A Season's Tale

Juno looked at the the fireworks painting coloured sulpher across the night sky and
sighed, he had lost his quarry. The new year for the humans had arrived and his tasks
as Winter Lord were on hold as he had come across the Other who had invaded his
arena.

The crackles of of the Chinese-magic were loud and the world seemed full of excitement
and fun. The family in the garden before Juno whooped and clapped at the light show.
The 'Other'... as Juno had began to call the stranger, had passed by this way and the
small creature who drew down the icy time of Winter had lost this enigmatic being's
spoor.

..............................................****........................................................

Juno had spoken to the thorny Higgitt as he had prepared for his slumber after
his bout as 'Autumn-Bringer' and the strange figure that sat on the mossy tree stump
had scoffed at Juno's idea.
"I assure you, there is someone else with us..." Juno had said and ignored his elfin ears
listening to a snoring hedgehog nearby "... this Other has been watching us"

Juno glanced into the darkness around the clearing in the forest and then eyed Higgitt,
an answer would be needed. Higgitt turned over the old blackbird's nest in his hand
and poked his snout into the dusty straw. "We hold sway here, Juno. There's no such
creature" Higgitt growled as he sucked in the stale smells of Autumn.
Juno had looked down at his hooved feet and recalled what had happened.


..............................................****........................................................

It had been Halloween and a favourite time for Juno. Preparing for the evening was
a joy and calling in winds to rattle twigs down drainpipes to sound of rattling bones
and to moan through chimney pots, set a scene of ghosts and goblins.
Old women fought against the rain and gusts, their umbrellas flapping like bats in
the high streets and the smell of wood-smoke seemed to be everywhere.

Juno had watched from the high branches of a tree as the young humans set out onto
into the evening to obtain their candies. The ritual was to celebrate death and loss, but
the humans had made it a happy occasion with children running from house-to-house
dressed in strange garb and painted with garrish greens.
Halloween called to the children hamlin-like and they danced to the tune with joy.

It was later in a small girl's bedroom, that Juno had first sensed someone that now took up
all his thoughts. The night was when Juno also rested and he could be often found in the
wee-small hours in the humans houses, looking through their secrets and hopes.
The girls' diary spoke of young love and first-step darings, the lavender-smelling pages
told of juvenile yearnings.

The Siamese Cat-clock ticked the night away as the girl slept on and dreamt of her tooth-
jarring Halloween gains. Her father murmered in the other room and Juno knew that the
man had started to wake in the mornings with new thoughts in his balding head.

'Where am I going?' he often mumbled as he sat on the side of the bed and 'is this me?'
became a common thought as the girl's father became older. His child was growing up...
getting ahead and parents always began to ponder their own mortality, Juno always
smiled as they finally became 'true' human.

The creak on the stair landing pricked up Juno's long ears and the boyish looks of Juno
changed, the heavy eyebrows furrowed as he turned. The wallpaper near the bedroom
door seemed to fade and the bright colours of a hanging posters of boy singers were being
drawn towards the slightly-ajar door.
"Who dares to sneak before me?" Juno snapped and knew that the humans could not hear
him, but this seemed different. The darkness around the door seemed to grow as if a mould
was flourishing. The scene... apart from the head-wagging Cat clock, remained quiet.

Juno breathed evenly and his eyes narrowed as he watched the colour-sapping of the
room. "I care not for such antics" he hissed and placed the girl's diary on the cluttered
chest of drawers, the shadows slid slightly and the creak came again. Juno moved swiftly
to reveal the trespasser and as he grasped the doorknob, his fingers felt the icyness that
rivalled any of the frosts he could summon.
There was nothing there.
The darkness on the stair landing spoke without words to Juno... someone or something
had waited here.


..............................................****........................................................

Juno shook his head to jolt the thoughts away and looked back at Higgitt, the snaggled
hair on his friend's back held dead leaves and lumps of bark. Higgitt was preparing his
bed and Juno could feel the passing of Autumn and the power of the oncoming Winter
surge through his body.
"Did Berricott ever mention anything of another?" Juno asked his friend and knew he
would have to wait for the bedding to be finished. Berricott brought Summer and Juno
knew that Higgitt secretly loved the Maiden of The Sun.
The Autumn King sighed and halted his business, Juno was pushing too hard.
"We are the only ones here... we have been here since time began. We bring the
seasons to the world and hold sway over the land. You, me, Berricott and Calypso...
we are the only ones here" The words were a statement and Higgitt stared at Juno
to see if he would surrender, his friend smiled back weakly.
The sigh came again and Higgitt walked over to the furry-legged element and placed
a scruffy arm around his shoulder, Juno scanned Higgitt's face. "Look... in all the time
I've been here, I've never seen anyone else like us, whatever it was you thought you
saw... " Higgitt left his sentence open.


..............................................****........................................................

So now the new year had drawn the Other out of hiding and Juno had seen the dark
shape move across the roof top of the family house where the festivities were taking
place. Juno's eyes flitted across the scene scanning for the interloper.
A darker-than-dark shadow passed the window of the girl's room -where Juno had first
felt the presence and Juno knew he'd been right all along.
Crouching in the nettles, he prepared himself to chase the shadow and with a hope that
rivalled the girl's love for her beau, Juno went after the Other.

I want to understand this, I really do. I like it, although it's confusing in some ways.

reply to post by ladyinwaiting


Yeah, sorry about that... I had an idea (and there's a tale somewhere on a computer
that holds an expanded version) that four creatures brought the seasons every year.
Then one of them discovered a fifth one, it was actually Death.

The tale could have been done better, sorry again.

reply to post by A boy in a dress


Silly, nothing to apologize for.........I love the way you write, and I enjoyed your story.
I just wanted to make sure I was "getting it", the way you intended.

Oh I thought it was death! Great story!!!!