The Tailor of the Seasons

It’s here! It’s here! It’s finally here!

I had been waiting for this day for three seasons, and finally! I finally got the-

Oh, wait, you don’t know who I am, sorry. This probably doesn’t make any sense. My name’s Winter. Yes, the season himself. When you think of me, you probably don’t think of a person (unless it’s Santa Claus or Jack Frost), but you probably do think of a winter wonderland covered in snow, children having snowball fights or building snowmen, maybe a Christmas tree or Hanukkah candles, a big dinner with tons of relatives sitting around a large dinner table, chestnuts roasting on an open fire, all of the seasonal stereotypes. Well, there was a time where no one thought of those things.

Sure, they thought of Christmas and Hanukkah, but they didn’t think of anything else that was... happy. They thought of snowstorms, frostbite, running out of firewood, scarce game- They pretty much associated me with death in general, which was pretty hurtful.

Oh, did I forget to mention that even the other seasons dislike me? See, here’s how it all started.

I was completely alone in a frozen world. I didn’t know who I was or why I was there. I just knew that one day I began existing. I wandered around in that frozen world for what felt like years, although it could’ve been longer or just a few days.

Then I found her.

She was such a beautiful thing, encased in ice, seemingly sleeping against a tree. Everything changed, of course, when I reached out a hand to touch her face. The instant the tips of my fingers brushed against the icy shell, it all melted and she awoke. Her pale skin had a slight tint of light green to it, and her eyes... They were like rolling fields of grass on a spring day, with golden wildflowers scattered across the hills. Of course, I had never seen anything like that before I met her, but I was about to.

The first thing she did when she woke up was yawn and stretch her arms, then smooth out her damp, blonde hair. As she did so, her surroundings also began to melt, from the tree she had been leaning against to the soft soil beneath the snow. Grass sprung up all around her and quickly spread to the distant horizon... But everything behind me remained in the same state as before; icy, snowy, cold. The sky on my side stayed the cloudy grey it had always been, but on her side, it had turned a beautiful azure blue with fluffy white clouds like cotton.

And she left. She left without looking back. She left without saying a word. She left without me. But I couldn’t follow her, no matter how much I wanted to. Her power, her beautiful power, it separated me from her. I couldn’t go near her. The grass felt like needles piercing into my feet when I stepped on it. The sun, that brilliantly bright ball of warmth, burned my pale, fragile skin. The wind itself made my throat ache. I couldn’t follow her, I could never follow her, and I knew why.

The beautiful girl I had found that day was Spring.

By the time Spring had left my sight, I had decided to walk away as well. Maybe I would run into her again, or maybe I would meet someone new, someone who wouldn’t leave! I walked, maybe ran, as fast as I could in my desperation, and I thought it had paid off.

This time, there was a figure lying on its side on the ground, using a smooth rock as a pillow. She was also encased in ice, but when my hand brushed against her face, her features were softer and more richly colored than Spring’s. Her hair was like mahogany and fell across her shoulders like a reddish-brown waterfall. Her eyes looked like hardened amber, and her skin was a beautiful chocolate brown.

She walked away from me as well. Autumn walked away. As she walked, the world around her turned into shades of red, orange, yellow, and brown. It was still beautiful, but it wasn’t the same as Spring. Spring was full of energy from the moment she had opened her eyes. Autumn looked like she was ready to go back to sleep again.

Once again, everything behind me stayed bleak and icy and grey. I felt even worse than before. Why did they leave me? If I met another, would they leave me too? Would I be alone forever?

All those questions swirled within my head as I tried to follow, but the burning sensation returned once more and I could not continue, even though the heat wasn’t as harsh. So I retreated, accepting my lonely fate, to a cave far away from both Spring and Autumn’s territories.

If no one wants to be near me, then I will stay where I cannot be found. That’s what I thought. That’s what I thought I wanted. But I was wrong. Every day that I stayed in that cave, I couldn’t stop wishing for someone to come and help me out of the miserable state I was in.

One day, finally, I wasn’t alone.

It was in the middle of a snowstorm. The wind was wailing, snow was blowing in from the cave opening, and I was sitting cross-legged in the furthest corner of the cave, head bent to the ground. I was the cause of it. I knew I was. The more miserable I was, the more destructive the storm would be. I didn’t care, or maybe I did. Maybe I had unintentionally set up a test for anyone who might’ve cared, anyone at all. Maybe I thought that, well, if they braved the storm to find me, maybe they would stay. Little did I know that my new friend would be a little less... human.

He stalked into the cave, a clicking noise made with every step he took. I didn’t look up.

All I’m hearing is the storm. That clicking noise... It’s probably just icicles falling from the front of the cave. I wonder, will any fall on me? Will one go through my heart, and I’ll cease to exist? I hope not… That sounds so painful…

I felt something cold and wet nudge against my arm. Slowly, I turned my head. Just an inch away from my arm was the long snout of some sort of beast.

My initial reaction wasn’t to run or flee. I could see this creature meant no harm, it was probably only seeking shelter.

It butted its furry head against my shoulder. “Hello,” its voice rumbled softly.

Ah... So it speaks... I suppose I should say something as well.

“Hello,” I whispered. I ran my fingers through its soft fur, marveling at its beauty. It looked just like a blanket of freshly fallen snow.

“Are you... the one who created me?” it asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Did you create the storm?”

“Yes.”

“Then you created me, for I was born from the storm.”

I looked up at its icy blue eyes. “I... created something?”

“Yes.”

“I didn’t know that I could create something…” I said in wonder.

It gave a low chuckle. “You have a great power, my friend. You can create whatever you want from ice, even living creatures.”

I tilted my head. “What?”

“Ah, I suppose hearing the for the first time would be a bit confusing-”

“No, that word you said... ‘Friend.’ What does that mean?”

The creature looked bemused for a moment, then said, “Well, I suppose it means that you are a good companion, although I believe it has a stronger definition than that.”

“Do good companions leave each other?”

“I do not know. I would assume that it would be for important things, like hunting, but if I had a good companion who wanted me, I would always come back.”

That comment put me deep in thought momentarily. “If you leave now... Would you come back?”

It looked me in the eye. It then leaned closer and set its great head on top of mine. “You’re lonely, aren’t you?”

I leaned against it in turn. “Yes. I am.” It was warm, but not in the harsh way that Spring and Autumn were. This was more of a gentle warmth, one that made me feel less alone and more... happy.

“I would not leave now in the first place. I’m lonely as well.”

“Shall we be good companions, then?”

“I think that is a good proposition, but I think great companions would be a great proposition.”

“What about best companions?”

“I think that is the best proposition of all.” Its tail thumped against the ground with contentment. “What is your name?”

“I am... Winter.” The word popped into my head as if it had been waiting for that question to be asked. “What is yours?”

“I am unsure. You are the one who created me, maybe you should give me a name?”

“Yes, I suppose that makes sense...” I stared at its fur, wondering what word, what name, would fit my newfound friend. “What if I name you... Wolf?”

It pulled its head away, smiling from its eyes. “Yes, that sounds right.”

“I’m happy it does.”