Once upon a time there was this sailor who lived in this village by the sea.  He was a well-mannered gentleman, tall in stature, and very well liked by all.  He would wave and greet everyone he would see as he walked to the market in the mornings.  The people would wave back, saying "Hey sailor," as they walk past.  Sometimes they would stop and chat for a while, because the sailor would be gone to sea for long periods of time.  They would stop and tell him of the events that occurred while he was away.

      The sailor loved going to sea.  The sights and sounds of the ocean are like those nowhere else in the world.  Spectacular sunrises, breathtaking rainbows, and golden sunsets were almost an everyday occurrence at sea.  At night, after the sun has retired for the evening, millions of stars would come out to play.  Occasionally the moon would come out to join the stars at play.  The moon would light the playing field and the stars would twinkle in unison.  The ocean would be the cheerleader for these games, clapping against the shoreline urging the contestants on.  All of this happened every night, after the sun went down.

       

      The sailor witnessed these sights regularly, and being an accomplished musician, he would join the party by playing his saxophone.  He played wonderful melodies.  The notes were so captivating that the animals of the sea would take notice.  The dolphins would jump in and out of the water all around the sailor's ship.  The seal would compete for dancing space with the dolphins around the ship.  Sea birds would play in the spray of water that the ship made going through the water.  The sailor would be out on the deck of the ship, playing what seemed like hours, to his eager audience.  Every time the sailor went to sea his fans were out by the harbor entrance, waiting for the concert to begin.  The sailor enjoyed playing for his new friends, but there was something missing.  The sailor was very lonely.  He had all of these sights and sounds at his fingertips, and no one to share them with.  Yes he did have the company of his animal companions, which he appreciated greatly, but he wanted to share these things with someone who could enjoy them the way that he did.  The next night when he was on the ocean he saw a falling star.  Right then he closed his eyes and he made a wish.  He wished for a special woman to come along so that he may share a piece of his life with her.

      Now down the coast, not too far away from the village where the sailor lived, was another town.  It was a town that depended on the sea to survive, but the businesses thrived.  There was more development in this town than any other for miles up the coastline.  The townspeople were everywhere, and the streets were a buzz with the order of the day.

      "Fresh fruit," called a vendor from one street corner.

      "Get your fresh fish right here," cried another down the block.

      Up and down the block the vendors were heard peddling their goods.  The townspeople were shuffling up and down, from street corner to street corner, looking for the best bargain of the day.  The sailor had been to this town before, but he rarely stayed long.  This town was too busy.  The noise from the street was annoying; people were rude and pushy.  This town was a far cry from the cozy village that the sailor was used to. 

      

       One day the sailor was forced to stop in "Busytown," as he liked to call it, for supplies.  He really didn't want to stop, but he needed some bread for the two-day trip back home.  He looked for the closest market available, because he wanted to leave as soon as possible.  He walked passed shop after shop.  The stores seemed to go on forever.  He walked past one store and his eyes caught something through the front window.  At first he continued, but just then he saw it again. 

      "Hey, watch it buddy!"

      "Come on, look out!"

      "Excuse me, please," said the sailor as he pushed his way through the crowd to get a closer look through the window.  He finally positioned himself for a good look, and then he saw.  He saw something that took his breath away.  Something that looked and made him feel that he was back on the ocean again, playing for his friends.  It gave him a warm, fuzzy feeling inside.

In front of the counter in the tailor shop there was this young woman standing in front of the counter.  She was picking up a dress that had been made for her.  She was beautiful!  She had long, dark hair that flowed over her shoulders and down to the small of her back.  She was tall, for a woman, and well proportioned. She had dark brown eyes that sparkled.  When she looked at you, she seemed to be looking right down to the core of your soul.  She had a warm smile that could brighten up the cloudiest day.  Her lips were full and moist; they reminded you of freshly peeled orange slices exploding with juice.  Over all of the noise on the street you could barely hear her talking to the shopkeeper.  Her voice was like that of a songbird, leaving your ears yearning to hear more.

       

       Now the poor sailor was totally enamored with the young woman. He could hardly maintain enough coordination to stand up.  He stood there looking through the window in a daze, speechless.  He had forgotten about the bread.  He had forgotten about the people in the square, on the sidewalk, in the street.  He ignored the little boy that had bounced his ball off of the sailor's leg while playing in the street.  It was all gone.  No one else in the world existed, except for the sailor and the woman in the store.

All of a sudden anxiety started to come over the sailor.  Then panic set in.  She started to leave the store!

      "What should I do?" the sailor said to himself.  He had to do something and fast!  This vision of beauty could walk away and out of his life forever!  He started to push his way to the door of the store.  There were several people between him and the door of the store.  She had almost reached the door.  He might be too late!  He made a bold move, pushing and shoving, wiggling and squirming.  He was almost there.  He made one last charge through the crowd, and with a colossal heave he broke himself free of the crowd . . .

. . .and right into the woman exiting the store.

She was startled at first, but then she looked right at the sailor; right down to the pit of his soul with those big, beautiful, brown eyes.  Then she started to smile.

     

      "Excuse me," she cooed.

The poor love struck sailor tried to say "hello"; he tried to say anything, but the words wouldn't come.  A cold sweat began beading up on his brow.  He couldn't even lift his hand to wave.  He was at the mercy of the young woman's gaze.  He had stood there for almost a minute before he realized that the woman was gone.  She had continued up the street, but the sailor didn't know that.  He looked this way and that.  To him it was like she vanished completely.

He burst into the tailor shop.  He looked around for the shopkeeper, who was standing behind the counter.  The entrance that was just made into her store astounded the shopkeeper.  She stepped out from behind the counter to investigate the arrival of this frantic visitor.

     

      "May I help you?” she inquired.

The sailor took a deep breath and began explaining about the woman he had just seen in the store.  He explained how he had to talk her, and wanted to know her name.  The shopkeeper chuckled to herself, realizing that this poor man had been floored by her customer moments before.  She sighed and then gave him the information that he wanted.  The sailor clicked his heels with glee and started skipping his way to the door.  Right then the shopkeeper turned and said something to him.

      "Don't waste your time.  She wouldn't be interested in you."

      "We'll see about that," the sailor said to himself.  Just then he noticed a sign in the door.  It was something about a dance being held in town in two weeks.  He asked the shopkeeper about the time and place of this dance.  The shopkeeper gave him directions and said something about finishing dresses for that dance.  The wheels started to turn in the sailor's head.  He had a plan developing in his head on how to get the young woman to go to this dance with her. 

      "Wait a minute," he thought.  "She was just in here getting a dress.  Maybe she is going with someone else!"

      The sailor stopped the shopkeeper one more time, asking if she knew whether the woman had a date to the dance.  The sailor didn't know that was what they were talking about when he saw them in the window.  The shopkeeper shook her head as she walked into the back room.

      

       What the sailor didn't know was that the woman didn't really like the hustle and bustle of the town.  She like spending time in hills of the countryside; walking the trails through the woods and listening to the songs of the meadowlarks perched on a fencepost.  From time to time she would sit out on the front porch of her house on the hill and listen to the sounds of the ocean.  She enjoyed feeling the cool, salty spray of ocean water on her face.  This sounded almost like how the sailor spent his days, but she didn't know it, yet.

      Meanwhile the sailor was trying to figure out how to approach the young woman.  He knew what had happened the last time he tried to talk to her.  He didn't know what to say to her, or if he did figure out what to say to her, he'd get so tongue-tied that he wouldn't be able to speak.  The sailor wasn't very good with expressing himself in this way with words, but he sure could play his horn.  "That's what I'll do," he thought.  He'd play a sweet melody for her with his saxophone, and use that to ask her to the dance.  But what should he play, and where?  He walked around town, asking more of the shopkeepers on the street where he might find the woman.  Apparently she was well known in the town because her father was the chairman of the town council.  He was respected highly in the town.  This is probably why people weren't so cooperative when a stranger went around asking questions.  Finally, after the sailor had almost given up hope, he learned of their house on the hill.  He was beaming with delight when again he heard, "Don't waste your time.  She wouldn't be interested in you."

      "That's what you think," the sailor said to himself.  His confidence was building. All he had to do was go to the house and play for her.  He still was undecided on what to play for her.

      He thought that maybe he would write a song, just for her.  He could hear the melody in his head right now.  He couldn't wait to get back and start to work on it.  It had taken him almost three days to find the young woman.  He decided that he would stay tied up in the harbor until he finished the song.  By now he had met most of the shopkeepers in town, so he could get goods with no problem.  He was a little bit bothered, though.  The people he had talked to were so sure that the young woman wouldn't be interested in him.  Then he shrugged it off and smiled with contentment.  "This is going to work," he said to himself.

      What he didn't know was that he had competition.  In the same town there was a young man who was in the upper-class of the town.  His family owned a lot of the land that the town's stores were built on.  He had a clean-cut appearance, wore the finest clothes, and carried himself like a gentleman.  Although he had the makings of a model citizen, he was a very smooth talker.  He said anything and everything that he thought you wanted to hear.  Because of this he has gotten away with some questionable acts.  After he had lost some investor's money, he would think of an explanation that, at the time would seem plausible.  The townspeople respected his family as well, so they were very open to what the gentleman recommended.  The gentleman did all of his deeds without his family's knowledge, and so risking their reputation.  He would travel up and down the coastline, across the countryside, finding new business partners.  Because of his travels he had left a few broken hearts behind. 

      He had been seen talking to the young woman in the Town Square.  He was very charming; he bought her flowers, candy, and many different trinkets that he had picked up during his travels.  Seeing that their families were both very respected in the community, everyone presumed that they would be married someday.  But the young woman was cautious when she dealt with the gentleman.  She had heard of some of his deeds while he was traveling.  He would always come back with a reasonable explanation, but she remained skeptical. 

      The sailor didn't have a lot of money.  He was tidy, but he didn't wear the finest clothes.  He wasn't much of a talker, as he found out when he tried to talk to the young woman.  All that he had going for him was that he had a kind, generous heart and he could play a mean sax!  He had been up all night finishing the song that he had wrote and named for the young woman.  His plan was to sail up the coastline to the base of the hill where the young woman's house was.  He weighed anchor and set a course for the young woman's house. 

      Sunlight glistened on the surface of the water, and the skies were so clear that you could see past forever.  It was a beautiful day, perfect for romance.  Recognizing the sound of the small ship, the sea animals came to greet the sailor.  They started to congregate around the bow of the ship, anticipating the usual show.  Getting closer to its destination, the small ship purred along,  just a little way past the next jetty.

      As the ship rounded the end of the harbor, the small house of the young woman just came into view.  She was in front of the house lying on a blanket.  She had decided to enjoy the afternoon reading a book by the bay, the gentle lapping of water against the shore provided a sweet addition to the relaxing afternoon.  The lapping of the water was soon joined by a low gargle of a diesel engine.  The little ship was now in full view of the house.  The engine grew louder and louder, then suddenly stopped.

       

      The young woman, now catching sight of the small craft, was puzzled at the sight.  Although she had seen many boats pass her house, this was the first one that had stopped for any reason.  There was no dock at the house, so she hadn't been expecting any visitors.  She stood up, inspecting the vessel for signs of life.  Then she saw some movement on the deck of the ship.  It was the sailor, a saxophone in hand; dressed in a crisp, clean sailor uniform.  The young woman could make out that it was a man on the deck of the ship, but she couldn't quiet make out the man's face.

      "Hello," she called, waving her hand overhead.

The sailor waved back.  He could feel his stomach doing somersaults.  This was it! This was the moment of truth.  He took the cover off of the mouthpiece.  He took a deep breath, brought the mouthpiece to his lips, and started to play.

He played softly at first, and then slowly increased the volume.  It was the sweetest sound anyone had ever heard, including the young woman.  The marvelous notes mesmerized her, each one bringing a picture of warmth and joy.  She closed her eyes; she wanted to savor every note as it came from the horn, echoed down the coastline, and off into infinity. 

      It must have been sweet enough to bring Mother Nature herself to tears, because just then it started to rain; not a storm, but a gentle spring shower that cleansed the air.  The aroma of fresh flowers and seawater filled the senses.  And when you thought that nothing more could be added to this serene picture, a rainbow appeared on the horizon.  It seemed to reach down from the heavens and straight to the little ship that was the center of the event.  The sailor held the last note that gently died over the surrounding hillside.

      The sea animals signaled their approval, jumping and splashing around as usual.  The young woman still had her eyes closed.  She stood there, motionless, with tears trickling down her cheeks.  The sounds of the animals splashing around the ship awakened her from her trance.  She saw the sailor standing on the deck of the ship, catering to his fan club.

     

      "Who are you?  That was the most beautiful song I've ever heard," she said.

      The sailor froze.  He couldn't speak.  His throat was tied in knots.  He was blowing it!

It took all the strength he could muster, but manage to squeak something out.

     

      "I wrote it just for you."

The sailor's words were lost in the waves as they came ashore.  The young woman cupped her hand to her ears, straining to capture any syllables that had just been uttered.  She needed to speak to him face to face.  The current arrangement was too difficult to communicate.

      "Meet me tonight at the restaurant in the hotel.  Eight 'o clock.  We can talk over dinner," she chirped.

      The sailor waved and nodded with agreement.  The young woman smiled and waved back.  She turned to gather her book and blanket and scurried into the house.  Now the sailor was beside himself with joy.  His dream was coming true.  He raised his hands to the sky and began dancing around the deck of the ship.  He was totally out of control with happiness.  He then caught himself and came to his senses.  He needed to make preparations.  He would go to town to get a shave and a haircut.  "Maybe I could put on some aftershave," he giggled to himself.  He was as giddy as a child on his birthday and the simplest things amused him.  People lose themselves in silliness when they are in love, and the sailor was no different.

       

      He ran to the helm and started the engine and headed back to the wharf.  He began looking through his limited wardrobe for the right thing to wear.  After he debated in his mind for a few moments, he decided to wear his pinstripe suit, the one he had saved for special occasions.  He put on a fresh linen shirt, medium starched.  He adjusted the suspenders on his trousers and put on the gold cufflinks that his uncle gave him before he died.  He tied a full Windsor knot in his silk tie and brush shined his shoes.  He saw a piece of paper on his desk and started to scribble down something.  He thought he would write a little note to the young woman and give it to her at the right moment.  It would remove the pressure of thinking on his feet.  Satisfied with what he had written, he put the note in his pocket.  He grabbed his suitcoat and left for town.

       

      The sailor strutted down the street with confidence.  There was a bounce in his step that was very noticeable, and people took notice.  There was a well dress man who had important business to attend to.  The women on the street would smile and giggle to one another.  The sailor would wave and smile back.  "Good afternoon, ladies," he greeted.  The women giggled their way down the sidewalk and the sailor's chest swelled with pride.  He now owned the sidewalk.  Where before he had to push and shove his way through the streets, the crowd parted when he came through.  He sauntered his way up and over one more block and into the barbershop.

      After a quick trim and a shave the sailor looked in the mirror for one more final inspection.  Satisfied with his appearance he exited the barbershop and proceeded to the restaurant.  He remembered that on the way to the restaurant there was a florist.  He thought he would get a flower for the young woman.  A bouquet of flowers was too much, especially for a first date.  A dozen roses are beautiful, but a single rose can say just as much, at the right moment.  He rounded the corner and entered the block to where the florist was.  Just when he was about to cross the street he saw something that almost made him trip fall onto his face.

       

      The young woman was coming out of the flower shop, but someone was with her.  It was the young gentleman, and they were arm-in-arm.  She was wearing a red evening gown, with a slit up the side.  He was wearing a double-breasted suit with wing-tipped shoes.  She was carrying a dozen roses that apparently the gentleman had just bought her.  She was smiling and laughing at something the gentleman had whispered in her ear.  She was looking into his eyes when the gentleman turned to her, moved in close, and gently kissed her red, supple lips.  She swooned with delight.  The gentleman took her hand and they continued in the direction of the restaurant.

      

       The bewildered sailor looked in horror.  How could this have happened?  He sprinted over to the flower shop to investigate.  He interrogated the shopkeeper about the gentleman.  The shopkeeper revealed the identity of the gentleman to the sailor and went on to explain the gentleman's involvement with the young woman.  She told the sailor about their families and how they were destined to be a couple.  She then told the sailor that the gentleman had written a song for the young woman and played it for her from his boat earlier that day.

"They are such a lovely couple.  The gentleman said something about getting engaged tonight.  I know the whole town would turn out for their wedding," the shopkeeper sighed in anticipation.

      

       The sailor pleaded his case to the shopkeeper.  HE was the one that wrote and played the song.  He was the one who brought the rainbow to the young woman.  He was the one who should be at the restaurant with the young woman now.

      "You?  Don't waste your time. She wouldn't be interested in you," the shopkeeper said smugly.

       

      The sailor slowly strolled back to the docks.  There was no strutting, no smiling.  He was hunched over with his chest caved in.  He walked with his hands in his pockets and kicked at the rocks he passed on the way.  What went wrong?  Why had fate been so cruel to him?  He played every little scene over and over in his head.  He began questioning everything that he had done, right down to his very existence.  He heard the townspeople say over and over again that the young woman would never be interested in him.  He could hear their voices saying it over and over again.  Maybe they were right.  Maybe he shouldn't have wasted his time.  Maybe there was one out there for him. Maybe he was destined to be alone.

       

      By the time he reached his ship it was nightfall.  The stars were out and there was a slight mist on the water.  The stars did not look particularly beautiful that night.  The stars had betrayed him.  He had made a wish on a star one night, and now the stars were laughing at him.  The sailor felt he was the butt of a cruel joke at the hands of the night sky.  He cursed the stars that night, every single one of them.

       

      The sailor went into his cabin.  The thud of the cabin door closing seemed to confirm that he was now, and always would be alone.  He emptied his pockets onto his desk and sat on his bed.  The pain that was building inside him almost swallowed him whole.  He collapsed onto his bed and buried his head in his pillow.  As he rolled to one side, he saw his saxophone in the corner.  From sheer instinct he peeled his head from the wet sheets.  With tears still rolling down his cheeks he grabbed his saxophone.  He would look for comfort from the instrument that had given him joy on many days at sea.  He walked out of his cabin to go topside.

       

      The mist now was starting to build.  It became a thick fog with very little visibility.  The stars were almost all gone.  The sailor went to the very tip of the bow and put the horn to his lips.  He was so overcome with grief that he couldn't find the notes at first.  He took a deep breath and started again.  This time melancholy notes swelled and burst as they left the horn.  It was the saddest sound that had ever been heard in this town.  The sailor poured his heart and soul into every note and with every note the fog grew thicker and thicker.  It has been said that on nights where there is thick dense fog on the water that you can still hear sailor blowing his horn, searching for notes as he plays his sad song.

       

      The next morning the town awoke to an eerie sight.  The tiny ship of the sailor's had been adrift in the harbor all night, but there was no sign of the sailor.  Fishermen in the wharf who had just started their day took time out to try and solve the mystery.  The animals that had joined the sailor on many of his trips had congregated around the small craft.  The birds were flying all around looking for their friend.  They would hover back and forth, but the sailor was not to be found.  The birds, overcome with grief, began crying in protest.  Some say that this is the cry of the seagulls looking for their lost sailor.

      The people of the sailor's hometown didn't know what was going on up the coast.  They just knew that the sailor had been gone for a long time.  They missed his warm smile and easygoing way.  They thought that he might have gotten lost because of the heavy fog the night before.  The whole town started burning candles in their windows to guide their sailor to a quick return.  People still burn candles in their windows to guide their sailors who have gone to sea back home.

     

       In the other town they were still trying to solve the mystery of the drifting ship.  By now the fishermen had managed to gain control of the ship and bring her back to the pier.  People who passed by began speculating what had happened to the sailor.

     

      "I knew he was trouble when he first came here," said one.

      "He was quiet.  He kept to himself mostly," said another.

      They went on and on with their theories.  They began to wonder if it had anything to do with the questions the sailor had been asking.  They wondered if he had asked around too much. 

      "Maybe somebody ran him out of town finally," said one bitter shopkeeper.

      "Maybe he robbed someone and had to get away fast!" said one little boy.

      "Maybe he simply died from a broken heart," said the tailor-shopkeeper.

      As the theories continued the young woman came walking up the sidewalk.  She was now aware that the gentleman was not the one who played the song for her.  She was taking a walk to vent her anger when she saw the crowd.  As she got closer, she saw what they had been talking about.  She also realized that this was the same ship that the man had played the song from.  As she listened to the junior detectives work the case she also realized that they were talking about the man who bumped into her at the tailor shop a few weeks earlier.  She then realized that she had made a terrible mistake.  When she found out that the sailor was missing she became frantic.  She had to find him and tell him that she was wrong! 

       

      The fisherman began searching the ship for clues.  They went from tip to tail.  Men were all over the small ship looking for evidence to the sailor's whereabouts.  Then a man pushed his way through the crowd. 

      "Here. I think this is for you."

      The man handed a small piece of paper to the young woman.  It was the note that the sailor had written to give to her at the restaurant.  It was a short note, barely a half of a page long.  The young woman opened the piece of paper and read it. Tears started welling up in her eyes and flowed down her cheeks.  The note was a short poem, which simply said:

If in all the world I had one wish and were able to make it come true, I'd wish for one thousand lifetimes,

And spend them all with you.