Snow

Today was the first snow/frozen rain of the season. In honor of that, a very short story about snow and the view out my window.

The light of the sun is harsh and unforgiving, and there is not a cloud in the sky to stop it. Instead, the snow reflects the light right into my eyes, turning everything into a white landscape dotted with moving shadows off in the distance. I keep walking through the snow, leaving two lines instead of footprints, as the snow is just too deep.

I squint my eyes in an effort to see my surroundings, but that is a mistake. I am filled with dread as the shadows start to sharpen and show the hideous form of the shadows around me. At first glance, they look normal, but when I look closer I notice something is wrong. I see a wolf, but when it turns to face me, it stares at me with four eyes and two hungry mouths. A moose, frightening in its size alone, becomes terrifying with sharp metallic antlers and an extra pair of legs.

I squeeze my eyes shut for a few seconds, hoping the chimeras are just a trick of the light. When my eyes readjust the glare of the sun, I hope to find them all gone. Instead they seemed to have gotten closer.

I shiver, both from fear and the cold. The snow has soaked through my shoes and my toes are freezing. I pull my coat tighter around me and continue to trudge through the snow, hoping to avoid the creatures around me. Looking back reveals more shadows following me.

I start to lose hope as I slog through the snow. Home is so far away, and these monsters are sure to get me before I get anywhere close. Maybe I should just stop moving. Trying to conserve some boy heat and energy, so that I can have a better chance at protecting myself. Maybe I should just give up; curl into a ball and hope the cold kills me before the monsters reach me.

Instead, I keep walking; not ready to give up, but not believing I’d make it either. I just kept going.