Once upon a time there was a tower that stood in the middle of a dark forest. The nearby villagers didn’t dare approach the darkened structure, it was said that a man lived in the tower and that misfortune would befall anybody who was near him. So the villagers left the tower in peace, but as the seasons came to fruition and then faded away they began to notice something strange. The flow of life had begun to change the world, but the tower seemed to be frozen in time. Then one day a storyteller passed through the small village, bringing with him “The Tale of the Man in the Tower”. The storyteller told everybody who would listen about the man and his fate. A long time ago, even before the village was built, the man from the tower was to be married to a beautiful maiden. However weeks before they were to be wed, tragedy struck. The man from the tower had spent most of his life fighting an evil demon, and in their final confrontation the man believed he had finally defeated him. But the demon had endured, and was more powerful and cruel then ever before. At the man’s happiest moment the demon had driven the maiden away from him. The man was crushed and the world around him began to crumble before his eyes. Instead of standing strong like he always had against the demon, he became a coward and fled into the dark forest, to the tower that stood at its center. From that day the man remained in his tower, his misery and fear halting time itself, he was to stay there until the end of time.


Now the villagers feared the man and the tower more then they ever had before, but they hadn’t understood the story. However one young boy who had heard the tale, saw it’s meaning and realized he could free the man in the tower. The young boy went to his home and retrieved what he thought would save the man from the tower. He covered it and carried it with him into the forest. He braved all of the terrors that lived within it, and after an eternity seemed to pass he arrived at the massive rusted gates that barred the tower from the outside world. Chills ran down his spine as the young boy pushed the gate open, holding what he brought from home close to his chest. Once he crossed the gates threshold, they sky darkened and a feeling of dread flooded the boy. With a deep breath he entered the tower and began to climb. Each of the towers rotting steps creaked and moaned as the boy ascended the tower. Each step made him feel older somehow and he wanted nothing more then to turn back. As the thought finally convinced his mind into climbing back down the tower, he reached the final step and an ancient door was before him. Knowing that he had arrived at the end of his journey he walked through the door.

The entire floor was covered in shattered glass, the walls were brown and barren, and at the center of the room a man sat with his head tilted towards the floor. The towers master lifted his head and his dark blue eyes seemed to pierce the young villagers heart and soul.
“Why are you here?”
The man’s voice filled the room and was laced with misery.
“I heard the storytellers tale, I’m here to free you” the boy replied.
“FREE ME?!” The man roared. The villager jumped in back in fright.
“There is no way to free me,” the man whispered.
Gathering the shards of his courage, the young villager quickly walked to the center of the room and handed the man the covered item he had brought. With a look of curiosity the man uncovered it. His gaze met with the mirror and on the other side of it the demon stared back.
“The demon was you” the boy said, “He lived inside of you. He was every fear, every dark desire, and drove everything you loved away from you.”
Tears filled the mans eyes and the boy stepped closer to comfort him.
“You shattered the mirrors in the room in your misery so you didn’t have to see it. But as the years passed you began to understand the truth, but had no way to see it.”
The man looked at the boy.
“You’re wiser then most men will be in a lifetime. Tell me, what can I do now? Everything I know is long gone.”
The boy closed his eyes and whispered.
“Just let go of everything that drove you to this place.”
With that the man disappeared into the mists of eternity and the tower crumbled to the ground. The young villager suddenly found himself at home with the mirror in his grasp. At long last the man from the tower was free.

Moral: Don’t hang onto the past. Let go and live for the future.