Glimmer of Spring

It had been a dismal winter. Nothing but rain and sleet had been falling down. Only now it had begun to snow. The forecast for the next week was to return back to the sleet and rain. But that wasn’t what was worrying him. Oh no. What was worrying him was the fact she had called in the middle of the night and asked him to meet her at the corner of 5th and Main. Tugging on his old boots with holes in them, he made his way down to the desired location. 

“I need to tell you something,” she whispered to him, looking into his eyes. How he had landed with the most beautiful actress in their city was beyond him, but that didn’t mean she was above his league. The dark look in her eye, however, made him think it was a dark secret, not a good one. “But not here,” she concluded.

His eyes were bewildered as she took his hand, leading him from where they were standing on the street corner. The wind was a biting cold at this time, and there were slight holes in his gloves as she led him down the snow ridden roads, boldly leading him to the edge of the wood.

From where they stood, the lights of the town down below were twinkling it was early morning; it was far too early for anyone would notice they were gone. The dots below doing their own little dance between the flakes that fell from the sky, blanketing their bodies as they did so.

Weaving through the forest was not something that was planned. In fact, the idea was preposterous. It was ice cold, below freezing temperatures. The last week of winter was ahead of them, and they only had to make sure that the secret was never exposed. Carefully, they twisted through the trees, but only she seemed to be happy and at home in the woods. 

Her eyes glittered as he looked on. “This must be her element…” he muttered to himself, tightening his arms around his body as they trudged through the snowbanks and passed the frozen river. But the hidden sounds of the forest did not go unnoticed by her as they did with him. It was something that seemed to intrigue her even more. In turn, he watched her more closely as they walked and twisted their way down the covered path that didn’t look so worn. 

The dancing branches eluded her as she laughed and made her way through the forest. The once renowned actress was now in hiding once again. Her chocolate brown tresses flowed down her back, only to be picked up by the gentle winter wind that flowed around her. Tugging her scarf tighter around her neck, and hugging her coat tighter, she finally found the clearing that she had missed during her years among those who were unlike her.

The snow on the ground crunched under her shoes as she continued walking through the quiet, only the wind talking to her. The whispers of the trees demanding she bring back their green leaves and the begging of the grass buried beneath the snow were all she needed to hum her gentle song. 

“Oh sweet vale, make mine thine. Let your powers flow, help the sun shine. Do not hold back your power. Please bring back the flowers. Oh, vale of the fairies, make it all thine.”

Her sapphire hues closed as she stood there in the silence; her song soon overpowering the voices of nature, and the sun began to shine. Her body began to slowly glow, and the snow melted around them. His mouth was agape as she stood there, the flowers suddenly popping up around her feet. His eyes locked on her as the fairy ring suddenly began forming at her feet, her eyes still closed, not taking in the beauty of what she had created.

Standing in the middle of the ring, a golden beam stayed on her, radiating her power as her average clothes slowly melted away and slowly a long flowing dress appeared. It was a brighter scarlet than the red planet, and in her hair a crown of irises that showed a sunset from the center out. The oranges, yellows, blues, and purples contrasted beautifully in her hair, and that was all his mind could focus on. How was she able to do what a Fae was capable of?

Unless…

His eyes went wide with understanding. This was her way of showing him her secret. In the dead of winter, she was able to bring forth the love and sweetness of the springtime. He reached for her, but her face had a slightly dangerous look on it. Slowly, her medley turned to something more sorrowful and not as happy as it once was when she was calling on the warmth that they both missed more than anything. 

Gently, and with a sad melancholic voice, she sang to the happy wind around them. “Oh sweet vale, it is time for the snow. Make thine heart be true, and take away my glow. Glorious vale! Hear my cry! Do not forget the sun, as the cold days go by.”

He continued to stare at her in awe as she slowly returned to what he considered normal. The slightly worn jacket and the jeans that he knew were her favorite pair reappeared on her body. Her eyes turned back to the sapphires that were her own. Taking his hand with a gentle smile, she slowly led him out of the clearing. It was too wonderful for him to even think that he was with a Fae.

“So, what was the secret?” He asked, almost kicking himself as the words rolled off his tongue. The dancing lights on the city below were slowly dimming as the sunrise itself crept up over the horizon of their world. The cold winter morning once again bit at their flesh as she tugged her jacket and scarf tighter around her body. 

Her eyes flickered to him, mirroring the springtime that she had shown him. “I am not one of you,” she whispered gently, her hand brushing his gently as she led him down the hill to the city that was slowly waking up below them. “Come, let’s see if they notice that it’s a bit warmer now than it was last week.” 

Her eyes glimmered with a bit of hope, and she took his hand. He watched her with excitement and anticipation, slipping behind her as they made their way back down to the city. The sun had taken over the lights by now, and there was nothing but a bit of hope. 

That glimmer was enough for him.