Time Heals Everything

By Marjeta Shatro ( Albania )

It was 1910.A young couple were looking forward of having their child’s birth. A very beautiful girl was born, Teqe’s father named her after. Little Lisana was fragile white like snow, eyes like two small blue lakes, straight nose, full lips and brown straight long hair, with the passage  of time, she grew up very fast and according to the custom when she would be 14 years old she would marry and go to the husband virgin, intact with honour.

Many families required her hand but as her father had been many times over the continent, was looking for another case better than before and acceptable. The fate knocked on the door and Lisana was married to the only son of a rich-man who might have a lot of property. Two years later Lisana gave birth to a handsome baby boy but her happiness did not last more than six months because her husband got seriously sick and died.

Her life became bleak and very hard. Days passed by sadly, while she had to stay indoor where there was nothing except her breathing and crying of her baby. When the baby cried she got up and went to him as if like he would be kidnapped and he would break her only happiness that remained behind. Even her nights were getting more miserable, the edges of the windows did not reflect anymore the yellow light of the moon or even the flashes of the stars but prolix shadows that conquered the depth of her spirit.

Anxiety played with her uncertainty and it became more misleading for her mood. Her feelings didn’t lie, one morning she was told to take her stuff and leave for her parent’s house, but, whether it was possible for her to leave without her son. Her screams and cries were heard over the valley, they were so loud and painful as even the mountains were well-shocked.

The members of her husband’s family thought only about their wealth which belonged even to the young bride. To avoid this conflict according to the customs and the laws of that time they had to return the bride to her father and to keep the little child as a lawful heir and the only for their property. The fallout of the son from his mother made her enraged and turned her into an almost wild beast, to which you couldn’t stay near any more. Even though the common law punished her, she again was deep into her body and spirit to her son, who was grown up under the nanny parenting to her father’s house she stayed indoors and every night she sang sad songs. She was much worried and in any way she couldn’t find the peace.

The spring came with the blooming of the flowers and the garden opposite the house became more admirable. Her father advised her to go out and to walk more often because the fresh air and the whole green nature would be better for her and also for her health and it might heal her spirit’s wounds. Then the winter came and left slowly and the only footsteps remained were the whiteness still visible to the mountains peaks. April made the nature looks better and the birds’ chirping was heard all around. She looked as they were playing with each-other and unconsciously she forgot herself. She was too young and she had to be enjoyed the youth of her age. The pain slightly began to vanish and deep inside she felt at ease. The spring lightened her glumness and the sunlight refilled her sprit with excitement and so Nature restored her faith in life and revealed to her that time has the most healing impacts. Like the bees she ran through the flowers, made bouquets with them and ran around pastures. Lisana, seventeen years old, a widow and without her son it was impossible to not be noticed for her beauty, more so because of her parentage. Her fate seemed to be set and defined since the time she was born and grew up. Her second fate came two years later at the time when a swarthy strong boy passed by Lisana’s house. It seemed to him like a sylph and not a girl coming from the world of dreams. His heart was beating hard but when he thought of his fate as an orphan and without any property he was shaken and left like a shadow. Days passed while his mind remained there. He started to come by her house often and enjoyed her fascinating appearance. The boy was tall, swarthy, with dark eyes and hair. Even Lisana had noticed his presence and began to give sweet looks, signs and love expressions, the same as the scent of the roses grown in her garden. She felt pampered as his pure naive heart has come to beat strong. One May day the boy jumped the fence, met Lisana, shook her hands firmly and looked into her eyes and asked her to marry him. Lisana, excited and eyes with tears, told him her first fate and her first heartbreak, her son being taken, but the young boy knew everything and was touched greatly because her suffering shook him strongly in his chest and to get her protected from those strong winds which had brought so many storms and ruin to her life.

The young boy also told her about his parents’ fate of death and so convicted by their bad fate they had to raise over the pains of the past and build a good and new future. His only fortune was his physical strength and his big desire to live his life with her.

Lisana accepted and the young boy took her because her parents and time stopped her from marrying him.

Years passed slowly like the water source that never runs out while their family grew bigger with three sons and three daughters.

Even though the family seemed to live a normal life Lisana still thought about her first son.Her husband knew her concern and tried to calm and lighten her wounds which seemed to always be open.

After sixteen years her first son was free to decide his own life as the ancestors of his tribe had died. He learned the painful story of his separation from his mother and one September day when the sun was high in the sky he jumped the fence or stepped into the door, that banned door and that border broken by the illusion of time, and stepped into the garden’s house.

Lisana saw her son and recognised him immediately and half of the water she carried spilled onto the ground.

Her son rushed and took his mother by her hand to prevent her falling down.

“Mother, have you really thought through the years how we have been separated?”

She hugged him strongly and with tears of joy said: “Time heals everything.”

LITERARY MAGAZINE ATUNIS NR.3 – 4 , MAY 2016

A PUBLICATION OF POETICAL GALAXY  “ ATUNIS”