The day was cold, grey skies clouded overhead, and a
slight breeze blew gently through the trees, such
gloomy weather was their favorite for it was the type
of day in December you'd read a book by the fire to.
A child and her mother smile as they watch the snow
fall softly down onto the ground, covering it in a
blanket of pure white powder. When the sun peaked
its head slightly through the now lightly colored
clouds the little girl and her dog came out to play, unattended by her mother who watched, with her kind eyes, between tending to the fire and chores.
The little girl's mind wandered, as is the nature of a
child, into the woods, her dog following close behind
to keep her safe. Unfortunately, as she wandered the day became night and the trees overhead became black monsters as tall as giants, or so it seemed
through her eyes. Her way home suddenly became
uncertain. She began to become cold, her nose and
ears were the first to go numb, then her cheeks and
fingers. She found it hard to move her joints and as
she became scared she found it hard to feel or move
anything at all. She continued to wander until she
couldn't anymore, her knees buckled and she fell
into the soft powder she once admired safely from
her window. Her dog nuzzled her face as she lay
there using the last bit of her strength to lift her arm
and touch the old pup who had tried his best to keep
her safe. She felt his fur slide across her arm as he
lay down beside her.
Her vision blurred and her last breath was drawn, it
was the last thing she saw as the cold gave the
warmth drawn from her lips life, making it dance
through the air.
Her mind went blank, she lay there still in the
blanket of ice waiting for something, anything,
unaware of what was happening. Quickly the blanket
of ice turned into a bed of fire as she began to feel
her body heat back up, she could move once more,
trying her best to stand. When she did, her eyes were
greeted with a black gaze, none that she had ever
seen before. She stepped ever so slightly towards the
figure, cautious of the danger it could bring. When
she took her first full step forward so did the figure,
coming into the view of the moon's beams his
features were clear. He was tall, although compared
to the child most everyone was tall, and his eyes,
though black as night and void she swore she could
see the brightest stars dazzling within them, and his
smile was shy but the way he dressed and carried
himself was confident, she didn't know him at all but
she felt safe.
He opened his arms as if asking for a hug and
without a second thought she ran to him, a hug was
what she needed, his warm embrace felt like home.
And in that moment she understood who he was, she
looked back and saw her dog still laying beside her
body although so young she knew it was her time,
and there wasn't anything she could do to change it.
She turned back to death once more and whispered
"I'm ready to go home."
