I heard a story about two soulmates who didn’t find each other. They searched and searched and ached and yearned, but it did no good.
Both of them missed a person who they’d never even met. Sometimes they caught a glimpse of each other in the mirror just before dawn, but only for a moment.
The universe can be a cruel place, and love isn’t simple.
Did I ever tell you about the world where times moves differently for each person?
Time moves slowly in the Ice World because it gets trapped in the ice. This world is ideal for lovers, but not so great if you’re feeling lonely.
The further North you go the slower time passes, until it stops altogether. If you look into the Aurora you can see all of time, from the very start to the very end.
Some people go, but I wouldn’t advise it. When you return home you might find that everybody you cared about died hundreds of years ago and that the world isn’t how they remember it.
Icebergs drift along the coast in summer. You will see places and even people trapped inside them but don’t worry. These are only frozen moments from the Mysterious Place across the sea. Moments are precious, so try not to break the ice.
Summer days are long and the sun makes rainbows in the ice. Don’t look too closely, the patterns can mess with your mind.
It’s always dark in winter. In some of the smaller towns the ice covers everything, even houses. You won’t be able to leave, so stock up on food in advance.
The ice won’t melt until the summer, and when you emerge you might find that time has passed differently for everyone around you.
It will take some time to adjust and things will seem a little strange. Some of your friends might have forgotten you, or not even met you yet.
"Oh hey! I went to that place you told me about…the old house in the woods? It's really…well…old…It looks Victorian?"
"I went inside like you said. To the library but…I found something really weird. Is this supposed to be a joke? It's not funny, it's really...it's really creepy."
"There's a book in here about my life from the moment I was born. Here's my first day at school, my first job, when I met Aidan, that holiday to Greece."
"Hang on…I'm going to read the final page. This better be good. Wait. What? It says…it talks about me visiting this house, but it says that something is watching?"
"That something is here? It says…oh my God…the last sentence is me on the phone to you, saying that I’m reading a book about -"