Dear reader, this winter seems held fast, frozen in a timeless state. The snow falls over the forest, the Green Sister sleeps, and Old Man Frost stands watch like an old knight, faithful and true. But when will the sun’s warmth return once again?
As I sit in my cottage, I look at the remedy for Lorenz placed upon my desk. It’s almost done, well, as done as it can be. I’ve added all the beautiful things I love best about Greenwood: its friendly faces, forest life, and faery tale magic. But something is missing… and I know not when I’ll be able to add it to the mixture, for it too seems to be kept frozen, asleep under an enchantment of its own.
I’ve taken to braving the cold and visiting the Well of the Green Sister every day, and every day I find that the ruby-colored rosebud has not yet bloomed. Even so, it is beautiful. How brightly it shines against the white snow and deep greens of the wood. Sometimes I would swear it’s actually glowing, but then I rub my eyes and the light fades like a dream. I wish Lorenz were here to see it.
I’ve felt that way often lately. I love the forest, and when I find my spirits low, it always embraces me with gentle arm-like branches. I press my green face against the bark of an oak or an elm, I run my fingers over soft fuzzy moss, and it comforts me. But a small ache still sits in the corner of my heart, and I wish Lorenz were there too. I had no idea how much I have grown accustomed to his presence, to his slight smile and kind words, to his courteous manner, and gentle humming. I can hear the melody in my mind and that small ache grows. I want him to see every tree I see, every bough, every leaf. I want to share it with him.
And yet dear reader, if he were here, I would have to tell him that the remedy is not yet complete. My heart grows anxious at the very thought, and if it were complete… I would have to tell him how I feel for him. I go back and forth between moments of bold confidence and hesitancy. What if I spoil our friendship? What if he doesn’t wish to explore the forest together anymore? But I know deep down I cannot hide it from him for much longer. The feeling is so strong it bubbles up out of me, and I want him to know how wonderful I think he is, even if he does not feel the same way.
And thus, I wait for the rose to bloom… so I can give him this remedy which I have poured my heart into, and I can tell him of all that I feel.