Snow
I’m unsure where I was going with this, but I decided to write-possibly a continuation of a different story only from a different perspective. Perhaps I’ll weave the two fragments together some day. I know it’s rather lacking in action, so perhaps my next installment if there will be…I’ll think on it some more.
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Snow descended gently, in flurries blown by the wind. There’s something magical about the calm silent storm that makes one forget about the coldness. Their cheeks were brushed by the feather-soft snowflakes, and their feet slowly sank with each step they took. The sky was a timeless grey such that there was no way of telling what time of day it really was. There was not a building in sight. All they could see was snow for miles around - a vast desert of snow falling on snow.
“We’re going to die out here aren’t we?” Sarah said with a sense of urgency, half expecting her elder brother to reply with comforting words of much needed hope. For days now, they’ve been trudging in the snow, and each step they took gave them a numbing dreading feeling that there was no way out of this storm.
“No.” Her brother replied, with forceful certainty. “This land cannot be so vast that we won’t find a place to stay. If we keep walking, there’s still hope. We’ll make it. J-Just keep walking or you’ll freeze to death.”
“I’m telling you Tom, we’re walking in circles. We always will be.”
They both knew that this was true. It’s inevitable, that without landmarks to guide them, they’d walk in circles no matter how straight of a path they try to walk.
Just last week, their family was warm and toasty by the fireplace in their home. It was their father’s idea to go on this skiing and camping trip. Neither of them have been on such a daring adventure, and their father had mentioned skiing trips each year around Christmas time. This time, he actually took action.
All through the journey, Sarah had been thinking ‘If it wasn’t for Dad, we wouldn’t be lost out in the middle of nowhere. If it wasn’t for Dad, we would probably be celebrating Christmas at home right this instant.‘ In her mind, she was furious, yet part of her kept holding back the fury, knowing it was futile to be mad at someone when their problems where unable to be resolved. Sarah had a knack for seeming calm and cool to those around her. She rarely lost her temper - especially in public places.
Just then, the ground below them felt hard. The snow had stopped falling just a while ago. Ahead, all was solid ground.
‘That’s strange…’ Sarah thought.
As if in answer, her brother Tom replied “This seems to be a river frozen over. If we follow the edge of the river, we’ll leave this snow globe of a place for sure.”
“How do you know this is a river and not a lake?” Sarah asked inquisitively.
“Listen closely. Hear the water rushing? If this were a lake, the water would most likely remain stagnant for the most part. Even if this was a lake, it’s worth a try when there’s nothing else to guide us.”
After what seemed like a thirty seconds pause, they both began walking with the ‘river’ as a guide.
“Strange, isn’t it, Tom- how there’s no sign of a river bank or any sort of change in elevation between the lightly packed snow and the hard ground? Why did it stop snowing just now? How do we know where the river begins on one side and ends on the other side? How is it that there’s no snow covering the ice here?” All this, Sarah said as politely as possible, for she didn’t want to seem annoying.
They kept walking in silence along the ‘river’. After what seemed like miles and miles of walking, both collapsed from exhaustion and lack of much needed food and sleep. There they lay, along the ‘edge of the river’ in tranquility.
Twenty miles east of the ‘river’ snow and ice began to melt, revealing the once covered ground below.
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Nice, it’s definitely gotten my attention!
I see you’ve made more layout changes…nice!
Thanks for the email
I love your story, I just love your fantastic English. Really can’t wait for you to continue writing it-no rush though. Take your time.
“but I guess sometimes library books are more intriguing than textbooks…which could potentially result in a source of distraction from high academic performance.”
Yes, this happens to me sometimes. Why would it now? Textbooks are so boring, I can hardly stand them. This also drives my mum nuts because she thinks I read too much and won’t focus on my studies. (>_