Once upon a time there were two strings. They sprouted like fresh spring flowers from two holes in an old mucky wooden plank lying on the ground next to an overgrown mountain trail. Neither of them knew what lay under the plank, and neither did they care, so maybe that is not worth mentioning.

What is worth mentioning is that the two strings were best friends and lovers. They cocked their frayed ends up and talked of the old times, when they both had been strong and clean and new, not moldy and weak as they were now, and every day in their conversations they still discovered something new about each other. They also liked to think that through all this time they have never ceased to love each other (even though they had had fights, but old age has kindly relieved them of their memories). And so lived these two strings, immersed in each other, never caring to know where either of them came from underneath the plank.

But nature has her clock, and the day came that the strings had had their time on earth, so she sent her messenger to bring them home to her. This messenger was a beautiful and mysterious lady named Death, and she came and stood silently at some distance, watching the two strings deep in conversation, and like every other day on her job, she felt a little sorry that she would soon have to end their conversation for ever.

‘Hello there,’ she interrupted gently. ‘I am Death, messenger of nature, and I have been sent here to give you some news.’

‘Oh no, what news?’ said one of the strings.

‘Um, I am afraid your time on earth is over. You must come with me now,’ replied Death.

The bewildered strings looked at each other as they took in this news, realizing that their life together was finally at an end.

‘I am sorry, but this is how it is, and it’s not really up to me,’ said Death. ‘Now if you may, please close your eyes and think of the life that you have lived, while I do my part.’

So saying, Death stooped to raise the wooden plank while the two strings shut their eyes tightly in fear and hopelessness. Then she pulled at something underneath the plank and the strings went right through their holes and out of the other side, and the memories of their life together began to fade like a dream upon awakening.

Had either of them opened their eyes then, they would have seen something they had never imagined before: that underneath the plank stretched one single string, whose two ends had sprouted through the two holes like fresh spring flowers, and been in love all their life.