Think of Me

Think of me,
Think of me fondly,
When we've said goodbye.
Remember me once in a while
Please promise me you'll try.

Gently, he took her hand and put the ring on her finger. “If you ever want to come back, twist it around and you’ll be here instantly.”

Very gently she kissed his furry cheek. “Thank you,” she said. “You know how much this means to me. I promise I’ll come back as soon as my father is well again.”

Her kiss tingled on his cheek. “You don’t have to,” he said, though his heart was breaking as he spoke. “You’re free. You don’t have to stay here any longer. Ever. I’m releasing you from your promise. Stay with your family. They need you.” His voice became a whisper. He forced the words out. “But please, think of me.”

“I will.” He could see tears in her hazel eyes. “Thank you,” she said again. And then she was gone, taking his heart with her.

When you find that, once again,
You long to take your heart
Back and be free -
If you ever find a moment,
Spare a thought for me...

For the next three days, he stayed in his room. He didn’t eat or drink. The servants were worried. But they knew that their master was in love. He was really in love, and his heart was broken. Without her, the spell would last forever. But he had let her go because he knew that she longed to be home, and that she would be happy there.

We never said our love was evergreen,
Or as unchanging as the sea
But if you can still remember,
Stop and think of me...

After three days he came out of his room. The servants thought that perhaps he was going to be all right. Perhaps he had learned to live without her. There would be other girls. Surely someone else would stumble upon the castle. They were enchanted for eternity. It wasn’t as if they would grow old. Perhaps he could forget this Beauty and learn to live alone again, as he had before. Perhaps, he could put her out of his mind forever.

Think of all the things
We've shared and seen -
Don't think about the things
Which might have been...

But no. He went out to the garden, the place where they had spent so much time together. He went out to the roses and lay down on the ground, letting their soft red petals fall on him. And his mind went back to the day when he had first done that with her and how she had laughed…

He wondered if she was thinking of him at all. He could not get her out of his mind.

Think of me,
Think of me waking, silent and resigned.
Imagine me, trying too hard
To put you from my mind.

No matter what he did, no matter what he tried to think of, it always came back to her. Food. Her favorite food was apples. It had been too late to pick any in the orchard that year but he had promised her that next fall she could pick all the apples she wanted. The sky. That was easy enough to think of. She had been wearing a blue dress the last time he saw her. It was the same color as the sky.

For another three days, he stayed in the garden, his mind swarming with thoughts only of her. He was getting weaker now. He hadn’t eaten anything for almost a week. He knew he would die eventually, but he didn’t care. If she wasn’t with him, there was nothing to live for.

Recall those days,
Look back on all those times,
Think of the things we'll never do -
There will never be a day,
When I won’t think of you...

When he realized that, he closed his eyes. He willed Death to come and take him. There was no point anymore. He had been killing himself all along. There was no chance, no hope. She was gone forever. The best thing to do would be to die and leave his misery.

When he opened his eyes again, he thought he was looking into the face of an angel, an angel with beautiful hazel eyes.

“You’re all right!”

It was Beauty. What was she doing here? Was she dead too? Or was he alive? Was this a dream? He tried to speak but she stopped him with a gentle hand.

“Don’t try to talk. You’re still very weak. You’ve been unconscious for three days now. I found you in the garden. I was so worried. I couldn't bear to think that you might be..." She trailed off. Her eyes were filled with tears again, just like they had been the last time he’d seen her. She blinked them away and continued. "But you're alive, and I love you." She kissed him lightly. He closed his eyes again. There would be time enough to explain exactly what had happened later. For now, she was here and she loved him, and that was all that mattered.