There was once a woman who was fascinated by love. More than anything, she wanted to be in love and to be loved in return. Her heart overflowed with affection, so much so that she hardly knew what to do with it.

One day, she saw a man walking in a lake. He was beautiful, and from the moment she laid eyes on him, she felt overwhelmed by her feelings.

She prayed, “Lord, turn me into water so I can show him how much I love him.”

And so she became water.

The man stepped into the lake, and she wrapped herself around him. She tried to hold him close, to surround him completely with her love. But her embrace became too much. The more she clung to him, the more he struggled to breathe. Frightened, he fled.

The woman was heartbroken. She could not understand why he had run away.

Then she saw a great fire burning.

“I know what to do now,” she said. “Lord, turn me into fire. Then he will feel the warmth of my love.”

And so she became fire.

When the man came near, she reached for him with dancing flames. She wanted him to feel her passion, her devotion, her desire. But instead, she burned his clothes and scorched his skin. Terrified, he ran once again.

The woman was crushed with sorrow.

“Why can’t I show him how much I love him?” she cried.

After a long while, she looked to the sky.

“Lord,” she said, “turn me into air.”

And so she became the wind.

At first, she could not control herself. The currents carried her over mountains, through forests, across rivers and oceans. She felt the heat of the sun and the cold of the night. She wandered the world and learned patience. She learned gentleness. She learned that not everything could be held tightly.

As time passed, she learned to move with grace.

One day, she saw the man again.

This time, she did not rush toward him. She did not try to surround him. She did not force her love upon him.

She simply drifted near him, quiet and sad.

The man noticed the breeze.

He smiled and reached out.

“Hello,” he said.

For the first time, she felt seen.

Gathering her courage, she confessed, “I am the one who has loved you all this time.”

The man looked at her kindly.

“I know,” he said.

She was stunned.

“You know?”

“I felt your love in the water,” he replied. “I felt your love in the fire. I felt it every time you came near me.”

The woman sat in silence, trying to understand.

The man sat beside her.

“Do you know what I wanted?” he asked.

She shook her head.

“I wanted love too.”

Her heart stopped.

“All you had to do was ask,” he said. “If you had asked, I would have opened my heart to you. If you had asked, I would have shared my life with you. If you had asked, I would have given you everything I could.”