The long winter has all but melted away, leaving behind fields of tender shoots and green-tipped branches. Fuzzy new leaves, soft as a lamb’s ear, hide beneath gray twigs, and slowly stretch upwards towards the gentle blue sky. One can almost imagine the Green Sister walking over hill and dale, sewing the delicate wildflowers, moving through the forest like a mist, and where she steps moss and mushroom bloom. Does she see a stone giant standing somewhere beneath the trees, forgotten by time and waiting for…who?
Now that the snow is gone and the earth has begun to dry under the warming sun, Lorenz and I have made plans to begin our search for the next stone giant. Though where to begin, who can say? The little men who left the drawing were not exactly clear with their intentions. It does seem apparent that the markings on the bottom of the page are a map of sorts, but we are uncertain of how best to proceed. Lorenz, a gentleman accustomed to reading maps, has many questions: Is the “orientation” north to south or perhaps east to west? What do the dots along the line represent? There is no “legend” or “key”, no “scale” indicated. He seemed troubled as we looked over the page together again, but I reminded him that we knew it must lead further into the forest and that was sure to be an adventure even if we didn't find the giant right away. I was glad to see it made him smile, and we have planned our first search for next week.
Poor Alexander, he wants so much to come with us on our search, but Lorenz thinks it might be dangerous. I don't feel the same since these woods have always offered safety and comfort to me, but the baron has made clear his mistrust of the forest and its magic. So perhaps it is best to wait. Maybe once we arrive at the end of our path and know it is safe, then Baron Rhodes might be convinced to let his son venture into the woods.
And in the meantime? Well dear reader, since spring is on its way, that means we will be celebrating the Spreenin faire soon! I went with Elise, Mary Colson, and Mrs. Hume to the Milliner’s shop the other day, where I saw the most lovely fabrics. It has been sometime since I had a new dress and the three of them convinced me to buy enough to make something pretty for the faire. Oh, I just hope I have enough time to finish. After all, I must do my best to keep up with orders, and I am running low on certain remedies after my illness this winter. I’m sure I’ll manage, as long as Flame doesn’t try to help too much, haha.
I am filled with a wonderful sense of hope for this season… all the possibilities, like new buds just waiting to bloom. Such sweet anticipation... we shall see what flowers this spring will bring.