He was Fall while she was Winter.
On a certain time of the year, nature would allow them to meet, to overlap each other's timing in the world. For a brief moment, Fall and Winter would find each other midway– joining each other's presence through frozen ice and fallen leaves.
As the days turned, the sweet Fall chased the cold Winter endlessly– till the ends of the earth and through the course of the waves.
Soon, he came to love her. And slowly, she learned to love him too. Together they braved the changing tides of growing together. They mixed beautifully– like lovely yellowing trees on snow capped mountains.
Yet all through the years, Winter kept on running.
Because it was her duty to go on, and the world can't make her stop. Fall chased her but he cannot keep up with her pace. Soon, as other seasons passed by, he grew tired of running. Until ultimately, he came to a stop.
When she looked back, it broke her heart to find that he was gone. For a moment in time, long cold winds whirled around the world, stirring trees that slowly swayed with the breeze. There was a long pause in the days, when birds stopped chirping and the sun hid from the Earth. The rivers froze indefinitely and the trees stopped bringing glory to the land. The whole of time stopped. Eventually, Winter went on her way, and so did Fall.
Fall and Winter loved each other. But they realized that even if it takes the longest time, they could only meet in the middle– nothing more, nothing less– only halfway. Nature never destined them to be together.
Sometimes a howling wind blows, shaking all the yellowed leaves off the trees of the earth. Sometimes, we see dried trees stuck dancing amid frozen rivers. Sometimes, these are the reminders that love has its seasons, and that seasons do end.
And now on our days, whenever the Fall is over, the coldness always instantly follows.
This story was written way back in 2015, and was part of the author's submission for a creative writing practice. Images' source.