Ending of a love story

Novelle af Dorit Grundahl
A long time ago there was a small village "Toughness" in the green valley in a country fare away from Denmark.

In "Toughness" lived about two hundred people. None of them knew about, what has happen in other places – they even didn’t know if there were other places.

And they didn’t want to know anything about it either, because their form for living came true all their wishes and requirements.

The inhabitants of the village were as happy, they could ever be, and every day was filled with happiness and satisfaction. None of them ever thought or meant their lifes could or should be different. There wasn’t quarrel, fight or envy of something among them either.

Another reason that they didn’t seek out other people or another village was because of their self-supporting, which made them independent.

In the village lived a family of four persons, called "Intact", and they were a typical example of a family pattern.

The father, "Tact" and the mother "In" had been together since the childhood, and they loved each other unconditional. Their two children, the boy "Happ" and the girl "Iness", obviously were model of children behaviour.

The everyday life in the village passed in a quiet life and nobody ever thought it could be different. Until one day something happened.

A stranger came by and suddenly nothing was as usual.
The stranger turned up on the hill with a carriage.

All people crowded round the carriage and they were very curious to know, what the strange

The stranger was a man, about 40 years old, good looking, high and muscular. Because of his look, he fit complete to his name "Temptation", and he probably was that type of a man, all women ever could dream off, but unfortunately he knew it himself.

"In" was also a very attractive and well-formed woman, without being conscious of it herself. Among all the people "Temptation" picked out "In" and kept looking at her for too long - so long that "In" was embarrassing by his look, but at the same time she also felt a bubbling delight – something she never had felt before and she began trembling.
In her confusion she had to withdraw from the crowd, hoping in this way to get away from the remarkable and unknown feelings.

In the meantime "Temptation" showed all the objects, he had brought with him.

There were things like:
- A set, which made sound of music
- An instrument where you could hear a voice of another person and could talk to that person, too.
- An electric bell, which woke you up with a ringing tone in the morning.
- A watch, which was made for the purpose to keep an eye on the time.
- Mirror, soaps and perfumes.
- The most beautiful and colourful silk ribbons and silk dresses.
- Several bottles of the finest and oldest malt whisky.
- Many packets of cigarettes.
- A coffin filled with coins, so you were able to buy some of all these goods.

All the men looked wistfully at the fine bottles of whisky, and they wanted so much to taste these golden drops.

All the women gave expression for their enthusiasm, and they looked forward to buy some of all these things and to wear it, so they asked "Temptation", how they could get some coins.

"Temptation" suggested them to work for him. He’s intention was building a large house, and therefore he needed assistance from several of them.
Immediate ten women and twenty men signed up for the work.
"Temptation" tried to catch "In" with his eyes, and his look asked her to sign up too.

And off course she couldn’t resist.

So far so good! After some planning the building project was starting up.

Both men and women slaved away, and they looked forward to their first pay, so that they could buy some of the good stuff.

After a year of hard work a beautiful and comfortable house was placed among the hilly country, and "Temptation" could move in.
The hard working people earned a lot of money, for which many of them already had bought many beautiful things.

Because of these things and money their look was different as the rest of the people in the village, and without knowing it, the working people slowly changed.

"In"’s husband "Tact" wasn’t one of them. He didn’t like the stranger from the beginning, and he didn’t want to have anything to do with him.

Before the stranger appeared the married couple was happy and satisfied, but now they had no longer anything to say to each other and nothing to talk about.

"Tact" also had the feeling, "In" didn’t love him anymore, and little by little he only felt bitterness and unhappiness and began to drink. He didn’t care about anything any more. And the couple got a divorce.

"In" was in love with the stranger, so the divorce came at a very opportune moment.
At last she now could show everybody her love to the stranger. But "In" had forgotten one thing - to ask the other person if he loved her too - and "Temptation" didn’t want her – he only wanted to play with feelings and had no intentions, which she was a part of.
Because of her selfishness she now had lost everything and everybody – her love, children, home, self-respect, hope, believe – nothing was left – neither for the rest of the family. And all that unhappiness only for that reason a stranger came by.

And that was the end of a love story!