One Hundred Years of Solitude

- four -

Chae Young lived her days shedding enough tears to turn lakes and rivers salty. She no longer fetched exotic presents for the seven goddesses in exchange for humble magic. She ate berries like a hermit and grew frail and thin. She carried dried blood beneath her fingernails and her eyes became gaunt and empty.

Initially, the goddesses paid no heed. Broken hearts were mended with time. But time stretched on. Days turned to seasons and the goddesses could no longer ignore it.

The goddess Lalisa went to visit her.

"You promised me you would not mourn for too long after he was gone."

"You did not tell me it would hurt this much," whispered the fox-girl.

The goddess Lalisa went back and told her sisters. They decided to call the fox girl into their presence.

Chae Young who once had flaming, red tresses now had dull, brown-ish hair that hung lank and limp. Her full cheeks had sunken in and the laugh in her eyes were replaced by a tired hollowness.

"Is there anything to assuage your pain?" asked the goddess Jisoo.

"Nothing but to see the face of my dear mortal again," replied the fox-girl, and she lowered her head as fresh tears poured down her chin.

Goddess Chae Lin, the oldest among them, walked over to the fox-girl and tilted her head up.

"I can bring him back," the goddess Chae Lin said, "I can bring back your mortal. But, it will be in exchange for something."

The fox-girl's eyes widened. "Anything, my goddess. Anything."

"You must promise to live everyday as though he were still alive," said the goddess, "You must eat meat again, go hunting, play in the water like you did, run with your friends to new terrains and stop weeping."

The fox-girl blinked, taking it all in.

"And you must live like this," said the goddess, "until it is the right time for your mortal to return."

"And- and- when he he- does... when he does..." the fox-girl stumbled and stuttered, too stunned to coherently put her thoughts together.

"Will he remember you?" finished the goddess Chae Lin.

The fox-girl nodded mutely.

"He will know you like a half-remembered dream. You will have to make him love you again."

"I will, oh goddess!" exclaimed the fox-girl keenly, "I will do it. I will pull myself together and live again."

The goddess smiled benevolently. "And do you promise me this?"

The fox-girl nodded. "I give you my word."

"Good. Now run along and wash the blood off your finger-nails."

"Goddess..." the fox-girl called out hesitantly. "One last thing, if I may..."

"Yes?"

"For how long...?"

The goddess held back a smirk as she said, "One hundred years."

***

The fox girl kept true to her word. Her hair turned back to red and her cheeks grew full and rosy again. She ran to far-flung mountain peaks and raced along rivers again.

The goddesses watched silently, hoping that over the course of one hundred years, Chae Young would either forget the mortal or fall in love again with someone new. This time, hopefully, a non-mortal.