As the snow and ice melt away and this winter reaches its end, dear reader, I am reminded of a story from my faery tale books. There is a girl with hair black as ebony, lips red as the rose, and skin white as snow; she’s put under a curse so that her friends believe her to be dead. In truth, she sleeps until the day her love comes and breaks the spell, waking her with a kiss. In many ways it seems similar to the myth of Wysolice. The Green Sister slumbers, guarded by a trusted friend —in this instance Old Man Frost. And she too rests for a long season that some think similar to death. Baron Rhodes said as much when describing the winter. I imagine the Green Sister lying beneath translucent ice, instead of a glass coffin, and when she is awoken it is with the warm beams of the brilliant sun, so like a tender kiss… Well, the kiss of the sun has reached Greenwood, and even now it is slowly thawing out the cold, opening the door for spring.
Lorenz surprised me this week. He came to my cottage, saying that the Baron had taken Alexander out horseback riding; this had freed him of his tutoring duties for the day. So he wondered if I might like to go walking in the forest with him, just for fun. “Happily” I replied, and quickly bundled up, to spend a few hours wandering with my friend.
I savored the sunlit trees and the sound of soft snow falling from the branches. As we strolled along, I told Lorenz about my thoughts on the myth of Wysolice, and winter, and the faery tale. He smiled and said he’d never much cared for winter —that was not until recently. “Oh, what changed?” I asked. He answered that it was seeing the sheet of ice at the Well of the Green Sister. Observing the complexity of pattern in each tiny snowflake had filled him with awe, and then he said he imagined that must be how I always see the world. Goodness, I told him my eyes were not nearly so good! He laughed, “That’s not what I meant. No, it’s how you give attention to the little things and consider them with care. Be it snowflakes, tree bark, or moss, you always have a curiosity for the beauty in the world… it makes me want to see things that way too.” At his words I smiled, but looked away for I found myself blushing.
We spent some time at the Well of the Green Sister too, for we wanted to see if the icy sheet was still there, but alas, it had already melted away. We did however find another frozen doorway. This one was not as clear as glass, with little bumps and bubbles obscuring our vision; still, in the shadowy chamber beyond, we could just make out what seemed to be a set of stone stairs! “Oh,” I cried, “perhaps that is the way down to the enchanted waters!” Lorenz agreed that it was a possibility, but we shall have to waiting for it to completely melt before we know for certain… maybe with the arrival of spring.
Dear reader, wherever you are, whether it be frozen or fair, I wish you fresh eyes to see the world with wonder. Here in Greenwood, the season is changing. I thank you for joining me on this strange and lovely adventure thus far, and I look forward to telling you all about the Well of the Green Sister and the forest’s magic this coming spring.