Once upon a time, there was a village near the mountain by the name of Metaline. All the people living there were made of different types of metals. They managed their livelihood according to the nature of their metals. Metaline was hidden from the rest of the world. People were very kind hearted and caring by nature; they trusted each other. They never broke hearts so they didn’t know the pain of a broken heart. They lived peacefully.

One day, a human entered their village. 

Lost in the forest, he couldn’t find his way home. He saw some flickering lights coming from a certain direction and walked towards them. As he walked out of the woods, he was surprised to see a village where people were made of metals. Gold, silver, iron, steel — all kinds of metals. Scared, he ran towards a nearby hut to hide himself.

He wondered aloud, “What kind of place is this? What if they hurt me?”

Suddenly, a low voice, sweet sounding voice drifted out from behind the curtain.
“Don’t worry, no one will hurt you.”

The youth turned to see the speaker but due to the dim lights, he couldn’t see the face behind the voice clearly.  The curtain lifted and a girl came forward holding a candle and smiling at him.

The boy couldn’t take his eyes off her face.
She was so beautiful, so pure. He had never seen such matchless beauty. Her skin was gold and dazzled in the candlelight like a thousand suns rising at the same time. Her face was as calm as the ocean and cradled her touching smile and twinkling eyes. Even her lips were like dew drops on a leaf – moist and wet. But most of all, her voice; it was so sweet and warm. It was like the song of the morning birds. One could listen to her voice for a lifetime, tirelessly.

He was stunned by her beauty and stared at her.

The girl blushed a little and the boy couldn’t help but, catch his breath. He introduced himself.

“My name is Filipe. I lost my way in the woods and mistakenly came here,” he said.
But he did not really mean when he said the word 'mistaken'. His attraction towards the girl made him feel he had done the right thing by going there.

The girl smiled and said, “You can stay here as long as you wish to”.
Filipe thanked her but the girl just turned her back and started walking towards the door. Suddenly he said, “May I know your name, please?”
Without turning back she said, “I am Glitter,” and walked away.

Filipe thought to himself that, maybe he should stay in that village for some time to spend time with Glitter.

That night, Glitter could not sleep well because she too had been attracted to Filipe. She wanted him to stay in Metaline forever.
Next morning, Glitter introduced Filipe to the villagers. With his charming looks and sweet nature he won everybody’s hearts. They accepted Filipe.
As time passed, Filipe and Glitter became close friends. They liked spending time with each other. They sang, danced, played, ate and slept together. Soon they realized they could not live without each other. Filipe was so much in love with Glitter that he couldn’t pass a minute without seeing her. Filipe felt the same. She loved cooking for him. She loved waiting for him. She loved every little thing about Filipe.

Years passed.

Their love for each other grew. They didn’t need words to communicate. Only looks were enough to understand each other’s feelings. But happiness does not last long. Every relationship has to pass some test to prove its strength and depth.

One day, Filipe decided to go and explore the world. He said to Glitter, “I think I should go and see more of this world.”
Glitter was surprised and said, “You have never said that before. Why now? Are you bored of this place?”
Filipe said, “No honey, I love visiting new places. But after meeting you, I never felt like leaving Metaline. But now I want to go and see places again. ”
Glitter could say nothing and gave him permission. But deep inside, she felt a shadow of fear.

That night she could not sleep. She walked towards the window and watched the sky. The stars twinkled brightly and cold winds touched her face. She thought about what Filipe had said in the morning. She feared losing him, her only love. Her mind was cluttered with thoughts.

What if he never returns?
What if he falls in love with someone else?
What if he forgets her?
How would she pass her days without him?
Tears fell down her cheeks. Her heart was crying for her love.

She went to the fire place to pop some woods and increase the warmth of the room. She turned and looked towards Filipe. He was sleeping peacefully, smiling. She wanted to stop time right there; to capture his smile and hide it in her heart. Filipe looked like an innocent babe. She reminisced how they had first met. She saw him in the dim light. He was strong, fair and handsome with unmatchable beauty. Like a Greek god who had landed in her hut. She could not take her eyes off his body. She could not move. She stood still. Her heart beat faster. A smile came to her face and tears rolled down her cheeks. Unnoticed, a tear fell on Filipe’s face and he woke up.

Filipe said, “Sweetheart, what happened? Why are you crying?”
Glitter simply said, “I fear losing you.”
Filipe pulled Glitter towards him, wrapped his arms around her and said, “Can you feel my heart beat? It beats only for you.”

“You are the person in this whole world I love the most. I want to grow old holding you in my arms. You are my life and I will never forget you.”

She hugged him tight and broke into tears. Filipe wiped her tears and planted a kiss on her forehead. She kissed him on his lips, sinking into that embrace. Glitter thought to herself that she needed to trust her love:  Filipe. They went to bed holding on to each other.

Next morning, Filipe left the village bidding goodbye to Glitter. 
Days and months passed.
Filipe travelled more and more. Every time he stopped near a shop he bought something remembering Glitter. Though he was happy, he missed her touch, her smile, her voice. “I will soon return to Metaline,” he thought.

After some months, Filipe reached a place named Starry Land.
Starry Land was made of crystals and glass and all things shiny. It dazzled everyone around, radiating a light everywhere. Filipe liked Starry Land.

One day, while roaming the streets of Starry land he saw a beautiful girl buying flowers.
The girl was made of glass and shone brightly. Her beauty was captivating. He asked her name.
She replied, “My name is Glaze.”
Filipe introduced himself. He said that he was new to the town and had nowhere to spend the night. Glaze took Filipe home and introduced him to her family. They allowed Filipe to stay there.

As he spent time with Glaze, Filipe stopped missing Glitter. They went shopping, sightseeing, spent time with each other. Glaze sang for him. Filipe was attracted to Glaze and she to him.  Soon Glaze confessed her love to Filipe. Filipe could not refuse and accepted her proposal. Though he knew he was doing wrong, he could not control himself.

A year passed; Filipe and Glaze were living happily. He forgot about Glitter.
One morning, he felt uneasy, almost like a premonition of storms to come. With a start, he remembered Glitter. He wanted to see her. He packed his bags. As he had never mentioned Glitter to Glaze, he had to lie. He said he had some work back home and he would return soon.

He returned to Metaline. Everything had changed and seemed new to him. He went to Glitter’s hut but could not find her. Instead, he found a shrivelled older girl sleeping in Glitter’s bed. Filipe woke her up and asked about Glitter. She was too weak to sit properly. Filipe helped her sit and gave the girl some soup. He asked her again about Glitter’s whereabouts.
The girl smiled and said, “Filipe, don’t you recognize me. I am your Glitter”.

Filipe was horrified and surprised. He could not believe his eyes. Glitter had lost her beauty and her lustre. She looked old and her skin had shrivelled. Her body was so thin and pale and her eyes looked like hollow. Even her wet lips had dried and her long hair had lost its shine.

Filipe started crying. He repented what he had done to Glitter.
Glitter pulled Filipe into her arms and said, “Can you hear my heart beat?”
Filipe said, “Yes.”
Glitter said, “My heart beats only for you.”

Filipe hugged her tightly and burst into tears. Glitter held on to him and said, “I knew that you would return one day. I trusted you with all my heart. I waited so long to hold you in my arms and feel your breath on my neck again, feel your lips on mine. I love you so much. I am nothing without you Filipe. You make me complete.”

Filipe could say nothing about Glaze. He had already hurt Glitter a lot. He did not have the courage to tell her the truth and break her trust. So he decided not to say anything to either girl. For three months he stayed with Glitter and the next three months, he went to Glaze. Neither of the girls had any idea about the other.

But not all days are the same. 

Glaze found out about Glitter and forced Filipe to leave her. Filipe did not know how to break the news to Glitter. Filipe realized that he was only attracted to Glaze. It was not love. But what he felt for Glitter was love. He was sorry for what he had done. He knew he couldn’t face Glitter with his truth. He was burning inside and crying for his mistake. He chose glass over gold.

But Glaze made life a living hell for Filipe. She blackmailed him. Whenever he was with her she instigated him to leave Glitter. 

Slowly, Filipe and Glitter grew apart. He started comparing Glitter to Glaze. He knew if Glitter came to know about Glaze then she would never forgive him and might leave him. So he decided that before Glitter left him, he would leave her.
One night after dinner, Filipe told Glitter to sit down as he had something to say. He started, “Glitter I never wanted to hurt you. I loved you with all my heart but I made a mistake and I am paying for it now.” He wept.
Glitter held his hands and wiped his tears.
Whispering, she said, “I know what you want to say. You are in love with someone else and now you have chosen her and are leaving me.”

Filipe was surprised. He looked straight in her eyes.
Glitter smiled and said, “When you came back the back first time, you hugged me. At that moment I felt your heartbeat and realized that it did not beat for me anymore. You gave it to someone else.”

 “If you knew, why did you let me go to her every time?”
 “I wanted to see how much you loved me. You did not want to hurt me so you never mentioned her. You did not want me to cry. You cared for me.”
That’s love.”
All I ever wanted was love from you. I never wanted commitment from you or to tie you down here with me. If you are not happy with me then I would let you go to find your happiness with someone else. Love never meant being with a person forever. It is letting go. Staying together is a privilege that few people get. I don’t want to blame you or curse you because I know I can’t do that. I cannot hate you ever. The moments we spend together are far more precious to me than your cheating. My love for you is much more valuable to me than my hatred for your betrayal. You deserve happiness. I have enough memories to cherish lifelong.
I am just glad you came back for me.”
Saying this Glitter left the room.

Filipe listened and was left stunned. He cried his heart out. He knew he had lost Glitter forever. A moment of attraction had caused him a lifetime of pain. He realised too late that a heart of gold was worth preserving, more than a heart of glass.

Next morning, Filipe was about to leave. Glitter called him back. “Would you keep a promise for lifetime?”
Filipe said, “Yes.”
Glitter said, “Never ever come back to Metaline.”
Tears rolled down her cheeks and she turned her back to him. She could not see him going. Her heart exploded in to tears. She cried and cried helplessly.

But Filipe had left.