The first kiss

Frederick and Anne lived in a small village near a forest. He was the son of the baker, and she the daughter of a farmer. Anne went every day to the bakery to buy bread and pastries for her large family, and Fred was at the counter. One day, she didn’t arrive, as usual. Her mother came instead. And the boy felt a deep hole in his soul. He had felt in love with the nicest girl in the village. But he didn’t know how to manage his feelings or how to tell her.

He felt unworthy of her love because she was beautiful, smart, and her family was pretty rich. He didn’t have very much to offer—only his passion.

When Anne returned to the bakery, Fred’s heart was pounding fast. He smiled and made her a gift: an extra pastry baked for her with the shape of a leaf. She looked at him with his big eyes, surprised but took the present with a happy laugh and got out.

Little by little, Fred won Anne’s heart, and they began to talk and walk together. Anne’s parents weren’t pleased with that.

One tragic night, the bakery oven caught fire and, with it, all the house. Father and son tried to save the place, but the father died, and Fred get wounded, with burns all over hid face and arms.

Anne felt desolate. When Fred returned from the hospital, with his face covered by bandages, she could only see his blue eyes.

Her family banned her from seeing him again. He was an orphan, without money, transformed into a monster by the burns. She was young and attractive. She had all her life before her, indeed would find another boy better than poor Fred.

Her mother consulted with a soothsayer, and she told her that it was a stroke of good luck that the fire had happened so soon in the relationship because that had avoided greater evils. She had even cast a spell against Fred’s love and in favor of a future boyfriend.

Late at night, Anne would sneak out of her house and meet Fred and his loving blue eyes in the forest. They would walk and talk for hours. She didn’t care about his deformed face. Her heart melted at the sound of his voice and the meaning of his profound, wise words.

Tommy, Anne’s younger brother, followed her and discovered the two lovers in the middle of the forest. He got scared at the sight of Fred’s face and screamed: I’m going to tell mom! and he run away.

Anne said:

-They are going to lock me up!

-Let’s flee from here

-Before, let’s do it. Because if they find us, we won’t have the chance.

And they kissed for the first time.

When the people of the village arrived, they found two bare trees embracing and kissing each other. The terrible spell cast over the two young lovers turned their first kiss into an eternal kiss

FFFC 87