There once was a man who loved a woman more than he was able to
express. He needed her in a way that went beyond reason. So one day he said
to her, “My dearest, I love you more than words can say, how may I prove my
love to you?”

The woman, caught in her own delusions of grandeur thought little of the
man, and believed herself above him. She was beautiful, desired by all. So she
decided to have fun with the man’s affections. “If you wish to prove your love to
me,” she said to him one sunny day, “climb the highest peak at the fringes of our
valley, and jump off the edge. If your love for me is as great as you say, it will
bring you back to me unscathed.”

“My dearest, I will return to you soon,” he said, and with that he was off.
The trip to, and up, the mountain was arduous. But he never lost a step,
never thought of giving up. He had faith in his love, and he knew it would deliver
him. When he reached the top, he looked out over the valley, to the distant west
where his village and beloved lay.

With only a moment’s breath, he stepped over the edge. For a moment,
suspended in air, an angel soaring above the world, he felt free and alive. But all
too soon, the air slammed into him as he plummeted towards the ground. But all
the while, his faith in his love was unshakable. “If I die, my love was not worthy,”
he thought, “But if I live, my love will have stood the greatest test.”

As the bottom neared, he felt the wind gather beneath him, lifting him
gently, so that when at last his feet touched the ground, they stepped lightly, and
he stood unscathed. Faith had been his wings, love had been the wind he
soared on.

He returned to his love.

“My beloved, I have climbed to the highest peak, and stepped off to prove
my love for you, and I stand here unscathed. My love is strong enough to deliver
me back to you.”

She eyed him skeptically. “Do you have any proof that you have done
this?” She asked slyly.

“Only my word.”

“Well, as much as I wish to believe you, words are easy to say. Go to the
ocean and bring me a beautiful pearl. When I see such beauty that you have
found with your own two hands, then I will know you love me.”

“My beloved,” he said without hesitation, “I will bring you a beautiful pearl.”
And with that, he left for the seashore.

For thirty days he toiled in the waters, searching for a pearl. But he knew
his love was strong enough. He knew that his faith in his love would deliver the
pearl. For thirty days he worked, and for thirty days, his stomach was never
empty, and the heavens gave him comforting weather. On the thirtieth day, he
pulled a most beautiful pearl from an oyster and set off to return home.

“My beloved,” he said, “I have returned with the most beautiful pearl the
ocean’s contain. Do you believe in my love for you now?”

The woman was caught off guard, but her greed and hunger for material
possession knew little bounds. “This is indeed a great token of affection. But
truly, if you love me, you will provide a place for me to live with you. But if you
are honest in your feelings, you will know that no small house will do. Our home
must be as grand as your love for me.”

And so, the man left his village once more. For two years he toiled,
working on the house that would befit his love. For two years, the land provided
him food, shelter, and supplies. He never doubted his love, and he never lost
faith in the future he foresaw.

When the house was completed, he returned home.

He did not know, but in his absence, a great fire had consumed his
beloved’s house. She had been left scarred and broken. Those who had looked
upon her beauty with desire now looked at her with disgust.

The man entered the room, and without a hint of hesitation, he took her
damaged hand, and looking her deep in the eyes said, “My beloved, I have built
a grand home for you. Do you believe in my love now?”

She felt such pain. “I am ugly now. In appearance, and I can now tell, I
was in side as well. I have mistreated you and used your love for my own gain.
You don’t need to pity me, please, I know you wish to leave, and I bear you no ill
will.”

The man smiled at her lovingly. “Lady, believe me, I only see beauty with
my eyes, and feel your inner beauty with my heart. I love you more than words
can say. How may I prove my love to you?”

But with forgiveness and dedication, he had proved what no mountain,
pearl or house could ever prove. And she loved him, and he her. And in their
grand house there was only trust, happiness, and a grand faith in each other’s
love.