Winter Wonderland

            The magnificent night descends into the distant hills as the thinking crickets sing their last song before their cold sleep, the trapped sun judging their thoughtful fate through the small cracks in the pearl-white sky. The pale-yellow grass is now coloured with cold, the shivering trees freezing in the sunlight, faking the holy heat. The far forests of high pines look like a dreamy mirage from my steamed windows, driver-less tractors still working the dark brown ground, without a sole purpose.

            The colour-less flowers cry slowly and silently, the oaks fallen behind the storms on the dead ground, beating an imaginary drum across the lands, calling the arctic weather to join this unholy ritual. Its footsteps can be heard, stomping heavily on the weeds, like the avatar of a god, a mad giant, sad, mute, angry and grumpy.

 It all looks like the deserted time before winter, like the kids falling asleep, waiting for Santa Claus. If you ask me, it’s all nature’s magic, pure and happy, but also, sometimes, surprisingly evil, just like childhood.

As I’m writing this, the sky cracks with horror, the worst spying for the perfect moment, but it gets scared away, as heaven’s angels spew through the cracks, bringing presents to everybody who’s watching them. They fly on the winds, surfing through the clouds, snow falling slowly in their wake, nature bleaching behind them, the animals hiding in the ground, watching the beautiful show. It is, truly, a beautiful show, mesmerizing everybody who is watching it.

The sky now holds a more happy theme, with a nicer white made out of all the snow in the world. The mad giant is now seen as a more happy, dynamic and sociable Gulliver, tending to the animals with nightmares, calming them to sweet sleep, shaking hands with the awoken residents of the forests, singing a song about New Year’s Eve. The flowers are all fabulous, shining in the now full sunlight, like Hollywood actresses. The grass and tress all get nicer, hotter clothing with which they can now live happily in balance with winter.  It’s all nature’s magic, pure and happy. The crickets, ants, bees and all the bugs and small animals are toasting, eating at a long table made all out of nature’s delicious goods, the birds sending holiday cards from the hot lands, the pyramids, Aztec temples and ancient churches, all staying on them.

And, as the mysterious night slowly rises again, all the plants, animals and angels gather in a single forest to celebrate the winter’s arrival. And as all of the invited crowd gets drunk with happiness, magic rises behind the mountains, a trail of white racing in its wake, shining the sky and moon with stars of gold, the midnight-blue of the night looking nicer than ever. And as that magic takes an earthly form, the crowd gasps with surprise as it’s created out of nature, with a body of snow, clothes of golden leaves and eyes of dark blue water, Miss Winter itself!

Meanwhile, the kids are already falling asleep, Santa sneaking in the house, drinking milk and eating cookies, leaving gifts for everybody, hurrying to join the party, as the sky is drawn with more and more stars, guiding elves and angels alike.