The old woman withdrew into herself. 
The days went by and as they did she went deeper into sleep. One day, her breathing stopped and we searched for her pulse - very distance but still there.
Everything slowed. She grew colder and colder. 
For months she lay such, cold and still, though deep within her, her heart beat slowly. 
One day, she was so cold to the touch that we worried her blood would freeze. Upon her we laid a long white blanket. Draped all around the peaks and valleys of her body, she slept. 
Then, one day, she awoke softly.
Her children called this day Spring.