Beauty: A Tragedy

First, it is best not to meet, so we need never be together.

Second, it is best not to know each other, so we need never yearn for one another.

Third, it is best not to keep each other company, so we need never owe each other.

Fourth, it is best not to cherish each other, so we need never remember.

Fifth, it is best not to fall in love, so we need never abandon one another.

Sixth, it is best not to face each other, so we need never meet again.

Seventh, it is best not to misunderstand each other, so we need never let each other down.

Eighth, it is best not to make promises, so we need never carry on.

Ninth, it is best not to encounter each other, so we need never reunite.

Yet once we meet, we come to know one another. How can meeting compare to never having met?

How can I part from you forever, so that life and death will no longer be consumed by longing?

This novel and its characters are entirely fictional. Any resemblance to actual people or events is purely coincidental. Please do not imitate.