Seeing as I am pushing off my very own Spring Cleaning, I wrote a spring-themed short story instead that I wanted to share. It is a short and sweet one about a married couple (because I feel like we don’t get enough of those) doing everyday kind of things on a traditional day that holds special meaning to them. I hope you will like it!

Author’s Note

The melody of a song thrush sounded not far from the window, making Duft tiredly raise his head and squint in the dark. Not even the sun had gone up yet and there was only the barest hint of twilight approaching in how he could see the outline of the window. He gave a groan and turned around, burying his head at his husband’s chest, not at all thinking of getting up yet.

His movements woke up Stinde who cracked his eyes open and then reached up to pull him closer. He nuzzled his neck before closing his eyes again and falling asleep without a word.

Contrary to him, Duft couldn’t just go back to sleep though. He lay there, awake, listening to the song of the early birds, and wondering how much longer it would take for the sun to go up. Today was the first day of spring. Time to remember the traditions of chasing away the old and welcoming the new. The first of which should be … Kringt. This was one of his favorite days of the year. After all, not only was it a nice tradition that always left him feeling satisfied because finishing up his work immediately came with a reward he had given himself, but this was also the day on which he had met his husband.

Peering into Stinde’s face, he smiled to himself. Well, such a nice day. Since he was already up, he shouldn’t hesitate to make something of it. He wriggled out of his husband’s arms and left the bed, trying to make his steps as light as possible.

No matter whether the sun was up or not, it couldn’t hurt to start a little early. Wasn’t there a saying that it was the early bird that would catch the worm? Well, most likely, not many would get up before dawn. And if he finished early, then they would have time to enjoy themselves in the evening. That sounded like the perfect day.

Duft went to wash up and changed his clothes. Then, he picked an apron that he hadn’t used since last year’s Kringt and tied it around his waist and neck to make sure his clothes wouldn’t get dirty. Well, most likely, even with this, he would still end up all dusty. Maybe he should finish this day off with a nice, hot bath. In any case, after working all day, he should also deserve to indulge himself, right?

Thinking of that, he glanced at his husband who was still peacefully sleeping with no sign of waking up. Last year at Kringt, they had been pretty much newly married. He had been too embarrassed to hand his husband a rag to wipe down any surfaces or a basket to go and wash clothes. Thus, he had done everything by himself while Stinde didn’t even seem to notice. Who knew if this year would be any different? Actually, he felt like he shouldn’t let him off that easily.

Duft shook his head and silently left the room. In any case, it really was early right now. He felt like even if he wanted Stinde to help, that should only be after his husband woke up. And hopefully not because he had woken him up with something he did. Stinde was more of a night owl than a robin after all and if he was woken up too early, he’d just be grumpy.

Duft smiled to himself and went to the kitchen, picking up the broom on his way there. He put it in the corner for later before starting to dust off the shelves and cupboards. Then, he put the pots and pans next to the basin so he could wash them later on. Right now, that kind of clanging noise would definitely wake Stinde up. Taking the broom again, Duft started to sweep the floor, opening the windows to let in some fresh air. After a while, everything but washing the pots had been done in the kitchen.

Looking at the room that was looking much better than before, he felt a sense of accomplishment. This was why he loved Kringt: to see something that he was already used to in a new light, to ensure that they could start the new year together in a clean house where they would feel comfortable and at home. Why wouldn’t he love it?

Feeling all fired up after seeing the first results, Duft went out into the small corridor that connected all the rooms in the house. He picked up the carpet, carried it outside, and put it on the small bench that Stinde had carved last year. He went back inside, swept the floor, and then went to the living room to continue there, slowly making his way through the house.

By the time Stinde got up several hours later, Duft had already tidied up most of the other rooms. Now, only the carpets and other fabrics he had put on the bench outside needed to be dusted off or washed, and the dishes in the kitchen needed to be done as well. Oh, and of course, he hadn’t been able to do anything in the bedroom yet since he didn’t want to wake up his husband. Other than that, there were only some small things to arrange and some old things to sort through to decide whether they should be kept but Duft wanted to do that together with his husband so he had only piled them up in the living room.

Right now, he was returning all the small items to their original places that had been misplaced over the last year. He had been quite astonished when he saw just how many of those there were. Where had the spoon on the attic come from, for example? He seriously suspected that his husband had secretly stashed some food there and eaten while he wasn’t looking. But, well, he wouldn’t expose him. He’d just have him get a new spoon. This one also needed to be washed together with the rest.

Meanwhile, Stinde was rubbing his head while he followed his husband around the house, trying to figure out what he was doing. “You do realize that it’s still early in the morning, don’t you?” He looked to the mountain of dishes next to the basin when they entered the kitchen again and then to the rag hanging over his husband’s arm, wondering if he had missed something.

This wasn’t how their mornings usually went. Even though Duft woke up much earlier than him, he would stay in bed for a while and cuddle with him. Then, when Stinde was at least half awake, he would leave to busy about. This though … Stinde couldn’t help but wonder if some magician had passed by and put some spell on him. This didn’t seem normal at all.

Duft just laughed at his husband’s puzzled expression and motioned outside, where the sun had long gone up. “Do you see that there?”

Stinde tilted his head to see where his husband was pointing. It turned out to be a tree that had carefully unfolded a couple of green leaves and was showing some buds hidden in-between. “There’s a green tree?” Or was he missing the obvious?

Duft laughed again and patted his shoulder, carrying the rag outside to the others that had already turned too dusty to continue using them and needed to be washed. “There’s a green tree indeed. And what does that tell you?”

Stinde was at a loss for words, not quite sure what to say. To be honest, this didn’t tell him anything. It was just a tree, wasn’t it? “You are very happy because it’s your favorite tree and you want to celebrate a little?” That was the best guess he could muster. He didn’t feel that it was very likely to be true but he really didn’t have any other clues save for his husband’s good mood.

Duft stopped on his way back into the house and looked at his husband, trying to figure out if he had really forgotten what kind of day today was. He wasn’t sure though. “You really don’t remember what day is today?”

“The day before our anniversary?”

Duft gave him a look that was seven parts annoyed this time. It was one thing to forget that it was the beginning of spring and thus time for Kringt but to be this close and then still get it wrong so thoroughly was kind of exasperating. It was a feat of its own. He shook his head and marched into the bedroom that he hadn’t been able to work in before. He pulled open the window, grabbed the blanket off the bed, and rushed back outside. “Do you still remember how the two of us met?”

A bright smile immediately settled on Stinde’s face. “How could I ever forget that? Just thinking back to you in that hot spring makes me feel like I witnessed a miracle. The way the moonlight glinted on those water droplets was just divine.”

Duft realized that he was mostly joking around and his anger reduced by a lot. He stopped next to his husband and at least gave him a kiss on the cheek. “You better think about what type of day that was then.”

Stinde raised his brows and continued to follow his husband through the house, trying to remember. Back then, his focus had been on the beauty in front of him and not so much on everything else. But he remembered that it had been late in the day when dusk had already settled in and the moonlight shone on the beautiful scene. If he recalled correctly … the clothes that had been lying at the edge of the hot spring had been quite dusty as if Duft had toiled around all day. Ah, most likely, it had been precisely this day.

Going back to the bedroom, Stinde couldn’t help but try again. “So today is the anniversary of the day that we met. I knew it was something like this.” He actually felt quite proud that he had managed to figure it out. Really, could you find a better husband than him?

This time, Duft nodded. “It is also Kringt, the spring cleaning festival. Just in case you still haven’t figured that part out yet.”

Stinde shook his head, not embarrassed at all that he didn’t know. “There’s no such thing where I come from. In any case, this kind of cleaning would be done in winter but other than some old people, hardly anyone does it.”

Duft shook his head at him, not buying that excuse. How many years had it been since Stinde came here? Their wedding alone had been two years ago, the day when they met five already. And even before that, Stinde had been traveling the world and also spent quite a bit of time in this country. His husband had clearly seen and experienced more than he ever had. To tell him that he still didn’t know that there was such a thing as Kringt, he wouldn’t believe it even in his dreams.

“Well, now that I have told you, you can start and help me.”

Stinde immediately folded his hands behind his back, looking on with a smile. “This kind of important tradition, how could I get involved and mess everything up? I wouldn’t dare to make a blunder out of this since it’s so important to you.”

Duft who had just picked up the clothes, sent a kick toward his husband, making him stumble out of the door to the bedroom. “If you’re so worried about that, let me give you tasks that you can’t mess up.” He followed him out of the bedroom, grabbed him by the arm, and pulled him out to where the carpets and the basket with the dirty clothes and fabrics stood.

“Here.” He motioned at all of them, his expression unforgiving. “You can start by beating the carpets. Don’t stop before all the dust has come out. The carpet beater is over there.” He pointed at the wooden tool next to the clothesline. “When you’ve finished, just bring them inside and put them in the corridor. I’ll come and get them. You don’t need to tell me or come and get me or use any other excuse to just linger around without doing anything. Instead, you can grab this basket here, go down to the river, and wash everything inside. Make sure you don’t let them fall and hang them up without any wrinkles. After that, you can come and tell me so I can give you a new task. Don’t think you’ll get out of this.”

Stinde really wanted to complain but seeing his husband’s expression, he finally just nodded. Clearly, his husband wasn’t willing to let him get away. Even though this looked like way too much work for one day, Stinde dutifully picked up the carpets, carried them over to the clothesline, and hung the first one up. Picking up the carpet beater and weighing it in his hand, he started to swing it.

Duft stood by and watched him for a moment until he was sure that his husband wouldn’t cause more trouble than he was rendering help. Only then did he turn around and go back inside to finally take care of the dishes in the kitchen.

On the other hand, Stinde couldn’t help but complain a little by himself. Why was Duft insisting on this kind of tradition? Wouldn’t it be better to do a little each day and spread it out over the whole week at least? Then they wouldn’t have to rush about like this for a whole day. In any case, everything would get dirty again anyway. What was the use in doing this?

Finally, no more dust came out of the first carpet so he took it down and carried it into the corridor. He glanced at the door to the kitchen that Duft hadn’t closed and saw his husband washing the dishes with a smile. He stared at him for a moment and then went back outside, picking up the next carpet and getting to work again without another word.

He didn’t like this. He felt it didn’t make sense and was mostly just a bother. But … this was what his husband wanted. It seemed to mean a lot to him if he had already done it five years ago when they met and even insisted on it now. This clearly wasn’t something he had just casually decided on. And, thinking back to how Duft had looked both when he came out of the bedroom today and then in the kitchen just now, this was also something that made him happy. So, it was still better to do it. In any case, the sooner they started, the sooner they would finish as well.

Ah, come to think of it, after they finished and were dusty from all this work, maybe they could go to that hot spring where they had met back then. Soaking together for a few hours sounded heavenly.

Motivating himself like this, Stinde worked more earnestly, making sure that all of the dust came out of the carpets and not even a speck was left. As soon as he finished with one of them, he carried them back into the house so they wouldn’t get dirty again. After all, the dust from beating the carpets was flying everywhere. It wouldn’t do if it settled on the carpets he had already worked on.

When he had brought in the last carpet, he looked back into the kitchen where Duft was still washing the pots, and then went out again, picking up the basket with the dirty clothes and other fabrics. This time, he even hummed a song while he went down to the river, feeling like this wasn’t too bad.

The river wasn’t far away from their house so he got there in just a few minutes despite carrying the basket. Sitting down at the edge, he carefully took everything out and then started to wash them one by one, making sure that there wasn’t a single speck of dirt left on any of them. By the time half of it was finished, he rubbed his forehead and exhaled deeply. This was much more exhausting than he would have thought. He often washed their clothes but it was really just the bit that had accumulated over the last few weeks and never this much. His back already hurt from crouching here like this.

Stinde took a deep breath and continued. Time flew by while he worked and he couldn’t help but feel that maybe it would have been better to get up earlier so he could have helped Duft more. Clearly, his husband had been up and working for several hours by the time he crawled out of bed. If he was already exhausted from just these two tasks, how would Duft feel? Next year, he definitely had to tell him to wake him up for Kringt so they could do everything together.

When Stinde finally finished washing everything, he made sure to pick the basket up carefully, remembering what Duft had said before. Then, he rushed back to the house and went to hang the freshly-washed textiles up to dry.

Putting down the basket next to it so he could come back later and put everything back into it, he went inside and looked for Duft. His husband … was still in the kitchen. But while the pots and pans that they used for cooking were already dealt with and put back where they came from, he was now washing a vase that had stood in the living room and everything else that needed to be given a good scrub. Clearly, Duft had had his work cut out for him while he was away.

Stinde suddenly felt that he had really had it easy in comparison so he didn’t even manage the smug smile he might have shown him otherwise and just leaned in the doorway, trying to at least show off his good looks to give his husband a second of repose. “I finished!”

Duft did indeed look up from his work and gave his husband a smile. Contrary to what Stinde might have thought, what Duft admired the most was the dust that had settled on Stinde’s shoulders and on the underside of his sleeves. Clearly, his husband had taken the tasks he had given him seriously and not just put on a show. How could he be unhappy with that?

He still put on a small show for him so he could show off. “And if I go out to check, will there be anything missing or still dirty?” He raised his brows at his husband as if daring him to lie to him.

Stinde smiled happily. To be honest, he had really wanted to show off but had felt a bit stupid with his husband having done more work than him. But if Duft already asked like this … how could he not give him an honest answer?

He went over to encircle Duft’s waist and pressed their cheeks together. “You don’t have to worry. I made extra sure that everything is well taken care of. You can go to check it later on: I swear there is not a single speck of dust left in the carpet and the clothes outside on the clothesline are a brilliant white color and without a single wrinkle. You’ll be amazed when you see it.”

Duft gave his husband a knowing smile, not forgetting to praise him. “Well, if that is true, then I am very proud of you. I was already worried you wouldn’t want to help.”

“How could that be?” Stinde let go of him and stepped back. “Even though I think that this tradition is a little overvalued since this Kringt is important to you, then I will also support you.” To show that he would let actions follow his words, he looked around, trying to see if there was something else he could do but the kitchen looked spotless. In the end, he could only twitch his lips and turn back to his husband to ask for help. “So, didn’t you want to give me another task?”

Duft put the vase aside that he had finished washing and looked at his husband with appreciation. Was this still the same person that had complained before? It seemed he had meant it when he said that he would go through with this because it was important to him. Although … half the effort would be enough for that. To see that he cared so much really made him happy.

Duft smiled to himself and picked up a jar that he usually used outside to water the flowers he had planted between the house and the clothesline, starting to wash it as well. “You’re really hard-working today. Do you want a reward later on?”

Stinde raised his brows in surprise. Originally, he wanted to shake his head but then reconsidered. “Let’s say it’s not that I want a reward but I think after working hard, the two of us both deserve one, right? Or at the very least, we should deserve to relax and enjoy ourselves.”

“So?”

Stinde leaned down, and propped his arms up on the table, flashing his husband a charming grin. “So … if we finish early … I definitely wouldn’t mind if we went to visit that hot spring you mentioned before. In any case, since this is also some kind of anniversary for us, we should celebrate a little extra, don’t you think so?”

“Naughty!” Duft raised his hand and splashed some water at his husband.

“Is that a yes?”

Duft chuckled and then nodded. “I’ll check your work later and if it’s up to standard, then we will go. But don’t let me find out that you shirked your responsibility. Then all rewards are off the table!”

“I would never!” Stinde craned his neck and gave him a kiss on the lips. “So, what’s the next task?”

Seeing his husband all fired up, Duft couldn’t help but laugh again. To be honest, he was sure that Stinde had really worked earnestly. If he said he wanted to help because he knew it was important to him, then he would do so. He wasn’t one for empty words. Thus, he didn’t worry and told him what to do next.

For the next few hours, Stinde was running in and out of the house, doing whatever his husband asked him to do, and checking in as soon as each task was done to get a new one. He only went off on his own once to go back outside to the clothesline and take off the textiles he had hung up to dry. He took all of them down and threw them in the basket he had prepared, making sure that not a single corner would land in the dirt. He carried the basket into the living room and put it down on the table. He didn’t go back to Duft immediately and instead sat down, folding everything up that didn’t need to be used anytime soon, and then went to store it. Then, he brought the blankets into the bedroom and went to distribute everything else to the rooms in the house it belonged to. At last, he brought over the rags that Duft usually used in the kitchen to wipe down the table and dry off the dishes into the kitchen and then resumed his other tasks.

Soon enough, every room in the house had been taken care of. Each speck of dust had been wiped away, every cluttered place tidied up, making the whole house look warm and inviting. Duft had even used the opportunity to rearrange some furniture and put up new decorations for the season. Looking around, he nodded with satisfaction, his eyes sparkling with happiness.

“And this, this is why I love Kringt. When you start, everything is still bleak winter but as soon as you finish, spring has come and with it the new year that will bring hope and prosperity.”

Stinde nodded, feeling that his husband might be right. After helping him, he honestly couldn’t say that he hadn’t also liked it a bit. While it was strenuous, it also was very rewarding when you saw the place you called home turning brighter with each task that was taken care of. And his spouse’s smile was the gilding of this task. “Well, I guess we deserve our break now.”

Duft looked up and rubbed his husband’s cheek that had gotten a little dusty when he had been outside to clean the shed with the firewood that had clearly needed him to be a bit more heavy-handed. “You’ve been looking forward to this the whole day. I guess I shouldn’t make you wait much longer. Just give me a moment.”

Before Stinde could ask what he meant, his husband had already vanished in the kitchen and the clattering of dishes could be heard. Stinde raised his brows but when he wanted to follow inside, he was immediately shooed out of the room before he had time to see anything. Grumbling to himself just like when he had started his first task, Stinde could only lean against the wall opposite the kitchen with his arms crossed in front of his chest. What could be so secret that he couldn’t be shown?

Soon enough, Duft emerged from the kitchen, a basket in his arms that was covered with a piece of cloth large enough to hide every single clue of what was beneath it.

Stinde tried to reach out to lift a corner but Duft slapped away his hand and raised his brows at him. “Who’s going to be so curious?”

“Why shouldn’t I be curious? Is this another tradition of yours?” He definitely couldn’t remember that. He couldn’t remember any previous spring cleaning since he had never taken part in it even after their wedding but on the day they had met, there hadn’t been a basket standing around. So this should be something new.

Unfortunately, Duft was not about to tell him what he had packed. He just smiled mysteriously and then left the house, handing yet another basket to his husband that he had prepared while Stinde had been busy in the shed.

This time when Stinde tried to peek he wasn’t held back by his husband so he could look at what was in his basket at least. As it turned out, there were spare clothes and some cloths to rub their bodies dry after they came out of the hot spring. Seeing this, Stinde just followed behind his husband, not caring about it any longer. The other basket might also be something they would need over there. In that case, he’d find out soon enough.

The hot spring was a little further away than the river so the two of them needed more than an hour to get there. By the time they arrived, dusk was already fast approaching, with the sky turning a bright orange in the distance that turned even the leaves of the trees around them golden.

Stinde couldn’t help but worry when he thought of how it would turn dark soon but then again, it had also been late in the evening when he originally met Duft at this place. It shouldn’t be a problem to find their way back in the dark. Especially not since they were together and could rely on each other.

Duft put down the basket in his hand and motioned for his husband to do the same. Stinde once again tried to take a peek but was pulled away by his husband. He wanted to complain at first that he still wasn’t allowed to know but he immediately forgot about that when his husband started to untie his clothes. Smiling, he rushed over and helped Duft out of his clothes, throwing off his own while he was at it, and then, the pair of husbands stepped into the hot spring, smiling at each other.

“Well, the house is spotless now thanks to celebrating Kringt. Now, I guess it is our return to get a thorough spring cleaning as well.” Stinde splashed some water at his husband, chuckling lightly.

Duft just glanced at him but didn’t bother to respond. He swam further toward the center of the spring, and then dived down, brushing through his hair with his fingers before he came up to the surface again. The water droplets shimmered like fire in his blonde hair, adding a touch of liveliness.

Stinde gave a hum, dived down as well, and swam over to grab his husband around the waist. “I could help you with that spring cleaning.”

Duft chuckled and then reached behind him, pulling his husband’s dishonest hands up toward his hair. “Better start from the top then.”

“Oh? Just starting there? That definitely sounds good!” Stinde continued to chuckle and then got to work, washing his husband’s hair. Finally, his hands wandered down, rubbing his shoulders and back. He originally wanted to continue further down but seeing Duft relax, he couldn’t quite bring himself to do this.

In any case, the two of them had been busy all day. Even he himself felt tired after running around so much. And he had gotten up much later than Duft and had only taken over the tasks that his husband gave him. Comparing both, he was pretty sure that Duft had done more. So how would he feel? Most likely, he was even more tired than himself. If not for the fact that they were dusty beyond belief and the blankets just cleaned, he probably would have crawled into bed immediately.

Thinking of that, Stinde finally stayed honest, and just rubbed his back, trying to help him alleviate the pain a little and relax.

After a while, Duft looked over his shoulder. “Who knew you could be this caring?”

Stinde smiled and put on an expression of hurt. “Am I not like this usually?”

“That question would sound so much more convincing if you hadn’t been lying in bed on your stomach for half the day before coming out to wonder what I was doing.”

Stinde laughed faintly. Well, he couldn’t argue that point. “Then next year, you should wake me up sooner. How was I supposed to know that you would suddenly get this type of idea?” He leaned down and kissed his shoulder, motioning over at the basket. “We’ve been soaking for quite some time but you still haven’t told me what’s inside. Am I even going to find out today?”

Duft was startled and then rushed back to the bank of the hot spring, stretching his arm to pull the basket over. “Good that you mentioned it. I almost forgot.” He finally lifted the cloth and uncovered some food and a flask of wine.

Stinde raised his brows and then looked at his husband, not quite sure if he understood this right. “This is …?”

Instead of answering him, Duft got out of the water, and grabbed the cloths from the other basket, rubbing down his body. “Isn’t it obvious? That’s for the rest of our break. It’s not good to stay in the hot spring for too long. You’d better get out too!”

Stinde didn’t need to be asked twice and immediately clambered out of the water. While it sounded good to stay inside a bit longer, they had already been spending quite a bit of time there. “I’m a little miffed that I didn’t get a back-rub but I guess the food makes up for it.”

Duft chuckled and motioned for him to come over, helping him dry off his body. “Does this count as a back-rub now?”

“Well, considering that it’s a special day, I’ll let you get away with this. Next time, you’ll have to spend some more effort.”

Duft laughed and then put away the cloths, picking up their clothes instead, and helping his husband get dressed. “I’ll be sure to remember it.”

Finally having gotten dressed, the two of them sat down next to the hot spring, pulling the basket beside them, and pouring a cup of wine for each of them.

“Toward a new year.” Duft raised his cup, looking at his husband with a smile that seemed a lot more serious than before.

Stinde also stopped the silly banter and raised his cup as well. “To … being a couple that supports each other even if we don’t understand everything about each other.”

Duft nodded and downed the cup of wine. “Sounds good.”

Stinde also drank, and then put down the cup, wanting to eat a little first before they continued to drink.

Meanwhile, the sun sank below the horizon, and the stars started to glitter above their heads, looking as if a thousand small fires had suddenly ignited in the hot spring. Stinde looked over, thinking that he really didn’t need to worry about the way back. This light should be enough to see the path.

The two of them continued to sit at the bank of the hot spring, and finally, Duft leaned against his husband’s shoulder, refilling their cups, and taking slow sips. “Next year … I hope we can still do this together. And I hope you’ll tell me more about the customs of the place you come from as well. Despite knowing each other for five years, you actually haven’t told me much about it.”

“Didn’t I? I could’ve sworn I did. But in any case, if you want me to, then I will tell you everything I know. Just maybe not today. It’s already late and right now, I think just enjoying each other’s company and the view up here are good enough. All these other things … they can wait until tomorrow.”

Duft nodded and the two of them fell silent, just enjoying the quiet spring night.