In Greece there is a story that the four
seasons of the year are created by four magical nymphs. They say that they are
a family but no one knows the real truth. No one even knows what the four
nymphs of the seasons look like. Nor has anyone met them, except one little
girl.
This little girl was named Helena and she lived deep in the countryside
with her stepmother and stepsister Vanessa. Helena’s real mother died when she
was only a baby and her father remarried sometime after her death. Four years
later though Helena’s father died too. Helena’s stepmother and stepsister was
the only family she had left, even though they weren’t her real family.
Helena was a good little girl and did whatever she could to help around
the house but her kindness was never appreciated. Her stepmother and stepsister
were very lazy and very unkind. They made Helena do all the housework without
ever lifting a finger to help. But Helena never complained and did whatever she
was told to do. Although sometimes she wished she received love from her
stepfamily, she never got any.
One day, in the middle of winter, it was Vanessa’s birthday and a big
party was planned. Of course Helena had to get everything ready for the party,
while Vanessa and her mother made themselves look pretty. Soon Vanessa’s party
guests had arrived. They were all children her age from the village and brought
many wonderful gifts. But after presenting their gifts to Vanessa they all
gathered round and began to talk to Helena. Helena was popular with everyone in
the village because of her good nature while Vanessa was unpopular because of
her bad nature.
Vanessa was very jealous of Helena getting all the attention and
complained to her mother. The stepmother didn’t like Helena being more popular
than her own daughter either.
“Don’t worry darling” she said “I think I know how we can get rid of
Helena”. She called Helena over. “Helena I want you to go into the forest and
pick poppies, peaches and apples for your sister’s birthday”.
“But there aren’t any poppies, peaches or apples growing in the middle
of winter mother” said Helena.
“No excuses young lady!” shouted the stepmother “until you find poppies,
peaches and apples you are not to come back into this house”. The stepmother
knew that poppies, peaches and apples didn’t grow in winter; this was her
wicked plan of getting rid of Helena.
So Helena was sent out into the cold harsh winter, with three baskets,
to search for poppies, peaches and apples for her sister. Helena searched and
searched, but she could not find any poppies, peaches or apples anywhere. It
was a cruel thing to do; sending a child out into the cold to find something
that wasn’t there. At last Helena gave up and collapsed in the snow. It was
useless to continue searching. All she could do now was cry and think of home.
Suddenly Helena saw a cottage, with lights on and smoke coming from the
chimney. Helena realized that someone was living there. With her remaining
strength Helena walked up to the cottage and knocked on the door.
“Who’s there?” said a male voice from behind a door.
“Please excuse me” said Helena, feeling a bit scared, “but can I please
sit by your fireplace for a while till I warm up?”
“Of course come on in” said the male voice.
When Helena opened the door a big surprise waited for her. The people
living in the cottage weren’t people; they were the four nymphs of the seasons.
The stories about the four season nymphs being a family were true. The winter
nymph looked like an old man, with white hair and white beard like snow. He was
the father. The summer nymph looked like a beautiful woman, with hair as golden
as the sun. She was the mother. The autumn nymph looked like a teenage boy,
with hair as brown as mud. He was the son. The spring nymph looked like a
little girl around Helena’s age, with hair as green as grass. She was the
daughter.
“Do excuse me for bothering you” said Helena.
“It is no problem dear” said the winter nymph “but what is a little girl
like you doing out in this cold weather?”
Helena told them that her stepmother had sent her out to pick poppies,
peaches and apples for her sister. “I know I will never find them in winter”
she said “but my stepmother said that I’m not allowed to go home till I find
them”.
After listening to her story the four nymphs agreed to help her, but
Helena had to do three tasks for them first. Helena agreed to do whatever she
was told to do. The first task was to clean the whole cottage; the floors and
windows weren’t clean and there was dust everywhere. Helena did this with no
trouble at all; she was used to cleaning a whole cottage by herself. The second
task was to get the four nymphs special clothes ready. Winter wore a white suit
with a white cape, summer wore a long golden yellow gown, autumn wore a brown
shirt and brown trousers and spring wore a short green dress. Helena gave them
a quick iron and sorted them out neatly. The third and final task was to polish
their magic staffs and wands. Winter had a long white staff, summer had a long
yellow staff, autumn had a short brown wand and spring had a short green wand.
Helena polished them till they shone.
When Helena had finished her tasks the four nymphs were pleased and
grateful for all her hard work. Next they told Helena to grab her baskets and
wait outside for them. Helena did just that and then the four nymphs came out,
carrying their staffs and wands. Spring, summer and autumn waved their staffs
and wands together and in a blink of an eye the forest changed. The forest was
now like a mix of three seasons together. One part was spring; another part was
summer and another part autumn. The spring section had beautiful red poppies;
the summer sections had big ripe juicy peaches and the autumn part had ripe
fresh apples. Helena gathered many poppies, peaches and apples until her
baskets were full. Then winter gave her a bag, told her to open her bag out and
stand still. Then he waved his staff and suddenly silver coins were falling
into her bag. All these gifts were thank you gifts to Helena for all the work
she had done for the four nymphs.
Helena thanked them with all her heart, bid farewell to the four nymphs
and headed straight for home.
Back at Helena’s home Vanessa and her mother were feeling glad to be finally
rid of Helena. Suddenly Helena came through the door, with her baskets of
poppies, peaches and apples. Vanessa and her mother were surprised that Helena
actually found them in winter. They were even more surprised when Helena showed
them the bag of silver coins and asked Helena where she got them from. Helena
told them of her encounter with the four nymphs of the seasons and that the
poppies, peaches, apples and silver coins were gifts from them.
Vanessa couldn’t believe that Helena had such luck and wanted silver
coins too. The stepmother wanted the same gifts too. Before anyone could stop
them they were out in the snowy forest. They searched and searched for the four
nymph’s cottage, but couldn’t find it anywhere. The four nymphs had disappeared
along with their cottage after Helena left them. After searching for a long
time, Vanessa and her mother had gone too far from home and couldn’t remember
the way back. Greed had run away with them and they both froze to death in the
wintery forest.
Of course Helena was
saddened to be left all alone once again but the cold winter soon melted away
into the warmth of spring. By that time Helena was adopted; this time by a kind
and loving family. This family had a son and daughter of their own and they
became best friends with Helena. Helena grew up with love from her new family
for the rest of her life.
