The arrival of autumn began to announce itself in the garden. The oaks and maples had slowly begun to strip themselves, dropping a leaf here and there on the green lawn surrounding the pond.
A young couple, who used to visit the solitude of the garden to find calm, went to visit the gardener.
‘Forgive us for bothering you, gardener, but we consider you to be wise and good and we would like you to give us some advise on the new life my beloved and I are going to begin. Very soon we will join our lives in matrimony, and we would be grateful if you could tell us how to nurture our love so that in time it does not wither.’