‘The Girl with the Green-Tinted Hair: A Miraculous Fable’ by Gavin Whyte is an interesting tale. Those who love metaphors will find special meaning in the story. The narration revolves around a boy and girl and the overarching changes that make up their world. There is also a focus on how time can, almost certainly, heal all wounds, even if those wounds are figurative, in the sense of being uncertain how to cope with changes that one may not be ready for.

Even though the boy remains a seemingly static character, his changes throughout the story are merely more subtle than those of the girl. She undergoes an aging process, and on top of this, she ages much more quickly than the average person. The boy initially finds this off-putting, but through conversations with the girl and a sense of intimacy that they develop with one another, he comes to understand that her changes are not quite as drastic as they might seem, and he himself is undergoing them in his own way – the changes are just not nearly as noticeable to the naked eye.

Yet that is what the girl tries to impress upon the boy – that the naked eye should be used to explore the world around them and all that life offers, from the weather, to the stark contrast between merely living life and finding depth, emotion, and love for oneself, others, and everything else that is around.

This was an extremely quick read, and even though I wish there had been some more clarity regarding some of the metaphors the girl was expressing to the boy, I understand why it was not provided. Metaphors are subjective in nature, and so everyone who reads this tale must take from it what they can, without the author guiding the focus that every reader should have. Lessons garnered from this story provide potential for seeing life in a new way, and discerning how colors – from green to red to brown and on through the spectrum – along with the seasons, can shape these new understandings.

You can find ‘The Girl with the Green-Tinted Hair: A Miraculous Fable’ by Gavin Whyte here.