A Friend In Need

A man comes home, broken from a long war. He is full of pain and hurt, and his wife and children cannot reach him; his mother and father cannot touch him. He sends everyone away and hides himself in a cottage in the woods where he lives alone and sees neither sunrise nor sunset, not the splendour of the old trees or the sparkling light on the lake, nor any of the many wondrous things and beings that surround him. His best friend bids farewell to his loved ones and goes to live with him. The man screams abuse and tries to make him go away, but the friend stays.

And finally, one night, the man breaks down and cries and tells his friend what really happened. The next day they return to their loved ones, and life begins again.