When she was just a little girl her grandparents used to tell her and her two younger sisters stories about the Forever Winter. Tales of the old gods, and how if they were displeased with the townspeople, they would punish them by inflicting upon them a cold, harsh winter that would last for centuries. But they were just stories; fables told to entertain her and her sisters when it was too cold to go outside to play. Even as a little girl she didn’t believe in the Forever Winter, and now that she was older, she surely did not believe that a winter could last for hundreds of years.
However, the month of May had already begun, and winter had yet to show any sign of retreat. The winter season had been a rather cruel one this year, and the onset of spring was highly anticipated by all. But the land and sea were still covered by snow and ice for as far as the eye could see, and there was still no sign of the great melt.
The townsfolk were quite superstitious by nature, and the unusually long winter had them talking. The older folk whispered of the old gods, blaming the reckless behavior of the impetuous youth for invoking the punishment of the Forever Winter upon them. Others cast blame on the mysterious Man In Black, who has been walking the length of the pier daily for the last quarter-century (rumor had it that the man was actually a black magician who was practicing the dark arts upon their small town). There was even some rumblings about the potential influence of the great old one herself, who had evidently moved into a neighboring southern town, supposedly with the inexplicable intention of settling down and raising a family.
Truth be told, she didn’t really care about the reason behind the abnormally long winter. But she so very badly wanted it to come to an end. You see, her true love had set sail the previous autumn, and would not be able to return home until the frozen sea melted, allowing his ship to return to harbor. Thus, for every day that the winter remained, it was one more day that she was without him.
The ship – the Mourning Star – and its crew had set sail for the Far East in order to trade goods and obtain exotic treasures that were not native to their homeland. This was his first time being on the crew of the Mourning Star, and also the first time in his young life that he had been away from the town for any significant length of time. Consequently, it was also the first time that he had ever been separated from her. The thought of leaving her behind had weighed heavily upon his heart, but he needed the work, for he now had the added responsibility of being the sole provider for his family as a result of his father’s passing a year earlier.
She had encouraged him to go. She knew that his mother and four younger siblings counted on him to provide for them. Any time he had shown any reluctance about leaving, she reminded him of how exciting it would be to travel and witness the wonders of distant lands. She also teased him about bringing her back some kind of extraordinary and exotic gift that would make all the other girls turn green with envy. He of course promised her that he would search for, and bring back the most rare of gifts to bestow upon her. When he told her this, she quickly dismissed the notion, and explained that she was only teasing; that he did not have to bring her back anything, as she would have nothing to give him in return. But he was quick to correct her, and explained that she herself was the most rare of gifts.
She is his Winter Flower, he had told her; the most beautiful flower found in any land, and the only flower that could withstand the unforgiving cold of the most bitter of winters. Her beauty and the love she felt for him would not falter, no matter how cold the winter that would ultimately divide them. And when he returned, her beauty and love would be awaiting him, completely unweathered by the passage of time or the changing of the seasons. The Winter Flower would be his resilient beacon home.
He told her this nearly seven months ago, only moments before he set foot on the Mourning Star; moments before they had to say their last goodbye. They haven’t spoken since. And now she waits for him, just like he said she would. She has come down to the frozen beach every day that he has been gone, standing on the ice-covered sand, looking out at the ostensibly never ending expanse of frozen sea. Out there on the ice she is filled with a deep penetrating yearning that numbs her even more so than the frigid sea-wind that buffets the beach.
He once told her that she was his beacon; his resilient, unfaltering signal home. But with each day that the unrelenting winter clings to their town, a small part of her begins to doubt the notion of his homecoming. She was supposed to be the fire that would light his way home, but she has begun to fear that the flame that used to burn so brightly within her has begun to fade. What if the legends of the Forever Winter were true? What if this winter lasted for hundreds of years? Would she never get to lay eyes upon her true love ever again?
As she stands there out on the ice, pondering these disheartening questions, a song that her grandmother used to sing to her as a young child inexplicably comes to mind. She cannot remember the name of the song, but recalls her grandmother telling her that it was an ancient ballad that was brought over to this part of the world many hundreds of years ago. The memory of the lyrics haunt her now, as the ghost of her grandmother’s sweet voice begins to sing softly into her ears:
If that’s what it takes
Then don’t let it tear us apart
Even if it breaks your heart
If that’s what it takes
Then don’t let it tear us apart
Even if it breaks your heart
Even if it breaks your heart
Even if it breaks your heart
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