‘Oh, hello! I was actually hoping to see you!’

‘That’s great to hear!’ Acalea got off of her feet ‘You probably have a lot to ask me’

‘I do, indeed’ Angelica took a deep breath, she was obviously in a state of thought. ‘So, do you have any idea how I’m going to meet my special someone?’

‘It’s through life, my dear’ Acalea paused for a while ‘And I’m not sure if I already said this to you, but the key thing is to identify the sort of people you don’t want to be with’

‘Oh yes, I’m quite aware of that’

‘And to recognise true love when you see it’

‘Yeah, that too’ Angelica walked around for a bit, not saying anything for a little while ‘What is “true love”, anyway? I’m sorry if you’ve already told me, but…’

‘Nah, don’t worry, I suppose it’s always a matter of interpretation’ Acalea summoned a portal in front of her ‘Would you like to come to my realm again?’

‘Oh, yes please!’ Angelica stepped foot into her portal, arriving at Acalea’s temple again. There was a bright red couch near her, of which she sat down on. ‘So, you were saying?’

‘Yes, Angie. From my own interpretation as a goddess, true love is when you love the person as they are, in an unconditional sense. It’s not because of their looks, how much money they have, their position in the world or anything like that. You love the person purely for who that person is, and they feel the same about you’ Angelica had a smile on her face.

‘That sounds about right’ Acalea put three dolls onto a table, they resembled three different men. One of them was a seemingly flawless man wearing a suit and a black top hat. The one in the middle was a man wearing a monk’s robe. He had a full head of hair The last one was a young looking man wearing a red t-shirt and jeans. He too had a full head of hair.

‘Angie, may I have your attention?’ Angelica got out of the couch and had a look at the three dolls. Her gaze was mostly fixated on the man wearing the t-shirt and jeans. She was glancing at the man wearing the suit from time to time. ‘Which of these three is the most attractive to you?’ Angelica took a while to answer.

‘I was going to say the man in the suit, but that’s the wrong answer, isn’t it?’ Acalea shook her head.

‘There is no right or wrong answer’

‘The guy in the suit, then. Just because he’s wearing a suit. No other reason’ Acelea removed the hat he was wearing ‘What?! he’s bald?!’

‘Ah, looks can be deceiving, can’t they?’

‘OK, definitely not him, then!’ Angelica was then looking at the two other figures side by side. ‘I suppose I would just pick that regular looking guy’

‘No love for the monk, then?’

‘Nah, monks are boring’

‘But Angie! The monk is a lovely man who’ll love for the rest of your life!’

‘Is that so?’ Angelica picked up the doll of the monk, taking a closer look at it. She was comparing the doll with the man with the suit ‘When you look at them side by side, the bald man looks so plain in comparison’

‘I’m glad you noticed that!’ Acalea paused for a moment ‘You see, one of the key elements of both attraction and true love is to admire human qualities. Humans aren’t dolls or gods, they’re… well, humans’

‘Yeah, that’s an interesting thing to say’

‘A lot of humans nowadays are always seeking that perfect person, that person with flawless features, a person who could breed them a world champion athlete, a person who is supremely rich and lots of other things like that’

‘But very few people like that actually exist. Even famous people aren’t like that’

‘Exactly! And do you know how many of these “famous” people were turned down before they became famous? How many of these athletes were overlooked before they became champions? How many of these people with “flawless” features are actually ugly in real life?’

‘Probably all of them. Especially the last one’

‘Yes! And this may be a discussion for another time, but most people become a success because they worked towards it, not because they were born with amazing talents. It’s the power of human mind’

‘Yes, I’m well aware with that’ Angelica walked a few paces ‘I heard Albert Einstein was thought of as a complete joke until his theories were proven’

‘Indeed’ Acelea looked back at the three dolls ‘So, after all of this, which one of the three is the most appealing to you?’

‘I’ll probably say the monk’ she walked over to have a look at the dolls ‘But then, what about that guy wearing the jeans? I don’t really know anything about him’

‘Would you like to know more about him?’ Angelica just shrugged

‘If I met him in real life, I guess I would ask’

‘Well, what would be stopping you from doing that?’

‘Nothing, I suppose’

‘And there you go! I’m sure you’ve figured this out already, but don’t judge anyone by their appearances alone!’ Angelica was silent for a little bit.

‘I already gathered that. Though to be honest, I do it all the time’ Acalea smiled at her.

‘Again, you’re a mere human. When you look at people without knowing anything about them their appearance is all you have to go by. Also by your own genetics you are programmed to be drawn by those who are good looking or to flee from those who appear threatening. It’s simply nature’

‘I know’ Angelica turned away from the dolls ‘If you don’t mind, I kind of want to go back home now’

‘That’s OK! I’ll create a portal at this instant’

‘But Acalea, there are times where I would love it if I can ask for your help whenever I need it. Is there something for that?’

‘There is’

‘Oh?’ Acalea drew a type of amulet out of her pocket. It had a heart-shaped purple jewel.

‘If you need me ever again, just put your palm to the amulet and I’ll be with you as soon as I can’

‘Thank you!’

‘You’re welcome! I do, however, have a few conditions’ Acalea now had a stern look on her face. ‘First of all, don’t tell anyone about the amulet, always keep it hidden on your person’ Angelica had a sad look on her face ‘Secondly, don’t give it away for any amount of money. Lastly, don’t lose it! I don’t want anyone else getting a hold of it!’

‘And if I were to break those rules?’

‘I’ll make it disappear. Simple as that’

‘But Acalea, I would love to wear it. It’s really pretty, after all’ Acalea sighed ‘I’ll just say it’s a necklace I bought’

‘Fine, wear it as you please. But as long as you don’t give away it’s true nature’

‘OK, I won’t!’

‘Thank you!’ she had generated a portal in front of her ‘See you later!’

‘Bye!’ Angelica ended up back at her home. Once again, not a minute on her clocks had passed. She went straight onto her computer, eventually she worked on a novel that she hadn’t even touched for months on end.