Winter Hug

If only I was a tree I could narrate stories about the winter that a 100 years are not enough to finish them.

But I will tell you this story.

About a couple in love that they split due to a bad flue.

Every morning they meet from distance and leave messages of love to each other, hanging to an oak tree.

One day the girl did not go to meet the boy, in vain he was waiting and start telling to an oak tree, all feelings he has for that girl.

The oak tree start crying and tell to the boy:

“You make my heart feel young again. I suggest you to write a letter and share your feelings to the girl. I will tell my friend the sparrow to give her the letter.”

That happens.

The boy write a letter of love to the girl, telling her, how deep his feelings are and he give the letter to the sparrow. The bird fly high and after some hour, get in the room of the girl and find that she was sick lying on her bed. The bird sings and gives the letter to the girl.

That moment the girl starts feeling better and better. She writes back to the boy, and explains to him, why she couldn’t come out all those winter days. She gave another appointment to the boy and the next day, she went to find him.

As winter was so cold, she sat at the bench near the oak tree. She starts singing the song of winter,

“Snow is coming, wear your gloves, put your hat, snow is coming, let’s go out and play the angel’s game. Lay on snow. Start moving one leg, one arm or both at same time. Snow is coming. Kids are happy.”

Suddenly the boy appeared and she ran to him with a smile. They hug each other so tight and wished never be apart.

The oak tree starts crying, as it was so emotional to see the couple together again.

And that hug was a special one, as that time of season, the people called it the winter hug, as for years people they stop hugging each other because they were afraid of the microbes, but this boy and that girl had both a pure heart and from the moment, they hug each other, the myth says the bad flue disappeared, and there were no sickness, no disease.

If you are travelers, and you visit the area, do not forget to visit the oak tree of the winter and give a big hug to each other under that tree.

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Eva Petropoulou-Lianou was born in Xylokastro, Greece. In 1994 she worked as a journalist for the French newspaper “Le Libre Journal” but her love for Greece won her over and she returned in 2002. She has published books and eBooks: “Me and my other self, my shadow”, “Geraldine and the Lake elf” in English – French, as well as “The Daughter of the Moon”, in the 4th edition, in Greek – English. Her work has been included in the Greek Encyclopedia Haris Patsis. Her books have been approved by the Ministry of Education and Culture of Cyprus, for the Student and Teacher library. Her new books, “The Fairy of the Amazon Myrtia “dedicated to Myrto with a disability, and Lefkadios Hearn, Myths and Stories of the Far East, illustrated by Sumi-e painter Dina Anastasiadou, were released in 2019. She recently published her book “The Adventures of Samurai Nogas san” in English by the publishing house OntimeBooks, based in England. She collaborates with the electronic literary magazine ‘The poet magazine’. She partners International Literary Union based in America; collaborates for the promotion of literature and promotes the work of Greek poets. Eva is a member of the “Association Alia Mundi Serbia”, the “International Society of Writers and Artists of Greece” and the “Piraeus Society of Letters and Arts” as well as the Corinthian Writers Society. She is President of Greece Association Mille Minds of Mexico; International Ambassador of e _magazine Namaste India; Advisor and Editor in chief Web Magazine Hubei China; Advisor Member of editorial board Las Olas del Arte Magazine Belgium, and Editor in chief Prodigy magazine USA.