Evadne, though, had other plans. In the mirror-room, she watched the white flakes fall, then melt on the glass, leaving wet and rather slippery.
"Mirror, Mirror, of circled wall, show me scenes from Avalon home."
The mirror at once lit with a family sledding in the snow. There was a mother, father, and four children. They were laughing and talking and sledding quickly down the hills of white. For a moment, Evadne just stared at them. She'd never really had a family, like that. She'd had her father of course, but since he'd died she'd had no one. She rather felt that she was missing out on something, though she wasn't quite sure what it was.
After a few moments she picked up the thin threads and began to weave them into a perfect picture. She soon had another tapestry. She then started home, to her tower. The dark green pine trees were covered in sparkling white snow and cold, clear icicles hung from their branches. Sometimes the wind could be heard, blowing through them; they'd shake and shiver and some of the snow would plop to the ground.
Evadne smiled. This was home, and it was lovely. If anyone was missing out, it was the people she saw in the mirror, not her. For she was the one who lived in this gorgeous place, not they.
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The bright sun flooded down its warmth and light. The snow melted, the ground began to appear once more. Grass shot up in bright, fluorescent patches, followed by sweet-smelling flowers. Winter was over and spring had come. The world came alive again, with noise and green everywhere. In the meadows the flowers could be seen slowly opening in the dewy mornings, then closing in the misty evenings. Shalott was heaven in the summer. Summer faded into fall, as the leaves changed to crimson and yellow, then drifted on the back of the wind to the soft earth. The ground crunched under one's feet and the dried leaves crackled. The weather turned cold, and the first snow dotted the ground in white. The seasons all faded into one another, time and again.
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Evadne stared at the grey wall in front of her. She had been in Shalott for a long time. She wasn't sure how long, just that it had been more than a few winters since she'd been in Avalon. And she was happy, or at least she thought she was. Now she wasn't so sure. She had a funny feeling, like she'd been left behind, left out of something.
When she looked at her reflection each time she went to weave, she was exactly the same as when she had come. She couldn't explain it, she had simply not aged. It was strange. Evadne had the feeling of just wanting to go home, only she was home. The manor was not home, not since Father had died. Shalott was all she'd known for years. Yet...it was missing something.
Evadne stood in the middle of the mirror room. The mirror showed a picture of two young lovers, having a picnic in the grass. They were laughing and talking and looked so happy and in love. The sun shone brightly, different from Shalott. In Shalott, even when the sun did shine, there were shadows somewhere. And cold, damp mists. Usually, it was lovely, adding to the enchanted feel, but Evadne would have died for a sunny picnic. One cold tear dripped down her cheek. The picture vanished.
"Evadne, Evadne, maiden fair, why do your eyes fill with tears?" the mirror questioned.
Evadne quickly swiped the tear away. "I'm fine. I'm just—a little, sick of shadows, I guess. I'm going to go back—get some sleep."
She left the mirror in a hurry. She didn't understand, she used to love Shalott! But it seemed that the pictures in the mirror always were of something she didn't have, something she wanted. She really couldn't think what. Of course, there were people, but people had never meant much to her. She didn't have friends, really, most people were cruel. They let you down, or else died. The birds had been better friends. But the reason could not put the feelings at bay.