jack heard her talk like that, he wondered what kind of hardships she must’ve faced before getting married.
“Well, when I grow up, I want to work in a big city. Maybe the capital or somewhere else. I want to see the world. But you and Dad will be lonely if I leave, won’t you?”
His mother just gave him a quiet, vague smile as she thought about it.
Some time later, when Jack had already forgotten he’d even asked that question, she arrived at her answer.
“Go wherever you want, Jack. You only have one life to live. So you should go where your heart takes you, see everything you want to see, build a family with someone you love, and live freely.”
“But what about when you and Dad get older? I’m an only child. What will happen then?”
“Don’t worry. When one of us leaves this world first, we’ll just wait for the other in the garden of the gods. No matter how big it is, I know you’ll find your father there, and he’ll find me. We’ll live happily together again. So don’t worry about us.”
“You really love Dad, don’t you?”
His mother gave him a warm smile and resumed mending his father’s work clothes. “Yes, I love him very much. He’s like a god to me. He’s kind, wise, and strong, and he can do anything. I’m so lucky to be his wife.”
“Yeah, yeah. I get it already!”
Jack thought it was so strange. His father was a dependable man, but he was rather plain in appearance. His mother, on the other hand, was so beautiful that even when she wore her old, faded clothes, she looked like she was glowing. If she’d lived in the capital, she probably could have married someone rich and had a much better life.
But Jack was grateful that his parents were still together when he heard his friends tell stories about how their parents didn’t get along.
Ten years later, Jack got married when he was twenty-two years old and left the settlement with his wife.
On the carriage ride to their new home, Jack thought back to the last thing his father had said to him. “Listen, Jack. It’s best if you don’t come back. Don’t worry about us. Your mother and I will support each other. We have the rest of the settlement to help, too. You focus on living your own life to its fullest.”
“Live life to its fullest. Don’t you think that’s a bit dramatic?” Jack muttered to his new wife as he unwrapped the packed lunch his mother had given him. “Oh, roasted venison and four boiled eggs! And white bread with wild strawberry jam. Mom really packed us a fancy lunch.”
His young wife smiled beside him. “Your mother’s roasted venison is so delicious. I want us to have a marriage just like your parents, Jack. I’ve always thought they were such a wonderful couple.”
“I know. They still act like newlyweds, even after all these years. I want us to be that close, too.”
The carriage carrying the newlyweds continued on its way to the capital.
After that, Jack would send a letter home every year, but his father would always reply with the same message:
Don’t worry about us. There’s no need to come back. Just take care of your family and live a happy life.