Long ago, it grew very cold. Ice and snow covered the land. Fires couldn’t keep people warm, and corn coulden’t grow. Glooskap, the leader of the people, had to do something.

Glooskap traveled far to the north. Everything was white with snow. He came to a house of solid ice where a giant named winter lived.

Winter invited Glooskap inside. Winter began to tell stories of when he ruled the earth. soon Glooskap fell asleep under Winter’s spell. Winter was too powerful for Glooskap. But Glooskap’s messenger, Tatler the Loon, awoke him.

“Travel south, Glooskap! You will find a woman who can defeat winter,” cried Tatler. Glooskap escaped and traveled for to the south where it was finally warm.

Grass grew and flowers bloomed. Glooskap saw spirits dancing in circles. At the center was Summer. She had long brown hair, and she wore a crown of flowers.

Glooskap asked Summer to come north with him. She followed him to Winter’s house of ice. Winter invited them in and sat them down. He began to tell stories again. But Winter’s spells could not capture Summer. She began to chant her own spell, and sweat ran down Winter’s face. “I am stonger than you,” said Summer.

“You must leave this land and thaw your icy breath,” she said. Winter wept, and his tears became rivers of melted snow and ice. The corn grew, and flowers bloomed again.

Summer told Winter, “You will have your own land in the north. It will always be winter there. You may come and visit other lands for part of the years. But in the spring, I will drive you out.”

Since that day, Winter has ruled for part of the year. But every spring, Summer drives him away. Sometimes it seems like winter will never end. But Summer is stronger than Winter. Spring wil always come.

Sumber: Reading A to Z