Snow softly drifted down, blanketing the wood as the sun slowly set to end another day. As the snow fell two figures, a boy and his grandfather, walked hand in hand through the deepening snow toward home. The boy stared at the bare lifeless looking trees thinking how beautiful they were in the summer with their crisp green leaves. It made him sad that every year they would fall to the ground to wither and die. The young boy shed a tear for the beautiful fallen leaves.
Looking down at the boy and seeing him cry the grandfather asked, "Boy why are you crying?"
Sniffling the boy answered, "I'm crying for the leaves."
The grandfather knelt beside the boy and wiped his tears. "Why are you crying for leaves? They're just leaves."
Looking down at his feet the young boy replied, "Every spring the trees grow wonderful looking leaves, green and crisp. But, every winter the snow bites and the wind blows, tearing the lovely leaves from the branches and casting them to the wood floor, dead and hopeless."
Smiling at the boy his grandfather took him by the hand, leading him toward a tall evergreen with branches that were covered in snow. Shaking the lowest branch to reveal the green needles beneath the grandfather's eyes brightened when a small gasp escaped the young boy.
"Not all trees lose their leaves in the winter time. When Persephone leaves her mother to take her yearly trip to the Underworld, Demeter's grief causes plants to cease their growing. It turns the earth cold like the mother's broken heart." The grandfather looked to the boy, making sure he's listening.
"Plants are not the only thing winter brings death to, young one. Cold brings sickness and sickness leads to death. So was the case with an old farmer named Eumaeus. Every year Eumaeus lost a loved one to the cold. Every year went on like this until one year he only had his wife and she was desperately ill. He decided that he would lose no more. He would go to the god Asclepius if he had to but I he would not let her die."
"And so, leaving his sick wife in the care of a dear friend he set off to find a way to keep her alive through the winters. And he soon would." The grandfather pulled the boy away from the tree and continued onward towards home.
"What happened to Eumaeus?" asked the little boy.
"Well, he traveled southward until he reached a small wood were he came upon an owl. Perched upon a low tree branch, the feathered being looked down at the old farmer.
"Whoooooo?" The owl blurted curiously.
"My name is Eumaeus. Would you mind telling me where to find the god Asclepius? For my wife is sick and she needs medicine."
The owl cocked his head to the side. He had heard of Eumaeus's journey. He also knew what happened to Asclepius last time he brought someone back from Hades doorstep. If the owl sent the farmer to Asclepius then he would most certainly help him without question. The owl rather liked the god of medicine and didn't want him to be punished for his good deeds.
Having the fate of his friend in mind he answered, "The god of medicine cannot help you, for your wife is already dead."
Stricken by grief the farmer fell to his knees and sobbed, cursing the Fates."
The little boy winced, for even he knew not to anger those who held your life in their hands.
"Hearing the curses of the farmer, the fates were angered. Leaving their loom they sped towards the weeping Eumaeus.
'How dare you curse us!'
Shrinking back from the shrieking women, Eumaeus sobbed out apology after apology but the fates' fury would not be stayed.
'You shall be an example of what happens to those who anger the fates!' They raised their hands to bring upon him some sort of hideous death, but the youngest of the fates took pity on him.
Turning to her sisters, she said, 'This is a man filled with grief for his dying wife. His words are not his own. Leave him be.'
Angry, the fates retreated planning to weave for him a dark future, but the youngest stayed. 'Your wife is dead Eumaeus but I can make her memory last forever. In the winter she shall never die.'
The grandfather turned to the boy. "What do you think happened to Eumaeus's wife?"
Scrunching up his nose in thought the boy turned, looking at the path that they had left in the snow. Suddenly his eyes widened in understanding. "She's a tree!"
"Yes, she's a tree. She stays green all winter. The fate turned the his wife into an evergreen so he can always have a loved one who stays alive all winter."
Smiling the little ran to his mother who was standing on the porch. What the grandfather didn't tell his grandson was that Eumaeus died the next winter.