Once upon a time there was a little boy who was fleeing the war with his father and mother. They were all together in their very noisy car, which contrasted greatly with the silence and purity that reigned in the forest around them.
After a whole day driving, they were very tired of this exile. Only one thing occupied their minds: to get some rest. After a while, they saw an Arctic fox, a symbol of good fortune in their native region. So they decided to follow him.
They arrived in front of a mill, which seemed deserted but not dilapidated, certainly because of the war. The fox entered the mill, and so did the family. However, when they entered the place, the fox had disappeared.
Although they were surprised, they still decided to light a fire in a small fireplace. They managed to eat a lot despite the fact that they hadn't brought much food, and then decided to go to bed right after dinner to enjoy a peaceful night.
The next day, the fire had been put out and the freezing cold could enter the mill. The young boy looked where his parents were supposed to be, but all he found were empty blankets.
Fear and anxiety took over the boy, who still decided to leave the mill. A dense mist covered the surrounding fields. The wind, though weak, tortured the boy with every gust.
Despite the disturbing calm, he managed to hear a faint melody in his head. A flute sound as beautiful as he had never had the opportunity to listen to before.
Attracted by the melody, he decided to follow it without thinking about anything else. He felt that he was walking for miles, his legs were starting to wobble, but he couldn't get tired of this melody that he wanted to be so close to.
In fact, it remained absolutely elusive, always so calm and delicate, so that it seemed as if a single small burst could make her disappear forever. Yet it stayed for hours.
After a while, the little boy arrived at the bank of a raging river. The rapids could kill him in seconds, just as they could kill any human being. Even luck could not help him if he fell into the torrent. However, the melody forced him to follow it.
After a few minutes of walking, he met a man, a bit younger than his father. Their eyes met and they stayed like that for about ten seconds. The man's gaze was empty, as if he was possessed by someone or something. Then, without a hint of hesitation, the man jumped into the river. Although the man was swept away, he wasn't struggling or trying to escape drowning.
Meanwhile, the boy looked at him, without any reaction. He didn't try to stop him at all. No. But in his head a voice was echoing: "Yes, jump, you should jump too. You can do it. Jump!"
The boy didn't want to jump. Yet his right foot came forward. His fall started, and he started to panic, but just before he jumped, a hand caught him:
"No, don't jump!".
A small hand, soft but cold. The boy regained consciousness. He was lost and didn't know where he was. As his consciousness returned step by step, the pain in his legs increased accordingly. Moreover, he was frozen.
Despite the pain and difficulty, he managed to get back on the ground, far from the river bank. He looked at the owner of the hand, the one who had saved him: it was a little girl, a little older than him. Her skin was pale, her hair silver-grey and her eyes were pure white. If winter was a girl, then it would be her.
The girl wasn't wearing much clothing, but she didn't seem to feel cold. However, the boy was almost dead. He lost the strength in his legs and fell to his knees. Just before his head hit the ground, the girl caught him. She hugged and kissed him. The boy blushed, but before he knew it, his body became warm, and the pain was replaced by comfort.
"Get up, we have to move now," said the little girl.
The boy followed her without saying anything.
The little girl said she was Anokiyu, a wandering spirit. In fact, she also explained that the fog and the song came from another wandering spirit: Nilem, the pied piper.
"Nilem was a flute player who served the soldiers in an army, whether in peace or war. One day, this army fought against a crushing invader, and most of the soldiers fled the fights, leaving Nilem alone. Frightened, he tried to hide several times. However, one winter day, the barbarians managed to find him. He tried desperately to escape from them, he found this river. He tried to cross it, but he failed and died. He woke up a few years later, as a wandering spirit. Now he sometimes appears during wars, luring people fleeing the fighting into this river, expressing his pain and misery. Unfortunately, nowadays its territory is getting bigger and bigger as the war intensifies.
And then the little boy asked her what she intended to do. She explained that she was a wandering spirit trying to save other souls, allowing them to find peace. And so she was probably the oldest. She had been trying to catch Nilem for many years, in vain.
"What will you do when you find him?" the little boy asked.
"I will hug him. Every spirit has a story, but all are troubled. Almost all of them want to find peace, but alone it is not so easy. Sometimes a simple touch can help them, otherwise I have to improvise. Spirits are not violent. Even if Nilem has killed hundreds of people, he won't be violent".
Then the boy asked where they should look for him. The little girl remained perplexed for a second, asking if he wanted to come with her. He replied that she had saved him, so he wanted to help her.
She agreed and said that she wanted to go to the only place she had never been: to the source of the river, at the top of the mountain. While looking for Nilem, the boy asked Anokiyu why she had helped him, but she didn't answer. When he asked about her story, she told him it was a very long and boring story.
However, they still help each other to climb the mountain. When the boy arrived near the top of the mountain, he was actually surprised to find the same arctic fox he had seen with his parents. Within seconds, the fox disappeared once again.
At the top of the mountain, in the middle of a clearing, they found a middle-aged man playing a flute. Next to him was the arctic fox.
Anokiyu slowly approached him slowly, and finally hugged him. After a while Nilem gave up his flute and started to cry.
"Why... Why? Why did they abandon me?... Soldiers, yeah... Cowards, you mean! No courage, no honour, not even capable of protecting those who devote their lives to them, barely able to protect themselves, and they are the defenders of the people, they say? No. They are only deserters. And deserters must be punished..."
"They are already gone," shouted the young boy. "They're not there anymore either, you know", he began to cry. "Your story is sad, Nilem, but, you know, seeing you like this makes me feel even sadder."
Meanwhile, Anokiyu was still hugging Nilem, but didn't say anything. Nilem stopped crying: "They're... dead?"
"It's been a long time.You've been playing this flute without rest for hundreds of years," replies the little boy.
"But the war?" Nilem asked sceptically.
"Times change, but war remains. Mankind's conflict has barely begun, while yours is already over, inside this river. It's time for you to rest now, Nilem. Find peace within yourself. Find the strength to move forward," said Anoyuki.
"The strength... to move forward?"
As tears streamed from Nilem's eyes, a bright light began to cover him. The intensity of the light kept increasing, while Nilem gradually disappeared. The young boy was blinded for a while. When he could see his surroundings again, Nilem and the arctic fox had disappeared. Only the flute was on the ground. Anokiyu was lying on the ground, her face covered with tears.
The young boy went to hug her, but didn't say anything.
"It was three thousand years ago, in the east of this continent, in a much more primitive time than today, when villages were fighting over crops and hunting grounds. My parents were both scouts. One day they had to go on a scouting mission near an enemy village. But a patrol team found them. According to reports, they were killed on the spot. The village couldn't take care of a girl like me, so they abandoned me, alone, in the plains. It was winter. During the day I could still stand the cold, but at night the river was frozen. By taking refuge in uninhabited caves - or not - and in tree trunks, I managed to stay alive for a week. Fortunately, I had found water. My parents taught me to recognize plants that brave the wind and the cold. I also hunted animals that did not hibernate. Unfortunately, to find new civilizations, far from these villages in permanent war, I had to cross valleys that seemed infinite to me. After two weeks, loneliness, cold and hunger killed me. I died in these infinite plains of the east, with no one near me, and for only memories, the death of my parents and the village that abandoned me. It has been three thousand years now, and yet I am still alone".
She began to cry again.
"You are not alone! You know, Anokiyu, I am your friend! I love you!"
"You... love me?"
"I love you! Who wouldn't be able to not love someone like you? You are so nice, sweet and beautiful! You saved me because you wanted me to become your friend maybe? Then I am your friend! We are friends, you know. If you have any problems, tell me! I'm here to help you and I'll solve them all for you."
"Thank you, but you already did so."
A bright light took hold of Anokiyu.
"Before leaving you, I'd like to solve your last problem right now."
With a movement of her hand, she blew the wind and the snow accumulated in one place, forming a path.
"No, please, Anokiyu! Don't leave me! I beg you! You must stay with me! Forever!"
"I'm sorry, but I must go. I don't belong to this world anymore. But please remember me. I will be waiting for you. I've been waiting for thousands of years, I do not bother to wait for a few decades if it's in order to meet you again. Then we can live, you and I, together, forever."
The light, brighter and brighter, began to cover her whole body. Just before she disappeared, she kissed him, for a long time, until she disappeared completely.
"Please. Wait for me, Anokiyu. I'll join you very soon."
After spending a long time crying, the little boy followed the last path created by his love in this world. After a while, he found the mill, and his parents, who were still sleeping inside.