The spirits of the dead exist and are always watching upon us.
Every man is responsible for his own actions and has no right to blame someone else, or an arcane entity, for his doings.
Every life is sacred and deserves to be cherished.
Nature is our Mother and our goal is to protect and love all her creatures.
Respect the beliefs of others and learn what you can from them.
See to it that you are always ready to help, protect and love those that share the same Earth with you.
Learn, experience, discover. Knowledge is the greatest treasure you can obtain.
Never repeat the mistakes from Mankindʼs Dark Past.
Never let anyone crush your spirit.
And, my son, make it your mission to spread goodness in the world.
Will she ever embrace me again? Was her spirit gone forever? Were those ten lines all that was left of her? That woman was the one that had opened my eyes and showed me a world where there was place for everyone, no matter what they believed in, what their origins were, in other words, she showed me that paradise was not something we had to wait for in the afterlife, but that it was possible to create it in this world. I was spending my third week off duty, still in bed, but this time I was in a very interesting state of mind. She was dancing in front of my eyes all the time, it didnʼt matter whether they were closed or not. I havenʼt changed my clothes and they were all sweaty and worn out, my hair was greasy and in little knots, and all my limbs were sore because I havenʼt moved them for days. I was just lying there and staring at the ceiling, thinking about her. My brain did not have the strength to analyse the situation anymore and I surrendered to the pain that has been building up and eating me from the inside for years. Death...I was reeking of death. And sorrow.
Snowflakes were fascinating little things; so fragile, yet they looked like they had the perfect structure, the epitome of symmetry, that could not be destroyed by any weapon. And they were all unique, every little flake had its own shape. Many of us have had the habit of catching them in our mouths when they would start falling from the white heavens. Thousands and thousands of snowflakes would collide with others that were already on the ground and, after a few hours, they would form a white blanket that was spread on every single thing, leaving nothing uncovered. She too was dressed in white, which matched her pale skin, and the only things that set her apart from the whiteness were her dark eyes and her brown hair. It was early still, and her son was still sleeping in the house. Good thing that he was finally getting some rest, for he had spent two days sitting on the grave of Mary Ann, refusing to leave. Several men tried to take him away, but Ichabod just kept kicking and biting them, screaming and scratching at their eyes, until they finally gave up and left him there. Ichabod was still in shock, he refused to say any prayer before he went to sleep and he did not want to see his father. Crane himself was taken aback when he saw the unnatural sparkle in the boy's eyes, recognizing the latent magic streak he had inherited from his mother. Lady Crane was in great concern because of this; the boy's mood affected the weather and first there were thunder and rain, followed by blizzards. But, since he was asleep that morning, there was nothing more than gentle snowflakes.
The tall trees and the bushes were all covered in snow, and the wind blew with such delicacy, as if it was reluctant to disturb such a blissful sight. Lady Crane pressed her hand against the bark of one of the nearby trees and felt its roughness on her skin. That same tree would wake again from its slumber in spring, ready to burst forth its new leaves and bask in the sunlight again. Days will become longer again, the forest critters will run through it again and the sun will warm up their homes. But time was running out for Lady Crane and she knew it. She was only thirty and death was already upon her. It was only a matter of time before she made a wrong step, utter the wrong words or do something that will give him more than enough reasons to accuse her of witchcraft. Till then she had been very careful, she would hide all the scientific books she gave to Ichabod when Crane was around, she never kept any flowers or herbs inside the house, never tried to heal anything by herself and called the unskilled doctor instead, and that kept her from danger. But she knew that Crane was aware of her escapades with ichabod in the forest, the looks they sometimes exchanged. There will come a time when she won't be in the position to hide herself anymore.
Many times she had asked herself what was it she did to deserve such a fate. She was married off to Crane because her parents admired his wealth and reputation, but at the same time she was condemned to living hell. He didn't like the fact that she was smart and capable, he wanted someone pious and submissive. It irritated him that she felt better surrounded by animals and trees instead of people. She was a foreign being to him. And it drove him mad. Things only became worse when she had Ichabod, when Crane noticed the same sparkling eyes the boy shared with his mother. And soon he noticed that she could...do things. Things that were unnatural and unavailable to others.
Crane was cruel and callous by nature, and his wife's behaviour made it even worse. It was obvious that their marriage would end either in the death of one, or they would both perish. So many words, so many tears have been poisoning their minds for so long and none of them was allowed to be happy or feel life. But she had Ichabod, and seeing him smile was all she needed to survive the day.
She looked up and felt the snowflakes touch her face. It was so nice to feel all those sensations. It suddenly came to her that she was going through her last winter, and these were her last moments when she would enjoy the snow in the forest. A few tears trickled down her face as she closed her eyes and whispered her son's name.
