MistleFoe

Chapter The Magic

THE MAGIC

Long ago in history, it is noted that mistletoe, a parasite that appears on trees, often grows where birds leave droppings. This is how mistletoe earned its name. In Anglo-Saxon, “mistle” means “dung” and “tān” means “twig.” Hence, “dung on a twig.”

But in the small town of Winterbury, Vermont, mistletoe has a whole other meaning. A history so legendary that people come from far and wide to feel the magic of the Winterbury mistletoe themselves.

Town lore states that when Winterbury was just a wee sapling on the map, two founding families hated each other.

They both wanted credit for the creation of the small farming town and competed relentlessly to be the most successful.

The feud between them was so intense that the entire town knew of it, with many picking sides.

All of that changed when two people fell in love, each a member of the families who hated one another.

They knew their match was forbidden and would never be accepted, so they met in secret beneath an old oak tree at the edge of Winterbury Farm.

One fateful night, they were discovered, and the years-long feud turned fatal.

A gun went off, and the man, Hershel, died on the spot, leaving behind a heartbroken Beatrice.

Beatrice lived the rest of her days forlorn and lonely, refusing to marry despite the many attempts by her family to find her a match.

Beatrice insisted she would never have another, as she’d already met and lost her true love.

Her deep sadness, as well as her unwillingness to spew hate despite what was taken from her, changed all of Winterbury.

A town once at odds became united, believing that love should never be denied.

Beatrice’s dying wish was to be buried beneath the old oak where she’d spent so much time with her lost love, a wish her family granted.

The spring after her passing, mistletoe began growing on the oak tree despite never having grown there before. The townspeople believe the mistletoe represents Hershel and Beatrice’s love, which many said was parasitical just like mistletoe, yet the tree in which it grows never dies.

Every year, the town harvests a bough and hangs it in the town square as a symbol of true love and a lesson in unity. It is said that those who kiss under it will know true love and never be parted.