The world glistened. Every branch, every nettle was encased in ice. Each step Rowan took cast diamonds into the sunlight, turning the air around her into a kaleidoscope of color. She reached out to grab an icicle from a branch, stretching to reach it, when her legs refused to obey. Rowan’s body spun on a frozen lake hidden beneath the snow. She grabbed the branch above to steady herself, but her legs could not gain traction. Panic set in as she could not stand…until a part of her brain took the reins and said “Stop. Be still.” Rowan’s legs were still slipping on the icy lake, but not that of a panicked horse. She let go of the branch, steadying herself on the sheet of glass….testing the strength of the ice. It seemed solid enough. Rowan pushed off from the branch, gliding across the ice. Ice diamonds tickled her nose and coated her hair like a crown of crystals. She felt an unfamiliar sound bubble up from deep inside, a sound that had not been heard since that last day on the field with Jamie. That seemed like a lifetime ago now. Rowan considered that sound gurgling within as she spun around the ice…considered letting the sound out, or letting the darkness win again. It was so much easier to let darkness out, especially since he’d been her constant companion for so long. Rowan increased her stride across the lake, spinning in graceful arcs. Her head fell back as she looked up among the trees and into the sunlight. Sunlight….light. Rowan stopped, threw her arms wide and let that unfamiliar sound echo around the lake….
….and then she heard that tell-tale crack…..
Reply
Reply
Leave a comment