Snow Falls When We Meet

The snow's soft powder covered the ground in piles. It covered the roads, the grass, the flowers, and the trees. Snowflakes fell from the sky like little white balls of light. The air was cold enough to freeze you to death if you came out of your home with nothing but your trousers. Needless to say, it was a beautiful first day of winter.

His body laid on the ground in the middle of an open field. The coldness of the snow below him seeped through his shirt and into his bare skin. His eyes slowly opened, looking up to the gray-colored sky. He felt tired and his body ached all over. His entire body was covered in bruises. Blood trickled down from his chest and onto the white covered ground. He wished to move but could find no strength in him to do so. He wanted to yell for help but no sound would come out from his lips. He laid there vulnerable to death. 

How did I end up like this? He wondered with no memories of what just had occurred. The sound of melodious laughter rang in his head. The smile of a maiden flashed like a flaming spark. That’s right. We met on a snowy day as well.

The two had met when she bumped into him by accident. They were only young teens back then, but he remembered thinking how beautiful she was. Her brown hair was hidden under an old cloth and her green eyes bore into his soul. It surprised him to see that she wore such light clothing when it was pouring snow.

“Why are you staring?” Her voice was soft yet powerful.

His life changed after that encounter. She came from the south to live with her uncle in the village. He was an apprentice for the local blacksmith and would see her walking around with her uncle by her side. He would often find himself following her through the village when she was alone. He thought she had never noticed him that was until one fateful day. 

He followed into the forest at that time. He was hesitant to go. The blacksmith would often tell him stories about the man-eating monsters living there. A part of him didn’t believe the hot-tempered old man, while the other part of him was terrified to find that the stories were true. It would explain why some villages build large fences around them. But their village doesn’t have any defenses. Then would that not mean that the blacksmith was only making these stories up? Whatever the case was, he followed the girl. 

She awaited him by a large white poplar tree in an open field. Her back was turned to him as her eyes looked at the branches and her fingers ran across the bark. He felt his cheeks burn red the moment her intense gaze turned to him. A smile laid on her small pink lips and his name escaped her lips.

“You have been watching me? Why?”

He remained silent. His eyes told her how shocked and embarrassed he was.

“Do you want to harm me?”

“Gods, no!”

She giggled at his immediate reaction. Her hand left the tree as she took a step closer to him. “Do you wish to be my friend then?”

“I -” He felt his voice get caught in his throat. If he were being honest, he did not know why he followed her. He just did. It was as if something was pulling him toward her. Was it the need to befriend someone his age? Was it love? He could not tell. “Yes”

The young man smiled at the memory. Tears streamed down his face. His eyes glanced over at the white poplar tree. There, lying limp against the trunk of the tree, laid a girl with a baseball cap over her brown hair. Her emerald eyes showed no sight of life. There was a large gaping hole in her chest. I finally remembered who you are.

A demonic growl could be heard from afar. The ground thumped every second as the ancient monster got closer. Birds flew away from their resting place while other forest animals hid from the beast. With every inch of strength he could muster, he pulled himself closer to the body. 

He had noticed a young woman standing under the bus stop when they met again in this life. It was raining and she didn’t look like she had an umbrella. He noticed how she wore denim shorts with a long-sleeved sweater. Why would anyone choose to wear light clothes during this weather? His thoughts were interrupted at the sight of the rain stopping. He looked up at the sky to see snow falling down. 

“Snow” He heard the woman say. She was looking at the sky as well. For some strange reason, he felt compelled to talk to her. He walked toward her and covered her with his umbrella. She turned to him. His eyes widened the moment their eyes met. Her emerald green eyes looked familiar to him. “Why are you staring?”

I couldn’t answer back then. His hands gripped the snow beneath him. The trees around them rustled. He did not need to turn back to know that the beast stood there with its red eyes glaring at them. Clenching his jaw, he continued to move toward the dead body. 

He parked his car at the forest entrance. The woman smiled at him as they both got out of the car. They entered the forest with interlocked hands. He had brought his camera to take photos of the flora and fauna, while she explored and enjoyed the last day of fall. That was when she spotted the old white poplar tree.

He managed to sit himself up next to her. The monster roared, causing a massive wind being blown against his skin. He took deep breaths before resting his head on her shoulder. 

They stared at the large tree before them. She felt like she had seen this tree before. Turning to him, she smiled. “Should we camp here tonight?”

It all felt like a long dream now. They had prepared everything they had to keep large animals out. They did not expect to encounter monsters beyond their imagination. The beast had come to them during the middle of the night and it had returned to finish what it started.

“We… We were under this tree when you asked me to become friends” His voice came out rasp. He began to recount his past life’s memories to the corpse beside him. From the moment they met to the day they died. The monster swiped his arm, breaking the tree in half. “Maybe next time it could end with a happily ever after”

----- 

She hummed as she rocked back and forth on the chair. The sound of children playing could be heard from outside. She looked out the window, a smile forming on her lips. The children squealed in excitement at the feeling of snow hitting their heads. She noticed her sister’s truck pull up in the driveway. She got up from her seat and went outside. 

“Bianca, I have someone I want you to meet” Her sister smiled at her. A man appeared before her with dazzling blue eyes. She felt her heart leap out of her chest at the sight of him. “This is Aspen”

“Why are you staring?” He smirked. At that very moment, she felt a rush of joy and sadness flow through her very being. She knows this man. A tear escaped from her eye and he brought his warm hand to her cheek to wipe it away. “You have no idea how long I have waited”

She smiled at him. “You weren’t the only one”