I sat on the porch of my house one day. It was chilly outside, so I wore my suffocating jacket and thick pajamas. Many other kids were doing the same that day as well, waiting for the weather to change in hopes that the school would close for the day. Before I knew it, a snowflake fell onto my nose. It melted instantly, and it was much too small for any eye to see, but it was beautiful in its own original way.
I closed my eyes. Three feet of snow appeared instantly. It would have been a nuisance, it still was, but the houses were built for this weather.
I, being the little child that I was, jumped face first into the pile. It was cold, but I didn't care. The snow was too soft and fluffy to not take advantage of. I saw a few kids rolling around, some making snow angels, one kid had buried his head like an ostrich. I didn't talk to that kid. Either way, the street was in the white blanket, which in my eyes appeared to shine with a light blue radiance.
There was also one person who, for the life of me, I couldn't understand. He was crying. Crying, on a day where we could have whatever fun we wanted! I walked over, or rather trudged through snow my height, to see what was bothering him. As soon as I kneeled down next to him, he fell into my lap, heavy sobs shaking both him and me.
“What… What's wrong?”
He sniffled, “Sh...She….she’s gone! She was outside and...and coming and she's gone! They're gone! I'm gone! I-I..."
He broke into harder cries of despair and I pulled him closer, even though I had never seen this child before. As I wrapped my hand around the back of his head, I glanced down into the snow. Something was poking out. I think it was a toe? Maybe it was his thumb. Honestly, I'd rather not think about what it could have been. Seeing it, almost hidden by the layers of precipitation, it was mortifying to say the least. I gripped the child harder, crying and heaving with him.
Minutes later, and he had fallen asleep in my arms. I didn't know what to do with him, so I dragged him onto of the nearest porch and sighed. I was tired. I wanted to go home. As I looked out, I noticed that there were a few other kids in the snow as well, huddled together, sobbing, dry heaving. I probably would have walked over to see exactly what the commotion was, but I had enough for the day. I went home.
As the next day followed, I went outside again to see if anyone else was up to play. There were only a few people outside that day. The boy from before wasn't one of them. Two of the twelve kids in the snow were digging viciously, not for fun, but for something in particular. Another was crying. The rest joked about, but they didn't roll or face plant, or even throw stuff at each other. They calmly walked and talked about whatever they may have been doing with their lives, ignoring the crying children about.
I was confused. What on Earth was happening to everyone? I was going to ask them a question, but I felt something under my foot. It wasn't snow. With a deep, brave breath, I moved back to see a nose poking out of the ground. I panicked for a second, and tried to dig them, whoever it was, out. Maybe they buried themselves and fell asleep or something.
I moved snow out of the way, quickly yet gently, to reveal a face, my face. I watched it, her….me….., stared at my face dead in the eye. She stared blankly. I didn't know what to make of it. There were two tear tracks that were frozen as well. It was unsettling to see, and even more so to know that that was me. That I was gazing straight into my tear-stricken face.
I think I tried to cry, I really did. I really wanted to. I couldn't though. Either I wasn't allowing myself or I was still tired. Maybe I had lost it in the snow that day, along with myself. All I could do was stare at that face in the ground, completely frozen with fear and confusion.
I looked at the snow later that day. It was white, nothing more, nothing less.
