I just read a myth story called "The Little Fairy", and I was deeply inspired. I would like to share it with everyone.
A long time ago, a young prince came of age. The king held a grand evening party in the palace for him. Many young and beautiful girls received invitations and came to the party scene. Their eyes were on the prince, hoping to win his favor. However, the prince did not find his ideal partner. After midnight, the melancholy prince wandered into the forest. Walking alone, he unknowingly arrived under an old fig tree. There, he unexpectedly met a small but adorable fairy. She was only as big as a doll, but she was very gentle and understanding, making the prince fall in love with her at first sight. When the prince reached out his hand to hold the girl's hand, she shyly dodged and disappeared in the forest. All that remained in the prince's hand was the girl's glove. It was such a tiny glove that the prince had to struggle to put it on his little finger.
The next night after midnight, the prince returned to the fig tree but could no longer see that small girl. He silently called out the girl's name, but she never appeared again. The prince missed his ideal partner so much that he couldn't help but kiss the girl's little glove. A miracle happened – the girl appeared before the prince. This time, the prince bravely held the girl's hand, while the girl only lowered her head shyly, unlike the last time when she disappeared. They walked together in the forest, whispering sweet words to each other. More surprisingly, when they were talking about their love, the girl's figure gradually grew taller. Before dawn, when they parted ways, the girl had grown twice as tall as when they first met. Thus, every night after midnight, the prince would quietly come to the fig tree to meet the girl. By the ninth night, the girl had grown as tall as an ordinary person, and she was even more elegant than the most beautiful girl in the palace. The prince fell deeply in love with this small fairy and proposed marriage to her. The girl agreed but set one condition: he could only love her for life, or she would disappear forever from his presence. The prince was overjoyed and vowed to the girl that he would only love the little fairy and would not look at any other girl, no matter how beautiful.
Thus, the prince married the little fairy in a grand wedding ceremony at the palace. All the guests were captivated by the beauty of the little fairy, and everyone sincerely wished them a loving relationship until old age.
They loved each other deeply, always together. Seven years later, the old king passed away, and the prince ascended the throne, becoming the new king. During the funeral for the old king, among the mourners appeared a beautiful woman with chestnut-brown hair. She neither prayed nor mourned for the old king but stared unblinkingly at the young king. The king also saw her and suddenly felt a bright light before him. What a beautiful girl! His heart was filled with joy. On the way to the funeral, the beautiful woman followed close behind the king. Unable to resist, the king turned around and looked at the beautiful woman, falling in love with her. Unbeknownst to him, the little fairy gasped and he noticed that she had become shorter than usual. The little fairy said, "My dress seems too big." Taking a few more steps, he still couldn't help looking at the beautiful woman, forgetting to hold the little fairy's hand. Each glance at the beautiful woman made the little fairy shrink. By the time they reached the old fig tree, the little fairy had returned to the size she was during their first meeting. The little fairy looked at her lover once and disappeared into the forest just like the first time they met. However, unlike the first time when her eyes were full of shyness, this time as she left, her eyes contained both longing and resentment. Unfortunately, this man who had once sworn vows of love forgot the promises he had made and completely forgot about her tears.
The new king got what he wanted and married the beautiful woman with chestnut-brown hair. He thought he could spend the rest of his life with this beautiful woman, but unexpectedly, they hadn't been together for three days. After their marriage, the beautiful woman asked him for a bed studded with diamonds, which he granted. Then, the beautiful woman made even higher demands, which he also granted. But the beautiful woman was insatiable, her requests becoming increasingly unreasonable. He refused to comply anymore, and the beautiful woman became furious, loudly cursing him and causing chaos in the palace. Tangled up in headaches, he had no choice but to drive the beautiful woman out of the palace. It was then that he realized that the one who truly loved him was the kind-hearted little fairy, while this beautiful woman loved his position as king. After midnight, he once again came to the fig tree, shouting the name of the little fairy, but the little fairy did not appear. He remembered the little fairy's small glove and kissed it lightly, hoping for another miracle, but all his efforts were in vain. For many nights, he stood under the fig tree waiting, but he could no longer see the little fairy's figure. He remembered a sentence the little fairy had once told him: "In this life, you can only love me. When you fall in love with someone else, you will lose me forever." He regretted deeply in his heart, but what good was it? The happiness he held in his hands had been destroyed by himself, and he could no longer find the lost love.
People are often like this. When they have something, they don't know how to cherish it, but when they truly lose it, they feel regretful. Are there few examples of this in real life? Perhaps, the she beside you is now as beautiful as a fairy, making you deeply infatuated. But when merciless time etches wrinkles on her face, you may no longer say "I love you" in her ear as you used to. If another beautiful woman appears beside you, younger and prettier than your "little fairy," will you discard her like the young king did? When you truly break her heart, perhaps she will also disappear from your sight like the "little fairy" in the story. Cherish the people around you, treasure the ones before your eyes, and do not neglect your "little fairy" by your side.