The Snow – written by Zoe Curtis (Grade 9)

Have you ever just stood outside, at night, in the snow? There is a certain kind of tranquility, but also a realization of how quiet and empty life is. And in the soft patterns of the snow, you find a sense of silent abandonment, and true loneliness. I have always loved the snow. As I thought about this, I let myself slip into the cold body of the snow. Allowing the icy crystals to engulf my barren face. I let my warm breath pass through my frozen, sullen lips, and gently find its way through the snow. My mind begins to drift to how my younger self had perceived the snow. It had meant no school. It had been a sign of joy and comfort. For a moment, I could still feel the cold burn on my hands as I tried to warm them after hours of tireless sledding and snowball fights. There is a feeling of melancholy in the fact that the perception of something can drastically change for the worst. But I lay there in the snow, letting my mind escape the cold thoughts of the frozen precipitation. I slowly felt my body turn numb and motionless; toes, feet, legs, fingers, hands, arms, then everything else all at once. But, I refused to into any attempt at getting up. It began to be difficult to stay awake. The snow is now gone. Now I am wrapped in a tight cloth blanket, or at least that is what I let myself believe. But my body surely still lays in the same lonely snow, only now, my mind and breath are gone.