Alone in Snow

Snow. It had been a calming, cozy word not only a day ago. As my eyes moved from one tree to the next, they all looked the same, their branches heavy with pure white snow. The glass fogged every time I breathed out and slowly fades away, only to be fogged again. I could feel the pulse at the edge of my numb fingers beneath the gloves and my feet were hugged to my chest. Am I going to die here? The faint memory of me stumbling between the trees, my feet deep in snow, and bursting into the cabin that I didn’t even know existed, made me hold my hands tighter around my legs. My phone laid a few feet away from me with no service, its screen lightened up the wallpaper of me and my parents, our arms wrapped around each other. I sat there in the middle with both of them hugging me from the sides, a huge smile stretched on my face. The photo looked so warm and cozy and I needed that now. I needed that desperately. 

Tears of fright that I might die out here, all alone, streaked my face. If only I had agreed to go with them...if only I hadn’t been such a wimp and had agreed to climb just one more cliff with them. 

The fear I felt when the storm started and how I had to wait on the hard, cold rock for my friends to come back. The terrible thoughts that came to my mind when the cold became unbearable and I decided to find a shelter despite the fact that I couldn’t see or hear any of my friends. I had pushed away all the reasons that made me stop myself from leaving my spot and had started my search which I regretted now. The forbidding signs I walked past and the snacks I ate to make the hunger go away. I knew my feet had gotten frostbite from them being buried in the cold, fresh snow for over hours as I searched for shelter. The snowflakes that floated and landed on my hair and scarf. The snowflakes I used to love catching with my tongue back home, but in this cold they were the last thing I wanted. 

It was better but still freezing cold inside the cabin. I remember how I searched for the switch only to find out that it wasn’t working. The fireplace was cold like ice, there were no matches or anything that might’ve helped me to get warm except cuddling my own self. Despite the cold, I had decided to sit next to the window, hoping to see someone if they walk by. My nose felt  harder to breathe and the tip of it was a light blue. Please, God. Please. The icy smoke that came out of my mouth made the lips dryer and dryer. The pains in my toes, fingers, nose and the headache were becoming so unbearable that the thought of death almost seemed comforting, the fear fading away. 

My head started to feel lighter and lighter, making me lean it against the cold glass. My eyes gazed at the phone screen that’s about to die out. At my parents, who’s thinking that I’m coming home tonight. But I probably won’t. I’ll probably die out here, alone, cold and ending the pain. My eyes slowly closed, almost as if some kind force dragging it down. The vision got blurry the more my eyes closed and finally it was darkness. 

I woke up in a beach. The sound of the rushing ocean almost unreal. My fingers touched the wet sand underneath me as i laid there, my eyes looking at the sky. Seagulls squawked far up in the sky, flying towards the horizon. There was no pain anymore. I sat up. My gloves and scarf was gone and i was in a normal summer outfit. An outfit i loved to wear. I could see that my hand was glowing. Everything around me was glowing, giving them a soft, lighter feeling. The air felt unreal, like someone sprayed glitter everywhere.. I stood up and walked along the shore, my eyes watching the sea water get pushed into the sand and be pulled back again. It touched the tip of my toes that weren’t frostbitten anymore. The water wasn’t cold or either hot, it was warm. I looked up ahead and saw a door. The edges of the door was glowing as rest of the surroundings. Without thinking, I found myself walking up to it, my feet, bare and soft, stepping on the sand. The door had looked miles far away from me but once I started taking a few steps I was already there. I stopped in front of the door, my hand hesitating at the knob. Open it. I curled my fingers around it and pulled it open. A glow of light burst out, surprisingly not making me squint. It felt warm and alluring. I could see nothing but the light and it tempted me to step inside. “Tasha! Tasha! Tasha, where are you?” I stopped my foot that was about to step inside. I glanced back at the shore. It was empty. “Tasha, please. Tasha!” everything began to fade away slowly. The voice, which sounded fake, almost like recorded, became clear. I felt like getting sucked out of a hole. 

“Tasha, where are you?! Tasha!” I opened my eyes. The pain, cold and fright all came rushing back. It was snowing heavily outside and it had gotten colder. I looked out at the trees. My blurry vision cleared on the figures appearing through the them. The sounds of excited voices when they saw me, leaning my head against the cabin window, made me recognise my friends. Their flashlights shined shakily around them as the sound of their feet against the snow came closer and closer. The cabin door flew open, a fresh, cold wind blowing in, and warm hands wrapped around me. Sounds of crying and relieved voices echoed in my ears as my eyes slowly closed shut again.