A Night To Remember
It was definitely a night to remember.
Shou still wasn’t sure why they braved the bustle of Sapporo, but he kept quiet about his curiosity when Nao proposed it. He wouldn’t have told it to anyone, but he’d never even tread into the further reaches of that island for recreational purposes, much less had the joy to glimpse their Snow Festival. So he stayed silent, withholding his excitement as they made their way innocently into Susukino.
Tora drove them steadily into the outskirts of Odori Park, listening and watching intently, like he always does. Nao had his arms folded lazily on the cushion between Shou and Hiroto, leaning over the seat to enlighten them about the foods the market was famous for, while Saga pulled him back gently by the scruff of the neck. Shou smiled. Tonight would mean something.
The park was crowded, but the hustle and bustle of spirit and rapture of children was enough distraction to help them blend in well, leaving them to stare up at the ice sculptures with little anticipation for being in public.
Beauty, like nothing before, occurred to Shou. Mountainous pagodas of snow stood before them, glistening in the blue light cast on them, radiating from far inside their own inner depths. Heaping American words were sprawled across the landscape, some small enough to reflect the little colored glow sticks of those who passed by, and yet some tall enough to put grown men to shame. Saga reached out his hand, despite being yards away, and spoke softly that he could feel it. None of them asked what he meant. They all knew.
There they stood, hypnotized by the blinding extravagance of sculpted snow, when something caught Shou’s eye. He turned. An angel, smaller than the others, yet expertly crafted, stood solitary on a small podium, her wings guiding a path only she could see, and her eyes, a haunting shimmer that sent chills down Shou’s back. And as he looked at her, the stars dimming in comparison, he felt his heart sink. Something so beautiful. Something so bright. And she would be gone.
He felt a terrible sadness wash over him as he looking into those eyes. He would always remember this night. Always remember her.
Shou! Someone was calling. Shou, let’s keep moving!
Reluctantly, he turned away from her, trying to remove the ache from his heart, and fell back behind the others. But he was still in her sights when someone gasped. Oh!
A tremendous bang, and superfluous colours were pouring from the sky, dazzling the crowds beneath and glistening against the ice and snow.
What is this? Fireworks? Oh, look! Mom, look!
People all around him were shouting, looking up into the sky and pointing, questioning. Was this on the schedule? What a wonderful surprise! But there was something... Shou had never seen fireworks like these before. But Nao grabbed his arm, holding tight, and that sinking feeling resurfaced to tie knots in his stomach yet again. Sparks were flying out of that high building, so far in the distance, beautiful reds and yellows that came cascading down in little droplets of liquid fire.
Is this new?
Slowly, the sound came, like an eruption of emotion from the crowds around him. It was all around him. Little children were shrieking. Was that laughter? Screams, screams of delight, Shou mused, his mind trapped in a state of shock. Someone bumped into him harshly, knocking him off balance just in time for him to watch something bright from that tower strike the beautiful ice pagoda.
It was lighting up! What elegance!
Shou watched with wide eyes as the light overtook the snow, seeping in through every gap, edging it’s way into the very walls of the building itself until the pagoda was nothing but light. It was so bright people turned away, hiding their eyes and covering their children.
But where had the snow gone? Shou was breathless. What happened to that sculpture?
People were running now. Shou’s heart and his mind were separated, and his feet remained glued to the ground. Was this real? All this beauty? More streams of light, reds and yellows and all the colours of a rising sun, were winding their way above the park, lighting the sky and the ice sculptures they finally came to reside in. There were crashing sounds. Heavy. The sound of snow falling in heaping mounds.
He looked again. The pagoda was gone, and only clumps of ice and water remained.
Shou! Shou, come on! We have to leave!
They were running now, running with the crowd back towards the entrance. This light, it was too much for them, too much for the snow. Nao was still gripping his arm so tightly he could feel the blood pulsing through himself, though he hardly believed he was alive. He heard Tora’s voice somewhere close, urging them Faster! Faster! Come on!
They were back where they began, and sound began to falter in Shou’s mind. Oh god. He thought, his heart racing, beating deep within him as he turned past them, wrenching Nao’s grasp from him. Shou! Wait! He had to see her. He couldn’t be too late. She was in the short distance, guiding his way, guiding all of them out into safety. That beautiful angel.
But even as he watched, her figure began to tilt uncertainly, and the people around her entrance screamed with terror, leaping backwards out of her path. No. Shou could feel his friends tugging at him, begging him to follow. That light was everywhere, coupled with something new, something terrible and bright. That fire. The beautiful trees that filled the park, the stands that sold those delicious pastries--they were all burning. A thick black feeling swept over them.
Shou. Shou please.
But he couldn’t take his wide, terrified eyes off that angel. Her wings abandoned her, falling with a smashing heap onto the ground below, the pieces sliding across the frosty pavement. Her face was still shining as she lost control, slipping sideways until Shou saw those knowing eyes crack against the ground, splintering her head and cracking her face.
No.
They struggled to find an escape route, a place not tramped by broken ice and burning buildings. But Shou felt a hopelessness he never could explain, a weak failing that shattered his mind and made their fruitless attempts even more unsuccessful.
Because if an angel loses sight of her own path, what chance could he ever have?
This snowy night was finally his undoing.
Shou still wasn’t sure why they braved the bustle of Sapporo, but he kept quiet about his curiosity when Nao proposed it. He wouldn’t have told it to anyone, but he’d never even tread into the further reaches of that island for recreational purposes, much less had the joy to glimpse their Snow Festival. So he stayed silent, withholding his excitement as they made their way innocently into Susukino.
Tora drove them steadily into the outskirts of Odori Park, listening and watching intently, like he always does. Nao had his arms folded lazily on the cushion between Shou and Hiroto, leaning over the seat to enlighten them about the foods the market was famous for, while Saga pulled him back gently by the scruff of the neck. Shou smiled. Tonight would mean something.
The park was crowded, but the hustle and bustle of spirit and rapture of children was enough distraction to help them blend in well, leaving them to stare up at the ice sculptures with little anticipation for being in public.
Beauty, like nothing before, occurred to Shou. Mountainous pagodas of snow stood before them, glistening in the blue light cast on them, radiating from far inside their own inner depths. Heaping American words were sprawled across the landscape, some small enough to reflect the little colored glow sticks of those who passed by, and yet some tall enough to put grown men to shame. Saga reached out his hand, despite being yards away, and spoke softly that he could feel it. None of them asked what he meant. They all knew.
There they stood, hypnotized by the blinding extravagance of sculpted snow, when something caught Shou’s eye. He turned. An angel, smaller than the others, yet expertly crafted, stood solitary on a small podium, her wings guiding a path only she could see, and her eyes, a haunting shimmer that sent chills down Shou’s back. And as he looked at her, the stars dimming in comparison, he felt his heart sink. Something so beautiful. Something so bright. And she would be gone.
He felt a terrible sadness wash over him as he looking into those eyes. He would always remember this night. Always remember her.
Shou! Someone was calling. Shou, let’s keep moving!
Reluctantly, he turned away from her, trying to remove the ache from his heart, and fell back behind the others. But he was still in her sights when someone gasped. Oh!
A tremendous bang, and superfluous colours were pouring from the sky, dazzling the crowds beneath and glistening against the ice and snow.
What is this? Fireworks? Oh, look! Mom, look!
People all around him were shouting, looking up into the sky and pointing, questioning. Was this on the schedule? What a wonderful surprise! But there was something... Shou had never seen fireworks like these before. But Nao grabbed his arm, holding tight, and that sinking feeling resurfaced to tie knots in his stomach yet again. Sparks were flying out of that high building, so far in the distance, beautiful reds and yellows that came cascading down in little droplets of liquid fire.
Is this new?
Slowly, the sound came, like an eruption of emotion from the crowds around him. It was all around him. Little children were shrieking. Was that laughter? Screams, screams of delight, Shou mused, his mind trapped in a state of shock. Someone bumped into him harshly, knocking him off balance just in time for him to watch something bright from that tower strike the beautiful ice pagoda.
It was lighting up! What elegance!
Shou watched with wide eyes as the light overtook the snow, seeping in through every gap, edging it’s way into the very walls of the building itself until the pagoda was nothing but light. It was so bright people turned away, hiding their eyes and covering their children.
But where had the snow gone? Shou was breathless. What happened to that sculpture?
People were running now. Shou’s heart and his mind were separated, and his feet remained glued to the ground. Was this real? All this beauty? More streams of light, reds and yellows and all the colours of a rising sun, were winding their way above the park, lighting the sky and the ice sculptures they finally came to reside in. There were crashing sounds. Heavy. The sound of snow falling in heaping mounds.
He looked again. The pagoda was gone, and only clumps of ice and water remained.
Shou! Shou, come on! We have to leave!
They were running now, running with the crowd back towards the entrance. This light, it was too much for them, too much for the snow. Nao was still gripping his arm so tightly he could feel the blood pulsing through himself, though he hardly believed he was alive. He heard Tora’s voice somewhere close, urging them Faster! Faster! Come on!
They were back where they began, and sound began to falter in Shou’s mind. Oh god. He thought, his heart racing, beating deep within him as he turned past them, wrenching Nao’s grasp from him. Shou! Wait! He had to see her. He couldn’t be too late. She was in the short distance, guiding his way, guiding all of them out into safety. That beautiful angel.
But even as he watched, her figure began to tilt uncertainly, and the people around her entrance screamed with terror, leaping backwards out of her path. No. Shou could feel his friends tugging at him, begging him to follow. That light was everywhere, coupled with something new, something terrible and bright. That fire. The beautiful trees that filled the park, the stands that sold those delicious pastries--they were all burning. A thick black feeling swept over them.
Shou. Shou please.
But he couldn’t take his wide, terrified eyes off that angel. Her wings abandoned her, falling with a smashing heap onto the ground below, the pieces sliding across the frosty pavement. Her face was still shining as she lost control, slipping sideways until Shou saw those knowing eyes crack against the ground, splintering her head and cracking her face.
No.
They struggled to find an escape route, a place not tramped by broken ice and burning buildings. But Shou felt a hopelessness he never could explain, a weak failing that shattered his mind and made their fruitless attempts even more unsuccessful.
Because if an angel loses sight of her own path, what chance could he ever have?
This snowy night was finally his undoing.