A Nod of the Head

Noelle silently watched, a sense of envy and aching filled her heart. Concerned, Elain asked her daughter, "Noelle, tell me the truth, did you fall in love at first sight with the man who saved us?” Noelle bit her lip, hesitating for a while, then slowly nodded. Perhaps it was even deeper than love at first sight. Inside that sunless stone house where she was trapped, fear and despair gripped her, as she constantly worried whether she was about to die. Every minute, every second was filled with anxiety. During that time, Noelle prayed to the Heavens more than once, begging for someone to descend from above and rescue them, her and her mother, from the perilous predicament. She made a vow in her heart, promising that whoever saved her, she would marry him, regardless if he was rich or poor, pledging herself to him. Until the sound of the explosion echoed, and that man descended like a god-like being. The moment she looked up, the light shone on him, and that moment was so deeply etched