The Winter's Tale

A man was married to a loving young girl in the local parish in the Merry spring of May. They were both so happy and loving for what seemed like the longest of warm love’s seasons. Their love flourished. Their love bloomed. And their loving young hearts blossomed throughout the summer of their young lives. Yet one day the cold of autumn set in and the girl took ill and turned deathly pale on the love’s bed of her last breath of life. She died as the icy cold winter set in and the young man was left alone and at a loss what as to do now that death had come to their loving door so suddenly and so cold of heart. ‘What shall I do now that my true love is gone. What shall I ever do? What shall I do?’ The lovely nightingale sat outside in the settling darkness of the branch of bare cold tree and sang back ‘I am love. And I shall return unto you as the new spring dawns in a new loving season of true hearts love forever.’ Then it alighted from the tree and flew south for the long, cold and dark winter ahead. The young man was left truly alone in the bleakest, coldest of seasons. And time was long, and cold, and harsh of heart. He went down to the country churchyard often and listened to his dead love’s words whispering in the wind, ‘I am love. And I shall return unto you as the new spring dawns on a new loving season of true hearts love forever.’ Yet the cold winter months grew too much for his cold, dead weary heart to bear, and the nights were cold as the lonesome wind howled around the corners and whispered with death from each nook and cranny. It seemed that the spring would never come, but after the longest of time April bloomed once more in his life, and down at the little old churchyard he met another loving young maiden one summer. They fell in love and met and married in the warm season of true love’s hearts that had sprung up and blossomed for him once more. On a warm summer evening he would sit and listen to the lovely nightingale out in the woods as it sung from the love of his heart once more. ‘I am love. And I have returned unto you as the new spring blossomed and a new love grew in your tender heart. Do not fear for true love lasts forever.’ Then it alighted and flew away with the warm pleasant breeze of summer for an eternity of true love to bloom and blossom once more in their loving young lives. ‘I am love. I am love. I shall return. I shall return.’ It’s beautiful song echoes throughout the forest and the trees as the young hearts love with a true heart still. ‘I am love. I shall return. I shall return.’