Now the Dark Lord was a God: He was lonely, proud, and just. Yet He was also a man, and would seek out that which He desired. So it was in the time of growing things, when His Lady had passed beyond into the lands of life, He found that He missed Her sorely, and desired again to share the oneness of their love. He journeyed then, to that time that is not a time, to that place that is not a place, to that very gate between the worlds, where His alone was the power to open or close. And there, between the worlds of Life and Death, He bade the Portals to open.

Before Him now lay lands so teeming with Life that he covered his eyes, cowering before the radiant splendor beyond, and, with a mighty cry, leapt through the gate into a land beyond His ken. He laid there, shivering, so overwhelmed by the sensations now coursing through His body, that He began to cry.

Soon He felt a tugging at his heels, and a voice, rich in years, said unto Him, “Arise, Lord, and fear not what thy senses tell thee, for this is also the Land Of Change, and whatsoever thou touch here, shall also touch thee.” Death raised His eyes, and beheld a crone so wrinkled that the lines of her face could map the world, yet her eyes were as clear as two springs fresh fed by the old winter’s snow. “Know you this, too,” she added, “Change measures her steps for the good of all here, not just the one.” With that, she held out a green tunic to him saying, “Wear this, my Lord, and in many ways it will serve to forestall the change about you.” Death did so, and was rewarded with a warmth He had never felt before, yet still He felt diminished, such was His fear of the wide world around him.

“Aged mother,” He asked, “how shall I ever find my love in this great and beautiful land, when its very size and complexity sends a tremor through my heart?”

“Seek for the Lady who would teach you, for your tunic is that of callow youth, and it will bring Her to you, for such is her love of the young and growing,” she replied.

“But will you not stay with me a while?” He asked.

“That I cannot,” she said, “for I am an old woman whose place it is to welcome all at these Portals, whether they be coming or going, and in time, I shall wait for thee also. Now go, and seek for thy love where life blossoms at its fullest!”

Death cast his eyes about, and drank in the richness that which lay before him, filling himself with the life and energy of the land, and sprang away, shouting, “It is fate, and better it be so!” So then he journeyed, ever mindful of the crone’s words, over hill and dale, field and stream, always searching for his heart’s desire until he felt a gnawing inside him, and he stopped beside a garden where a woman was tending her crops. She straightened up from her labor and spied him, saying, “My little green man, come to me and bless my fields and I will shower thee with their abundance.”

To which he replied, “ I may be as green as the land about me, yet it is as new to me as I am to it. Teach me of this blessing you speak of, or, better still, relieve me of this pain that gnaws at my belly, for I feel it weakens me.”

“I see now that you are young, and of the blessing, that is not mine to impart to you,” she said, “But that emptiness within you is nothing but hunger, and for that there is an easy remedy.” So she led him to her hearth where she fed him not only food, but also knowledge of the world, the secrets of the winds, the miracle of fire, the wonder of the waters, and treasures of the earth. And although he marveled at how this filled him, he still felt the pull of emptiness within, and remembered his desire.

“You have been as a mother to me, and I give you thanks for all you have done, “ he said, “and for all this, I would bless your fields beyond measure, if only you would teach it to me. Why is it not yours to teach?”

“Thus is it ever so in these Changing Lands,” She explained, “For know you that my fields are in fruit and close to harvest, so take your blessing to the place of blossoming and gift it to another such as I. Do this, and your blessing shall defeat time and live on forever.”

And so he left her then, taking his course now in full stride, for there was wisdom in what she told him, and he followed his desire, bearing the gifts of her nourishment and knowledge to pass on to the one that now filled his dreams. Soon he came to a land that was greener than any other he had seen, where the heady scents of flowers filled him with passions yet to be unleashed from within. It was when the core of his being was aflame with these emotions, that he saw Her sitting in a leafy bower, surrounded with flowers abloom with promise beyond all measure, maiden-young and goddess-wise, and in that instant, he loved her anew. “Take my gifts, my Lady, and teach me to bless your fields and so honor my debt to another.”

Then She looked upon him with eyes as clear as crystal springs fresh fed by winter's snow and said, “Then take my hand, my great green man, and let me lead you down the leafy glen, to where all life runs to its fullest. There will we leap the fire kindled by our love and pleasure, and in so doing, create new life, and abundance beyond all measure.”

Thus it was that they loved and were one, and soon he saw a ripening within her, a promise of new life to come. Then he looked within himself, and saw that he too was changing even as everything around him changed. It was then that the Lady spoke to him, saying, “Come with me now my Lord, for there is a journey for us both to take, and I would share it with no one else.” And with those words, they left the glen and journeyed far until they came upon a garden, its fruit harvested and stored, slowly browning in an autumn sun. The green man searched, but he could not find the woman who mothered him, until he turned to face his lady. There before him she had transformed with a belly great with promise and a love for all that is young and growing. He understood then, and when next she spoke, He knew.

“Here must I rest my love, and nourish that which sleeps and grows within me. You must go on your journey now, but do not fear for me, for I am within you too, and I will be always with you, even at the end of all desire.”

Then he left, over browning field and heath, over snow -capped hill and frosty valley until he came to those very portals from which he sprang. As He struggled up to them He saw the Crone, just as she had promised, waiting beside the gates in that time that is not a time, in that place that is not a place, and there, between the worlds, He looked deeply into Her eyes; clear as two springs fresh fed by the old winter’s snow and said, “My Midwife, My Mother, My Lover, you have been all these things to me, come with me now through the portals, and let the ravages of time drop from ourselves as we would cast off old raiment.”

And as He bid the gates to open, She was heard to have said, “Know you this my Lord, that with our union, thou hast bound thyself to This My Land, and there now is a part of yourself in me that lies sleeping, awaiting your return in the time of growing things.”