She smiled as she stretched her arms, sucking in the warm morning breeze, she wanted to jump around delightfully in that garden because it brought her the beautiful memories of the days which she had spent with him in this beautiful place. Her long silky jet-black hair was dancing behind her. She was pleasantly beautiful and when she laughed, her eyes seemed to be smiling. The beautiful shade of blue in her eyes could never pass unnoticed and it had the power to mesmerize anyone who looked in her eyes.

Born and brought up in a village, she was almost alien to the modern ways of life; her rustic beauty was so natural that any affectation would mar it. For all her delight there, in a corner of her heart there was deep hurt.

The dry fallen leaves in the garden cracked under her feet; she let the sharp wind sting her cheeks as she ran around the garden; she shrieked in joy and disclosed every emotion which came naturally to her.

Suddenly, Juliana’s movements ceased for a while, for a man with a not so good looking face was smiling at her. He was smiling but she did not like that smile.  Juliana was afraid, yes, really scared of him. He stared at her and she stood there like a scared dove that had no way of escape.

The man said, “Can’t you speak? Why don’t you say something?”

She was too scared to utter a word; she was frustrated and she stomped off. The man was confused and, picking his broom, he began to sweep the fallen leaves.

…………………

Juliana was sad the following morning; she sat silently in the garden for some time but then she buried her face in her hands and started sobbing uncontrollably. The familiar face of that sweeper appeared before her and she looked up. A white handkerchief was before her eyes. The same man whom she had encountered the day before was standing above her.

Juliana was really annoyed and she wanted to shout at him but she controlled herself.

The man said that he was sorry and he pointed to the handkerchief, motioning her to wipe her tears. He could not help asking, “Are you really mute, can’t you speak?”

Juliana did not know what to say and she stammered. The man gave her a smile and distorted his face to make her laugh. She did laugh. He produced a white piece of paper from his pocket and began to write something.

She had, by now, been assured that he did not mean any harm to her. They sat side by side for hours. Juliana was thinking about her boyfriend and she knew that he was not as understanding as this man.

She thought, “I wish he were as understanding as you, Michael…”

Michael, the sweeper, looked at her with curious eyes.

“But now it does not matter,” Julian thought again.

The ground was covered with dry fallen leaves but a new friendship was blossoming there.

After that day, they began to meet every day in the same garden. Michael would be sweeping the leaves. They did not speak and communicate through scraps of papers. Julian liked it because he understood her. They really enjoyed each other’s company very much.

Whenever she sobbed and then cried, Michael would be ready with his handkerchief. Sometimes he would bring her to the open fields away from the city to show her the sunflowers which blossomed in plenty there. He wrote suggestions and she followed them. He would tell her to tell her sorrows to the plants and trees.

Every day, Juliana used to go to work in fields but she met Michael everyday in the garden. She had forgotten her boyfriend who had not even cared to see how she was doing in the village. He was from a nearby town.

Michael cared for her and she knew that he was the man for her.

A year passed and they only communicated through scraps of papers. He was not handsome but he had a heart of gold. One morning, when she was sad, he wrote, “Your tears are too precious to be wasted like this!”

She wrote and answered, “Who cares for my tears?”

He scribbled quickly, “I care and I won’t let you cry in my presence. In fact I don’t want you to cry in your entire life.”

She wrote a line and gave the paper to Michael, “I am a poor village girl and I have to work in the fields of others for survival. I live in a small cottage left me by my poor mother.”

He pulled a beautiful pad from his pocket and wrote on a flowery paper, “Will you come and live with me? I have a beautiful cottage waiting for you!”

She thought it was a joke and she began to laugh.

“Since you have laughed, may I request you to speak?” Michael said.

“Yes, I will speak. You are a wonderful man, Michael, but I have known you by not speaking to you. Will it change if we start speaking?” she said to him, looking in his eyes.

“All right, we will never speak to each other. We will communicate through these papers till the end of our lives. Can you do that?” said Michael.

“Yes, I can. I love you, Michel,” said Juliana and she ran into his arms.

People say that Michael and Juliana stayed together for about twenty five years and they had a wonderful life together but no one ever heard them speak a single word.

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