Four Sisters of the Earth

    "In the bleak mid-winter, all of nature groans. The world engulfed in darkness, frozen like a stone. And all of man will moan, for with Winter he must all atone," sung a girl sitting on a stump surrounded by snow. The song was like syrup in the way the words slowly rolled of the girls tongue.

    Her hair fell to her shoulders and it was white as the powdery snow that surrounded her. Her eyes where an almost shiny coloring of clear blue, and her skin was pale. She wore brown boots and blue jeans. A thin, dark blue parka was what she wore, the hood not on though, it contrasted with her black fingerless cloves she wore. In her right hand she held a staff make of coniferous wood. As she breathed her breath didn't appear in the air, but the sound did seem to resonate.

    Her peaceful singing was interrupted by a cheerful voice. "Winter, may I please have my turn now?" the voice asked excitedly.

    The girl sighed as she turned her head and saw where the voice was coming from. "Spring, I still have quite awhile for my turn," she said with an annoyed tone.

    Spring, the girl that had asked the question frozen for a few seconds before smiling again. She was drastically different from the first girl. Her hair was blonde and also went to her shoulders. Her eyes where emerald green and her skin was a nice cream color. She wore a white blouse and a light green skirt. She wore green shoes on her feet and a nice flower crown rested on her head. A little robin rested on her shoulder.

    "Oh come on Winter, just this once, pretty please?" Spring asked pleadingly with puppy dog eyes.

    Winter groaned. "Spring, how deaf are you?" She asked sarcastically.

    "I'm not deaf at all. I could hear your glooming singing perfectly," Spring said with a grin.

    Winter sighed. "That's not what I... You know what, just forget it."

    "Oh... Okay!" Spring said smiling.

    Winter was about to make a retort before she was interrupted by another person. "What up nerds?" the voice called out with a laugh. Spring turn and smiled.

    "Hey Summer!" she called excitedly. Winter sighed.

    Summer quickly came over. Her hair was short, only going down to to the top of her neck, and black. Her eyes where a fiery red, and her skin was a nicely tanned bronze tone. She wore a red bikini set with a sun themed towel wrapped around her waist to act like a short dress. She had red flip flops on and was wearing a pair of sunglasses.

    "What seems to be the problemo dudettes?" Summer asked smiling, her speak similar to that of a surfer.

    "Winters not letting me have my turn," Spring said with a sad voice and a pouty expression.

    "Whoa, that's like, mean sis?" Summer remarked.

    Winter sighed. "It's not time for her turn yet!" She said getting more and more annoyed.

    "Still, you need to take a chill pill," Summer said calmly.

    "Just... Shut up!" Winter yelled, fed up with both of them. "Spring, stop asking me! Summer, speak like a regular person!"

    "Sis, that attitude is so not radical," Summer said shaking her head.

    Winter gritted her teeth. That was it! She had had enough! She suddenly stood up and lunged at Summer.

    "Hey! Get off me sis!" Summer said as she struggled against Winter. Spring just stood by, not wanting to get involved, mainly due to her not being any good at fighting.

    Winter scowled as she reached into Summer's towel and gripped her bikini bottom. She started tugging sharply. "I. Said. Speak. Normally!" she said, emphasising her words with yanks.

    "Eeeeppo! W- Winter!" Summer squeled, her calm demeaner suddenly gone, as well as her surfer voice. "Let go, this hurts!" she yelled as she squeled.

    "No. I'm sick and tired of how you're acting! And Spring, you'll get the same treatment if you keep begging!" Winter yelled as she yanked harder. She grabbed a handful of snow off the ground and shoved it into Summer's bikini.

    Spring winced as she watched Summer's painful experience, not wanting the same to happen to her.

    "C.. C.. Cold!" squeled Summer, suprised by the sudden coldness of her rearend. "I.. I said get off me!" she yelled as she finally managed to get Winter off of her.

    "Fine, I'll stop," Winter said, believing Summer had lost her fight.

    "Oh no you don't!" Summer said as she tackled and pinned Winter on her stomach. "Youre gonna taste your own medicine!" She yelled as she yanked sharply on Winters waistband.

    Winter's eyes widened and she gasped as her snowflake panties suddenly assaulted her ass. "O.. Okay, you've made your point!" Winter squeled in pain.

    As Summer began her payback on Winter, Spring felt someone tap her shoulder. She glanced behind her back. "Oh... Hi Autumn," She said to the girl.

    The girl standing by Spring could have easily been mistaken for a boy. Her short brown hair, dull brown eyes, lightly tanned skin and her rather small breast made her look less girly. These things, combined with her tank top, brown overalls, gloves, work boots and straw hat made her look like a hardworking boy to any one that may have been passing by.

    "Hey Spring," Autumn nodded in greeting. "So, what's the situation with..." she paused and pointed over at Summer and Winter.

    "Oh, Winter got a little mad when I asked if I could have my turn," She said innocently.

    "Uh hu?... And how many times did you ask?" Autumn asked, knowing the number was probably very high.

    "Oh, only a few.... dozen times," Spring said meekly.

    Autumn chuckled. "Well, mother ain't gonna like this," she said chuckling.

    Suddenly, a shadow fell on the ground infront of Autumn and Spring and their eyes widened as they saw someone. "Hello Mother," They both said simultaneously.

    The woman smiled at her two children standing before her. Her hair was brown and braided up, though it's length ran down to her shoulders, her skin was a soft cream color and her eyes where a mixture of blue and brown, making a slight purple tint to them. She wore a green dress that looked to be made of a leaf like material and she wore brown sandles. She stood nearly a full foot above her daughters.

    "Hello children," she said with a soft seuthing voice. "Do either of you know what all the fuss is about?" she asked referring to Summer and Winter who where now rolling around in the snow, exchanging yanks and tugs on each other's undergarments.

    "Well... I... kinda bugged Winter about having my turn early..." Spring said, realizing that she was partially to blame.

    "Then I'd like you to stay here. But Fall, you may go about your business," Mother said calmly.

    "Okay mom," Autumn nodded as she quickly walked off, she hadn't even thought to complain about Mother using her pet name which she had gotten by being clumsy at a young age.

    Mother walked over to the two fighting sisters and looked down at them. "Care to explain you're impromptu wrestling match?" she asked.

    Both Summer and Winter's eyes widened as they realized that Mother was there. They quickly let go of each other and stood up, completely ignoring their stretched out underwear that hung out of Winter's pants and Summer's improvised dress.

    "Well... Um..." Winter stammered, not knowing what to say.

    "It was all her fault!" Summer blurted and pointed at Winter.

    "No it wasn't!" Winter whined defensively.

    Their mother sighed. Children, always getting in trouble and playing the blame game. "I suppose if no one tells me the truth I'll just have to punish all of you," she threatened.

    Their eyes widened. Knowing their mother, that usually meant a harsher punishment for every one involved in the trouble making. "I.. Kinda got mad at Spring for bugging me and Summer was being annoying," Winter quickly said.

    "And.. I may have been trying to annoy Winter with the way I was talking," Summer said meekly.

    Their mother smiled. She hated having to be strict with her girls, but she didn't want them to grow up to be self absorbed brats. She knew she still had to discipline them. "Girls, please turn around. Including you Spring," she said calmly.

    The three girls turned around, afraid of the inevitable pain that was to follow. Autumn was probably glad to not have been a part of this little fiasco, even though she could take her punishment better than the others.

    Mother held her hand out and a small switch grew out of the ground. She plucked it out of the snow and held it tightly in her hand. She swiftly swung the switch with a hand that had gotten used to doing so, which went to show how often her children misbehaved.

    The swing happened in the blink of an eye and it took a few split second for the girls to react. Three yelps escaped their lips as they suddenly felt the stinging in their rear ends.

    Their mother brought her hand back for another swat, with less force this time though, as she merely wanted to teach her children a lesson, but not harm them any more than needed. She swung again. Three more yelps sliced through the air. A tear even started to run down Spring's cheek.

    "Be strong my children, it is almost over," she said in her loving tone, one that in could be seen hatred of the disciplinary task at hand. Another swat followed, this one the lightest of the three, landing on their target.

    Immediately after the final blow struck their mother cast aside the switch, as if it where a vile abomination. She then hugged her three children in her arms. "I'm sorry for that. But you know its for your own good," she said softly.

    Now this was the worst part for them. Not the dread of the punishment nor the pain of the discipline, but seeing their mother saddened was the worst of all. After a few minutes their mother let go of them. She wiped a tear away before returning to her calm self again.

    "Are you all sorry?" she asked solemnly.

    "Yes mother," the three of them said, feeling bad for the things that they had done. Spring for bugging Winter, Winter for giving into her anger, and Summer for purposely trying to aggravate Winter.

    Their mother smiled. "By the way, you may want to readjust your undergarments," she said with a giggle.

    Winter and Summer both blushed bright red as they realized their underwear was still hanging out. They both quickly adjusted is as Spring giggled.

    "Now girls, lets let Winter finish her turn in peace shall we?" Mother said as she walked off. Summer and Spring quickly followed, leaving Winter sitting on her tree stump to continue her gloomy song.

    And so, once again, the seasons are in balance with one another.

    THE END