Summer found herself taking hold more fiercely than she had in a number of years.
She had little idea what compelled her so, and she found she did not care. A deep and blazing longing had set in and permeated all that she touched. It crawled along the terrain and wove between the trees, drank the streams dry and drove the forest-dwelling creatures into their homes. The Sun shone down upon it all, bright and glaring, and Summer smiled amidst the miserable heat. She drew the grass from the soil and greened the leaves upon the trees with glee.
Standing beyond the treeline watching Summer's audacious display were Spring and Autumn. Spring looked on with concern at her flowers blooming more brazenly than ever they had before, and was troubled by their vibrance.
'How brash,' said Spring. 'From Winter's grasp I have nurtured these flowers into fruition, and now Summer turns their tender beauty garish and vulgar.'
Autumn too, was vexed by Summer and saw that the flowers had become gaudy.
'A tasteless exhibit,' said Autumn. 'Though the land is hers to command for a while yet. When her time ends, I will rectify her drastic acts and restore what was undone.'
Spring sighed. 'All of my work has been for naught, if Summer is not stopped at once. She tramples upon subtlety so!'
'Do not worry, young one,' answered Autumn. 'For all the Land and the Winds, the Sky and the Waters will not lose their vastness even in the face of Summer's severity. Nor shall you.'
Spring relaxed into resigned satisfaction at this. 'Winter will be displeased, as she is wont to be, but perhaps you truly will set this to rights before the others can come to blows.'
For three days Spring and Autumn watched Summer dance and spread her green and warmth about the Forest, and with each day the air grew hotter, and the earth grew dryer. Spring and Autumn conspired quietly, each looking upon the obscenely green woods with disdain. It was on the third night that Winter came to Spring's side, with her long pale hands at her back, her eyes bright and cold; she set her mouth into a hard line, and her voice was clear and cool as glass.
'Summer is impudent indeed, to traipse about the woods so carelessly. I shall strike her down and all her misdeeds, for I will not see our efforts so easily disregarded. Behold!'
With this, she pulled a great gust of icy wind from the heavens, and it bore down upon the woods with a brutality unbidden. Winter tore the grass from the soil and embrittled the branches of the trees, and they snapped and fell harmlessly to the earth. She would have banished the creatures of the Forest to their homes had they not fled some time ago, and she cast her loathsome snow and chill upon Summer's intolerable heat. Winter's work was terrible and great, and Spring and Autumn looked on with awe and horror. They could not help revelling a little in Summer's alarmed cry, and they did little to conceal their schadenfreude. This continued for several minutes, while Summer's distress grew steadily. Then, at last and without warning, Winter's storm ceased.
Autumn and Spring felt a weight lifted, as they had to endure Summer's tyranny no longer, but in its place settled guilt. Summer fell to her knees before them, and wept over what remained of her once lush Forest.
'What have I done to deserve this wrath?' Summer gathered dead foliage and snow-blanketed branches, and clutched them to her breast mournfully. 'Why have you devastated my beautiful Forest, in my time to reign, no less? What shall I do now?'
The others offered no answer, and instead turned their backs on Summer to pass silently through the Forest. Winter's ruin waned over the coming days, though Summer hadn't the heart to restore her warm embrace. In time, her sorrow cut through to Autumn's heart when her reign came to its end. She came to sit at Autumn's side, and watched as Autumn browned what remained of the trees and coaxed them to fall.
'I have been a fool,' said Summer. 'I proved careless, and I have suffered greatly for it.'
'Nonsense,' sighed Autumn. 'We have shown ourselves to be unkind. Your time would have ended and mine begun, regardless. We needn't have laid waste to your bright work, nor reveled in your misery.'
Spring came to Summer's side and spoke. 'Indeed: your work was heavy-handed, but glorious nonetheless. I was selfish and cruel, and for this, Summer-child, I beg your forgiveness.'
Winter watched this scene from the shadows, and did not make her presence known. Although her eyes were hard and her heart was cold, she came to understand the way of the Winds and Seasons, and that none could persist without the next. Neither Winter, Spring, Summer nor Autumn would ever forget this lesson.
She had little idea what compelled her so, and she found she did not care. A deep and blazing longing had set in and permeated all that she touched. It crawled along the terrain and wove between the trees, drank the streams dry and drove the forest-dwelling creatures into their homes. The Sun shone down upon it all, bright and glaring, and Summer smiled amidst the miserable heat. She drew the grass from the soil and greened the leaves upon the trees with glee.
Standing beyond the treeline watching Summer's audacious display were Spring and Autumn. Spring looked on with concern at her flowers blooming more brazenly than ever they had before, and was troubled by their vibrance.
'How brash,' said Spring. 'From Winter's grasp I have nurtured these flowers into fruition, and now Summer turns their tender beauty garish and vulgar.'
Autumn too, was vexed by Summer and saw that the flowers had become gaudy.
'A tasteless exhibit,' said Autumn. 'Though the land is hers to command for a while yet. When her time ends, I will rectify her drastic acts and restore what was undone.'
Spring sighed. 'All of my work has been for naught, if Summer is not stopped at once. She tramples upon subtlety so!'
'Do not worry, young one,' answered Autumn. 'For all the Land and the Winds, the Sky and the Waters will not lose their vastness even in the face of Summer's severity. Nor shall you.'
Spring relaxed into resigned satisfaction at this. 'Winter will be displeased, as she is wont to be, but perhaps you truly will set this to rights before the others can come to blows.'
For three days Spring and Autumn watched Summer dance and spread her green and warmth about the Forest, and with each day the air grew hotter, and the earth grew dryer. Spring and Autumn conspired quietly, each looking upon the obscenely green woods with disdain. It was on the third night that Winter came to Spring's side, with her long pale hands at her back, her eyes bright and cold; she set her mouth into a hard line, and her voice was clear and cool as glass.
'Summer is impudent indeed, to traipse about the woods so carelessly. I shall strike her down and all her misdeeds, for I will not see our efforts so easily disregarded. Behold!'
With this, she pulled a great gust of icy wind from the heavens, and it bore down upon the woods with a brutality unbidden. Winter tore the grass from the soil and embrittled the branches of the trees, and they snapped and fell harmlessly to the earth. She would have banished the creatures of the Forest to their homes had they not fled some time ago, and she cast her loathsome snow and chill upon Summer's intolerable heat. Winter's work was terrible and great, and Spring and Autumn looked on with awe and horror. They could not help revelling a little in Summer's alarmed cry, and they did little to conceal their schadenfreude. This continued for several minutes, while Summer's distress grew steadily. Then, at last and without warning, Winter's storm ceased.
Autumn and Spring felt a weight lifted, as they had to endure Summer's tyranny no longer, but in its place settled guilt. Summer fell to her knees before them, and wept over what remained of her once lush Forest.
'What have I done to deserve this wrath?' Summer gathered dead foliage and snow-blanketed branches, and clutched them to her breast mournfully. 'Why have you devastated my beautiful Forest, in my time to reign, no less? What shall I do now?'
The others offered no answer, and instead turned their backs on Summer to pass silently through the Forest. Winter's ruin waned over the coming days, though Summer hadn't the heart to restore her warm embrace. In time, her sorrow cut through to Autumn's heart when her reign came to its end. She came to sit at Autumn's side, and watched as Autumn browned what remained of the trees and coaxed them to fall.
'I have been a fool,' said Summer. 'I proved careless, and I have suffered greatly for it.'
'Nonsense,' sighed Autumn. 'We have shown ourselves to be unkind. Your time would have ended and mine begun, regardless. We needn't have laid waste to your bright work, nor reveled in your misery.'
Spring came to Summer's side and spoke. 'Indeed: your work was heavy-handed, but glorious nonetheless. I was selfish and cruel, and for this, Summer-child, I beg your forgiveness.'
Winter watched this scene from the shadows, and did not make her presence known. Although her eyes were hard and her heart was cold, she came to understand the way of the Winds and Seasons, and that none could persist without the next. Neither Winter, Spring, Summer nor Autumn would ever forget this lesson.