I can understand how sometimes it may not seem like there is much good to be found in winter. There were years in the past where I struggled like the baron. The frozen chill can cut you to the bone, and the icy dark days feel never ending… but lately I have found that there is still much beauty and wonder in this frosty time of year, if only one takes a moment to stop and look.
It was quite stormy a few nights ago, here in Greenwood. Frozen sleet and hail pounded down upon the village, with hoarse howling winds… long and low like a wild beast. Oh dear reader, I was glad to be indoors beside a blazing fire, sweet Flame nestled close to my knees. Great storms like that do have their own majesty. Their incredible power makes one feel small in comparison to how they command the very sky, but I found myself even more amazed afterwards by the frozen remnants that the blizzard left behind in the forest.
The day after, the bad weather had cleared and the sky was back to its usual soft gray self. Lorenz, Alexander, and I wanted to visit the Well of the Green Sister again, as we had not been there since before the holiday. They met me at my cottage, which Alexander had not really had the chance to see before. He couldn’t help himself and exclaimed, “It’s so small!” I snorted in surprise, and Lorenz, ever the good teacher, drew his pupil aside for a discreet note on etiquette. Alexander looked sheepish but added that my cottage did look “very well kept”. I had to try so hard to keep from laughing. It was small, I admitted, particularly if likened to the grandness of the manor house. It was even smaller than most of the houses in the village. But I told Alexander that it was the best home I could have ever dreamed of. It was sturdily built, right beside the forest, and it was all my own. He agreed they were great benefits, and I heard Lorenz sigh, perhaps relieved that I had not truly been offended.
After that funny moment, we shuffled our way through the snow and towards the trees. It didn’t take long to reach the Well of the Green Sister, but goodness, when we arrived we witnessed what I believe to be the loveliest of winter scenes. The storm must have been very heavy in that part of the forest, for all the trees, bushes, and vines were coated in crystal ice. It was like everything had been dipped into glass, perfectly unspoiled within a frozen shell. Rosehips were encased in tiny orbs, and even the white-leaved branches of the great oak tree glistened, enclosed in dripping icicles. The river which flows from beneath the wall was still running, but its head was frozen into an icy waterfall, cool white, with deep shades of blue and green.
Yet once inside we found an even more remarkable thing. One of the stone archways held a thick, clear sheet of ice —in place of were a door might have been— and as we gazed through it, soft snow began to fall. The tiny white flakes became magnified in the pane, appearing as large as my hand and with breathtaking clarity. They were like lace, like stars, like flowers, spinning and dancing on the breeze. Every snowflake was a new marvel to behold, unique and wondrous, and I was overcome with such a sense of awe… They were, every one of them, a work of art, and yet untold numbers of them covered the ground, the forest, the entire village and beyond! Oh goodness… I leaned against a column and, breathing deeply, merely watched for what felt like an eternity. Alexander was thrilled with the snowflakes and the frozen sheet. He ran hither and thither for the better part of an hour, looking at things from one side and then the other. Lorenz leaned in close to me and said it was truly beautiful. I had to agree, and he stood beside me, quietly humming his usual serene tune.
I took the Impressions from the frozen glass and used them to mix together the final remedy for the baron: Wonder. The world, even at its coldest and darkest, is filled with the unexpected, remarkable, and surprising. I see that the tiniest things can hold rare and dazzling beauty, and I hope this remedy helps Baron Rhodes to see that too… to see the world with fresh eyes. For while the winter can be hard and long, I think there is something in each day to fill us with a little wonder.