A Romance That Never Happened, No Matter How Red They Got
In their previous lives, Brother Crimson and Little Scarlet were maple spirits who fell in love in Maple Spirit Valley. For breaking the laws of heaven, they were punished with the “Reincarnation and Shape-Binding Curse.” In this life, they became two maple leaves at the top of a thousand-year-old maple ridge. Little Scarlet, on the eastern branch, is coral-flame red with pink at her edges; Brother Crimson, on the western branch, has deep-red veins and golden leaf tips. They are barely a few inches apart, yet the curse binds them: whenever the gap between their edges shrinks to less than half a leaf's thickness, it stings like a burning needle. Even the wind, bugs, and dew seem determined to keep them apart.
They can hear each other's thoughts but cannot touch. In the morning sun, they try to brush against each other and share the warmth of the dew, only for the droplets to evaporate into mist before they can fall. In the night breeze, they try to press their leaf tips together and whisper their longing, but the wind bounces them apart as soon as they get within a millimeter. Even protecting one another from insects makes the curse strike back. Memories of their past life in Maple Valley keep resurfacing: a near-embrace by the maple sap pool was scattered by heavenly lightning; on the Mid-Autumn Festival, they tried to kiss but were chased by celestial soldiers. Now even “falling together” is a distant dream. When a fierce gust carries Little Scarlet away, Brother Crimson tries to break his stem and follow, but the pain leaves his spirit trembling.
Later, they become specimens and reunite behind glass in an exhibition hall. They are close enough to see the scars on each other's leaves, but still cannot touch. Beneath all the humorous grumbling about “this damn wind being worse than the boss” lies the ache of being able to see but never touch. It's just like those of us in real life who dare not confess with only a wall between us, or live in the same city but can barely embrace. They never did get to touch, no matter how red they grew, but the longing to reach each other lasted even longer than the maple leaves' color.
