Broken promise.

In a small town deep between the mountains, Alphonse, a young man, was walking to the main center. Once he arrived, he saw next to the fountain a woman wearing a white dress with sunflower patterns. The wind breezed making her golden hair wave through the air. She grabbed her straw hat afraid it will fly away. The delicate tied yellow ribbon attached to it danced in the strands of the sunlight. He admired her for a minute and then approached her.

‘’I hope I didn’t make you wait longer, darling!’’ The woman looked to her right and gave the warmest smile back.

‘’No, not really. I just got here.’’

‘’Shall we get going?’’

The two lovebirds held hands and went to the nearby lake where it is quiet. As they set their picnic place, they watched the ducks swimming in peace. Alphonse, laying down on his girl’s lap, started talking.

‘’I got the job in the capital.’’

‘’Really?’’

‘’Yes. I will start next month.’’

‘’I see…’’ A little disappointment can be heard from the girl’s voice.

‘’Ilina.’’ Alphonse stood up, grabbed her by her shoulders and locked eyes with her. ‘’Come with me.’’

‘’You know I can’t…’’ She looked away in sadness.

Alphonse moved her face by his finger to lock eyes with him again.

‘’We will find a way for your disease. I swear. I am sure at the Capital we could find a skillful doctor.’’

Her eyes started tearing up. They couldn’t do anything but embrace each other in silent.

On their way back that evening, Ilina spoke to Alphonse.

‘’Alphonse. Forget about me.’’ Alphonse stopped walking and looked back at Ilina. ‘’I am an obstacle to your career. You have a bright future ahead of you.’’

‘’No!’’ firmly he said. Ilina was shocked since that was the first time she heard him speak loud like that. ‘’You’re everything to me. If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t know what to do with my life. You’re my light!’’ Both started crying without realizing it.

‘’Ilina, I swear I will find a way to cure your disease. No matter what!’’ His eyes were burning with commitment and a promise of eternity.

Alphonse walked her back home and then left. On his way back thinking of the future and his lover, a strange smell hit his nose. It was so seductive that he followed the smell to a nearby dark alley where he saw an old lady smoking from a pipe under a shady lamp.

‘’Excuse me, I never saw you before. Who are you?’’

‘’Destiny brought you, young soul.’’

‘’Destiny?’’

‘’There is something troubling you, isn’t it?’’

‘’H-How did you know?’’

‘’What’s troubling your heart?’’

Alphonse took a minute before speaking again.

‘’I love this woman. She means everything to me. But, because of a disease she has, she can’t move with me to the capital city.’’

‘’I see.’’ The old lady exhaled a lot of smoke. ‘’I know who could help you.’’

‘’Who?’’

‘’It is a myth in this era. But he exists. A deity that lives at the top of the north mountain.’’

‘’no, it can’t be! No one could live in that harsh environment.’’

The old lady took a puff from her pipe and then stood up.

‘’the weak don’t deserve his grace. To climb up is a mission on its own. Only those who overcome that mentally and physically deserve his powers.’’ The lady then started walking away. ‘’If you truly will do anything for that woman, then you must go and meet that person.’’

Alphonse was at a loss. He went back home and couldn’t sleep as he was thinking of what the old lady told him.

Next morning, Ilina was opening the curtains up where she saw Alphonse waiting in front of her house. She went down to meet him.

‘’Alphonse, what are you doing this early?’’

‘’I need to tell you something.’’ Ilina could see the tired face and bags under his eyes. ‘’I will be away for a while.’’

‘’Where are you going?’’

‘’I can’t tell you exactly. But I am going somewhere for us.’’

‘’What do you mean?’’

‘’I am going to look for a cure for your disease. Wait for me! I swear I will come back with the cure!’’

Alphonse then left without looking back.

The town was surrounded by three mountains. The North one was the highest as you can’t even see the top.

Alphonse caught a ride to the mountain with a local merchant. He spent the night nearby. Early morning, the ascent started. It wasn’t easy to climb, especially since no one lived there. Yet, Alphonse’s determination was stronger and continued ascending. Days and nights went by that he forgot how many days it had been since he started. Alphonse will climb up all day and sleeps during the night. The harsh weather also didn’t help. Alphonse was struggling mentally and physically. But one thing in his mind all the time: Ilina.

Alphonse kept climbing and climbing until his sense of pain became numb. Surprisingly, Alphonse got to a surface. He couldn’t find how to climb up and that’s when he realized he had reached the summit.

‘’This…is…it…’’ It was fog everywhere and he could barely see anything.

Alphonse walked through that mist and started to feel water on his feet.

‘’This…’’ He squatted down to touch. ‘’water?’’

Out of nowhere, a voice echoed.

‘’Declare thy name, O mortal!’’

‘’My name is Alphonse. Who am I speaking to?’’

‘’Behind thee, thou mortal.’’ Alphonse looked back and jumped.

‘’You startled me!’’

‘’Fear not, O mortal.’’

‘’What are you?’’ the mysterious entity in front of him was covered in an old black cloth, hiding his limbs and his face with a hood. Alphonse could feel it wasn’t human at all. The aura he is emitting was godly.

‘’ I am all things and yet naught. I am virtue and vice. I am justice and iniquity. I am mercy and vengeance. I am love and hate. Such is the essence of who I am.’’

Alphonse couldn’t fathom anything from what said.

‘’ Alphonse, was it not? What folly drove thee to hazard thy life and scale these heights?’’ Instantly, Ilina's face appeared in Alphonse’s mind.

‘’I climbed because I heard you can grant anything to whoever successfully climbed. My love, Ilina, has a disease which she can’t cure and now she has to stay home and take herbs from her family doctor to survive. Can you help her?’’

‘’ I see. So be it. I shall lend thee mine aid.’’

In that moment, Alphonse broke down in tears and on his knees.

‘’Thank you! Thank you so much!’’

‘’Follow me, Alphonse.’’

Alphonse stood up, wiping his tears and followed the deity to a shallow stone basin with a wide bowl filled with water. The deity put his arm straight and the water started to float and shape itself to a little glass vial filled with the water from the small fountain.

‘’ Seize the elixir, and all thy troubles shall vanish.’’

‘’Thank you so much!’’ Alphonse grabbed it and put it in his pocket.

‘’ Now, I shall return thee to the depths. May fate deal kindly with thee.’’

With a swift of his hand, Alphonse lost conscious and woke up at the bottom. He checked his pocket and found the elixir. Filled with happiness, he started running to the town.

On his return, he noticed many buildings have changed. Some were renovated, some just simply disappeared. Not letting anything distracts his goal, Alphonse rushed to his house first, shaved his long beard and got into his best garments. With the glass vial on his hand, Alphonse marched to his love’s house.

In front of her house, he noticed the new plants in the front garden as well as the new accessories around the house. He took a deep breath and then knocked on the door.

‘’Who’s there?’’ It was none other than Ilina’s voice.

‘’It is me! Alphonse, darling!’’

Ilina opened the door in a disbelief.

‘’Alphonse…’’ Eyes couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Alphonse embraced her warmly.

‘’I missed you!’’ Immediately, Ilina slightly pushed him out.

‘’What are you doing here?’’ Alphonse’s eyebrows went up.

‘’Um, what do you mean?’’

‘’I haven’t seen you in so long… I thought you’re never coming back…’’

‘’Of course I will come back! You’re my everything!’’ Alphonse reached to his pocket and showed her the glass vial. ‘’Look! I found the cure! It took me days to climb this mountain and get it! But finally, you can be cured!’’

‘’Days? Are you alright, Alphonse?’’

‘’Huh?’’

‘’It’s been over a year since the last time you came to the house.’’

‘’It can’t be…’’ Unable to process her words, Alphonse questioned her. ‘’How can it be over a year? I am sure it wasn’t that long since I left.’’ Alphonse then looked at her. ‘’Nevertheless, I am here with the cure, darling! I came back now with the cure!’’

‘’Alphonse, enough of this!’’ her tone was firm. ‘’Can’t you see?’’ She looked down. Alphonse shifted his eyes from her to her stomach. ‘’I waited and waited but you just left me…’’

‘’You…’’

‘’It was never going to work between us. You always saw things differently from how I see it. I couldn’t just leave everything behind me even if you found this miraculous cure.’’

‘’But…But you were everything to me…’’

‘’I am sorry, but my husband might come anytime now. Farewell, Alphonse.’’ She then slowly closed the door.

Heartbroken, Alphonse stayed there unable to speak or hear anything. After everything he did, it was in vain. Alphonse started walking aimlessly in the town until he found himself in front of the same lake he was at with Ilina. He looked at the glass vial and then started walking towards it. He didn’t stop as he continued marching, submerging with the water until his body disappeared. And that’s how ‘’Lake of broken promises’’ got its name. now, couples go there to break off with their partners or throw the engagement ring deep at the lake.