We are all seasons | Short Story

The girl’s steps scrunched on the dense snow. The floor was hard and hilly, and she sucked in icy air when she slipped and gripped a naked branch. The branches were covered by a white blanket, and they creaked under its weight. Wind scratched the snow, icy and unforgiving.

She reached a lake, far up on the hill. There were bits of ice floating on the water, and it rippled in tune with the wind. The girl reached her hands into her pockets and buried her nose under her scarf. Why did she end up here at this cold place in nowhere?

photo by artvizual

She turned around when she heard footsteps. They didn’t come from below, from the foot of the hill, but from her right. A woman was approaching. Her steps were slow, but graceful, the snow didn’t seem to hinder her. Softly, she pushed away a heavy branch and stepped to the shore.

At first, she didn’t say anything. The girl eyed her from the side. The woman’s long, white hair rose and fell in the wind, and her floaty robe enclosed her tall and slender body. She turned to the girl and smiled her greeting.

The girl smiled back, albeit timidly. The woman’s appearance was rather young, but there was something ancient in her eyes – like shards of ice, sparkling and sharp.

The girl was surprised at how soft the woman’s voice sounded. “Are you feeling well today?”

The girl’s answer was a slight cock of her head, her lips a thin, hard line. “Not really. The weather is bad.”

The woman observed her with her old eyes. The girl noticed a tinge of green in them. “Why would you describe this weather as bad?”

“Because it’s cold. It will get dark soon. And everything is grey and sad.”

“If you say so.”

The girl furrowed her brows. “What do you mean by that?”

“Let me ask you a question.” The woman clasped her hands behind her back. “Are you always happy?”

The girl sensed expectancy in the woman’s question. Her answer was obvious, but she let some seconds trickle away before the answered “No.”

“Well, I give you the opportunity to change that.” The woman turned to the lake and gestured to the icy water. “If you want to live a life in eternal happiness, go into the water. Go to the centre of the lake, and let yourself fall. It will be uncomfortable at first, but you will find yourself in a perfect world with endless warmth and summer. The only darkness will be at night, and it won’t last long and will always be peaceful.” Her next question was cold, but also anticipating. “Do you want that?” Her breath lingered around her nose.

The girl hesitated. “Would you want that?”

The woman rose a brow in surprise. “Nobody has asked me such a thing before.”

She turned towards to the lake again. Only then did the girl notice ice crystals blooming on the woman’s cheeks, and her lashes caught the snowflakes dancing through the air. It was as if the ice had a face.

“Humans” began the woman “can be imperfect, but nature has to be perfect and beautiful all the time. Many humans complain about the weather, about the early darkness in winter, about the rain in fall and even in summer. They are angry when the weather shifts and don’t appreciate the water for the earth. They brand rain as ‘bad’ and sun as ‘good’.” The woman lifted her eyes to the grey carpet of clouds heavy with snow. “Nothing is perfect in this world. Life is a delicate line of darkness and light. Sometimes, we tread more on the one side than the other.” Her gaze shifted back to the girl. “Winter is known as a dark time of the year. Everything winter wants is a retreat – back to the roots, back to eternity where life began. Every being on this earth experiencing winter has an inner rhythm and it tells them to slow down and look inward. What is wrong with that?”

“Humans live in a fast-paced world” retorted the girl, her voice silent and pensive “and it doesn’t slow down in winter. We…have to adapt.”

“I know. I see you hurrying around often enough.”

The woman stepped through the snow, it brushed her ankles and didn’t melt on her skin. She let her hand rest on the girl’s shoulder. The girl expected freezing cold to pierce her skin, but she only felt warmth. A warmth that come from a place deep within the earth, and deep within herself.

“Let me tell you something.” The woman’s lips curled into a smile. “We are all seasons. Every being on this earth. We all carry beauty and ugliness within us, and we battle with the dark after harnessing the light. Nothing is eternal, so after a low will be an up. I know it’s not always easy, but life is a gift. You have a limited time on this earth, so use it wisely. And don’t waste your anger on something you cannot change.”

The girl wanted to ask the woman how long her time was, but she vanished within the blink of an eye. The girl only felt a cool breeze tickle her cheek, and the wonderful sensation of her skin prickling. A sliver of sunlight cracked through the clouds. She stretched out her hand and felt its warmth amidst all this cold.

None of them was better – they just were.