It was Valentine's Day and, like the other children, Valentina had brought with her to class the sack she had decorated for the occasion. She had covered her sack with hearts and roses. She even drew little candy hearts with phrases on them that said things like "Be Mine," "Give Me A Hug," and "Yours Forever," just like the ones you can buy in the store. She placed her sack on top of the window sill, beside those of her classmates.

When the rest of the class arrived and all their sacks were in place, the students began to go from sack to sack and place Valentines inside them. They did this every year.

Valentina had made by hand a special Valentine for the boy she loved. His name was Valentino, and he was a handsome lad. The card was red and white, and in pink she had written the words "I love you, Valentino." Beneath that she signed her name, "Valentina."

The only bad thing about Valentine's Day was that the teacher didn't let the children look at their cards until after they went home; after all, it was just another school day, and there was much work to be done.

When Valentino got home and opened his sack of cards, he found the special card Valentina had given him, and it made him very happy. Then, when he remembered he had forgotten to give a card to Valentina, he became very sad.

When Valentina found that she had received no card from Valentino, she not only became sad, but her heart began to break too. She wondered how she could go on; she asked herself how she would ever be able to face Valentino after what she had written him and then receiving nothing in return.

Valentino didn't know what to say either, and he longed for the next Valentine's Day, when he would give Valentina a card saying he loved her too.

The year passed slowly. It passed slowly for Valentino because he was so eager for Valentine's Day to arrive. It passed slowly for Valentina because her heart was breaking.

Finally the day came, February 14. Valentino brought his card telling Valentina he loved her, and he pressed it against his heart and would hold it there until Valentina came and put out her sack.

He waited and waited. After a while the principal came into the classroom and had a whispered discussion with the teacher. Then the teacher was overcome with grief. When she was able to talk, she said that Valentina wouldn't be coming to class anymore. It seems the poor girl had died of a broken heart. She was the first girl to die from a broken heart, but because of other careless boys just like Valentino, she wasn't the last.

Valentino laid his head down on his desk and began to cry silently. He wished he had told the one he loved that he loved her . . . before it was too late.

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All text copyright Jonathan W. Turner, 1997-Present. All rights reserved.