High above the world, where the clouds float like cotton castles, two great winds lived. The North Wind lived far away at the icy top of the earth, where polar bears played and snowflakes danced all day long. The South Wind lived at the warm bottom of the earth, where parrots sang and palm trees swayed in the sunshine.
One autumn day, the North Wind decided to visit the meadows below. He came rushing down with a whoosh and a roar, swirling leaves into the air and painting the treetops with frost. 'Make way, make way!' he called. 'The North Wind is coming to play!'
At the very same time, the South Wind was floating gently upward from the warm lands. She brought the scent of flowers and the warmth of sunshine in her golden breeze. 'How lovely the autumn leaves look,' she sighed, sending a shower of petals ahead of her.
The two winds met right in the middle of a golden meadow. The North Wind blew cold and the South Wind blew warm, and where they met, the air shimmered and sparkled. 'Well, well!' said the North Wind. 'Who are you?' 'I am the South Wind,' she answered warmly. 'And who might you be?'
'I am the mighty North Wind!' he boasted, puffing up his frosty chest. 'I come from the land of ice and snow! I have great white bears and silver foxes and mountains made of ice! My snowflakes are the most beautiful things in the whole world!' He blew a flurry of snowflakes into the air to prove it.
'How wonderful!' said the South Wind. 'But my home is just as lovely. I have colorful parrots and bright butterflies and trees full of coconuts and mangoes! My warm rains make the flowers bloom and the rivers sing!' She sent a burst of warm air that made wildflowers pop up in the meadow.
'But surely,' said the North Wind with a huff, 'winter is the best season! Children build snowmen and ice-skate on frozen ponds. Hot cocoa tastes best on my cold days!' He twirled around, creating a tiny snow flurry in the meadow.
'Oh no,' laughed the South Wind, 'summer is the best! Children swim in the sea and eat ice cream in the sunshine. Gardens burst with tomatoes and strawberries!' She spun around, and for a moment the meadow felt like a warm summer's day.
They went back and forth, each one trying to prove their season was best. But then a little bird landed between them and began to sing. The bird sang about spring flowers and summer sun, about autumn leaves and winter snow. Its song was about ALL the seasons, and it was the most beautiful song either wind had ever heard.
The two winds fell quiet and listened. When the bird finished, the South Wind smiled. 'I think I understand now,' she said softly. 'The world needs both of us. Without your cold, the snow would never fall. Without my warmth, the flowers would never bloom. Together, we make all four seasons!'
The North Wind's frosty face broke into a big grin. 'You're right!' he said. 'I'm sorry I was so boastful.' The South Wind picked a sprig of evergreen from a nearby tree. 'Here,' she said, 'take this. It stays green even in the coldest winter. Let it remind you that even when I'm far away, a little bit of my warmth lives on.'
The North Wind held the evergreen close and smiled. 'Thank you, dear friend. When November comes and the leaves are gone, I'll take good care of the meadow until you return in spring.' They swirled around each other one last time — a beautiful dance of warm gold and cool silver — and then each headed home, already looking forward to meeting again.
