Frozen Pond

Igashu gets up and steps towards the barn with the painting of a frozen pond. He opens the doors and some unknown force pulls him in and straight down into a dark abyss. Igashu screams until he hits the ground and becomes unconscious.

When Igashu wakes up, he’s laying in bed. He looks at his hands and notices that they’re wrinkly. He gets up and looks at himself in a mirror. He has grey and white hair and wrinkly tanned skin. Igashu goes to the kitchen to grab some water and notices that it’s snowing outside. He grabs his coat and heads outside to take a stroll around town. It’s an hour before sundown and mostly everybody is indoors in their warm homes. Igashu breathes in the cold air and there’s a nostalgic feeling in the air. He looks around and something lures him in the direction leading outside of town and towards a large frozen pond.

The frozen pond is special to the small town because it is always frozen year round. No one knows the reason for it being frozen but what bewilders people is the fact that it glows underneath the ice at night. In the past, residents of the town thought there was something valuable deep within the ice and they tried to break it, but to no avail. They even tried digging around the frozen pond, but it was still frozen all around. After many years of trying, they gave up on it and left it as a natural monument, where people can go skating.

Igashu walks on the pond that’s drawing him in and he stands in the middle of it. He crouches down with the sun setting, from a distance, to the left of him and closes his eyes and puts his palm on the ice. His memories of his past slowly come back to him and he recalls his most precious and impactful moments with the pond.

His first memory was when he was a kid. His parents took him to the pond to go skating for the first time sometime during the springtime. Igashu was scared at first, but his parents each held his hand and the moment they started skating, Igashu could feel the wind hitting his face and the rush of adrenaline. He enjoyed every moment of it. One day, his parents, knowing Igashu’s comfort level, let go of his hand and Igashu started skating for the first time alone. He was a natural and his parents were proud of him and started cheering for him. He was skating by himself with the supervision of his parents and he was doing well until another child, who was still trying to learn, went in front of him. Igashu avoided hitting the child, but Igashu fell and started crying. His parents rushed to him and made sure he was okay. The parents of the other child saw what happened and asked if Igashu was okay. Igashu kept crying until he saw a girl in front of him. It was the same child that he avoided hitting. He thought she was pretty and stopped crying. Her name was Meilani and she happened to be the same age as Igashu. When everything was alright, the two families went their separate ways.

Igashu and his parents continued to go skating almost every weekend and they would see the same family skating. Igashu would come up to Meilani and skate with her. Eventually, they would see each other enough and became close friends. When they were old enough to skate by themselves and have been acquainted with each others’ parents, they would go to each others’ houses and ask to come skate with them. Their parents were happy that they became friends and also approved of the other child.

As time passed, they were old enough to date and Igashu asked Meilani if she would like to go out with him. They were skating when he asked and when she said yes, he lifted her in the air. Igashu and Meilani would skate so often that they became amazing skaters and were able to do many tricks. They were so synchronized and it was absolutely mesmerizing to watch that the town called them the Dancing Swans. Everybody in town knew they were meant for each other by the way they smiled with one another when they skated. Some classmates envy their relationship and happiness that they tried to sabotage it. However, their love for each other was so strong that nothing could tear them apart. Their love and chemistry was out of the world and their passions were perfectly aligned.

Years passed and on one summer day, they were out on the pond, skating. Igashu was happy with Meilani and could see himself living with her for the rest of his life. Feeling like it was the right moment, he proposed to Meilani. Meilani, feeling the same way, happily said yes. Their parents approved of the other for a long time and were extremely happy for the both of them. Everybody in town was ecstatic and the wedding was huge. The mix of summer and winter added a beautiful element to their wedding. They lived the remainder of their lives together in bliss until one unfortunate day.

It was years after their marriage and it was an ordinary autumn day for them. They went skating side by side with Igashu holding her hands out. He was happy and smiled at Meilani. Melani, suddenly feeling unwell, became unconscious. Igashu managed to catch her before she fell and rushed to the nearest medical center. After many hours of waiting, the doctor told Igashu that she has cancer. Devastated, Igashu walks into her room with tears falling on his face, but at the same time, happy to see her awake. Meilani told him to not worry and always be happy even when she’s not there with him. They spent the remaining time together as happily as possible, but Meilani always noticed Igashu’s sadness in his eyes. She assured him that she’ll always be in his heart wherever he goes.

When Meilani passed away, Igashu was devastated and shut himself in. He wouldn’t leave the house for days. He lost his way of life and didn’t have the will to live, but every time he wanted to give up, he was reminded of what his love said and tried to live a good life. However, his passion for skating disappeared altogether and as years passed, his body started to ache and was no longer in shape to skate. His friends got worried and would visit him every now and then to check up on him. They would chat for a bit and advised Igashu to go out and get some fresh air sometime. Even with their advice, Igashu stayed indoors.

One day, Igashu went out for a walk outside. He went to the frozen pond area and sat on a bench. The view was amazing and there were a few skaters out on the pond. While he was sitting there, a couple recognized him as one of the Dancing Swans and were honored to meet him. Chatting with them put a smile on his face and watching life everywhere made him feel at ease and alive.

Igashu watched the day go away and stayed there until night fell. He watched as the frozen pond magically lit up. The glowing light made the frozen pond seem as if it’s alive and Igashu associated the liveliness to his wife. It made Igashu tear up and he became happy. The glowing light was like Meilani’s soul and it made Igashu feel like she was alive and right next to him. From that day forward, Igashu would visit the frozen pond every night to be with the one he loves. It brought a smile back on his face and Igashu continually did that for years. This leads to the present day.

Igashu opens his eyes and smiles. He stands up and looks up at the moon. There’s a tap on his shoulder and he turns around. It’s Meilani’s spirit. Igashu starts tearing up and puts his hands on her face, not believing what he’s seeing. She assures him that it’s her and they tell each other how much they miss the other. Igashu asks her if she wants to dance and she replies that she’d love to. They slow dance under the moonlight and glowing pond and embrace each other. Igashu closes his eyes and smiles and then darkness.

When Igashu wakes up, he returns to the place with the white sky and seven barns with the paintings.

- Love the one that loves you. Don’t take them for granted.