Mood: cheerful
Listening to: Zi Zhu Lu Xing - Cai Cun Jia
In response to the 'Winter' theme for the Scribes' Anthology 2005, this is what I produced in less than a day. :P Of course, this isn't going to be what I'm going to submit; it's only going to help me set a setting for real story.
No leeching, please.
"When this Land first began, there was no summer, fall or winter. God ruled kindly over all His creatures, and he let there be everylasting spring. All year round, flowers bloomed, creatures frolicked, and brooks gurgled. Peace reigned for a long time.
Then God created the thing called Man, and Man was unsatisfied with what God had given him. He wanted the flowers to grow orderly in gardens, animals to live obediently in pens, and rivers to flow in a straight line. He told God exactly what he thought the Land should be like, but God, being a kindly Master, told him that it was impossible. However, Man was unsatisfied with God’s answer, and set about putting things the way he thought it should be. But his meddling with the order of Nature very nearly caused the destruction of the Land and all of God’s precious creations. Now, God was very unwilling to see all his hard work be in vain, so he restored the Land, but with a difference. Four different Seasons, being Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter would take turns to rule over the Land. This was to serve as reminder to Man, and all of God’s creatures, that no one should ever attempt to change the order of Nature.
Our story starts about five thousand years into the reign of the Four Seasons. Now, Winter was a very punctual person. He came neither early nor late, always just after Fall had left. He was also a kind person, and gave many hints and warnings of his arrival, so that the Land could prepare for it. Each time, he would roar his fury and sorrow over plains, forests and hills. Each time, everything and everyone would be safe, if a bit frightened, in their homes and dens beneath the ground.
Each time, the flora put themselves in hardy seeds, hidden safe beneath the snow, patiently waiting for the wrath of the winter man to end.
Each time, the fauna would dig deep homes in the soil and stone, and fall into a very deep sleep, patiently waiting for the wrath of the winter man to end.
But his sorrow and fury were finite things, and eventually he would stop his unstoppable rage, and he would sigh an infinitely sorrowful sigh, and he would leave, giving way to Spring.
Inevitably, Man, having forgotten his lesson from five thousand years ago, went bravely – some say foolishly -- to face Winter, in order to end what he thought was unreasonable ravishment of the Land. Nobody knew exactly what happened, only that that Man did not return, and Winter, consumed with fury beyond description, descended upon the Land. He frightened away the Sun that gave all life, and blotted out the graceful Moon and her little stars, and covered everything in white snow and cold.
And this is where my story begins."
