Willow's book of random

2021: The year that time froze

January:

It started out pretty normal. New Year's day was a pretty warm day here in the southern hemisphere. There were reports from the north of it being quite cold, but no one questioned it. On the 2nd things started cooling down quite rapidly, and by the end of the month, our leaders told us that scientists have discovered that we had thrown our environment so out of balance, we had caused a small ice age. Nobody knew how long it would last, nor how bad it would get.

February:

On the 1st we woke up to a gentle layer of ice covering the ground. It disappeared relatively fast though. Every morning when we drove to school, the ice layer would be visible everywhere. By mid February the school told us that we could wear any winter clothes, and didn't have to wear our uniforms anymore.

March:

Going to school has become quite a challenge. Many children have slipped on the ice sheets covering the ground, and unlike in February, the ice didn't disappear. On the 15th the air was so cold it froze the ink inside our teacher's pen, and it burst open when she picked it up. At the end of the month another report came in, saying that all schools will be closed from now on due to safety issues, and that all education will be done online.

April:

Thick, dark cloud are rapidly forming outside. The wind has quite a painful chill to it. Everything is cold. So cold. Father has moved the dogs into a special area inside the house, since he didn't want then to get hurt by the cold. Last night the water in the pipes froze, but lucky for us the scientists came up with a solution for that. The water is still freezing cold, but it's better than nothing.

May:

The first snow fell. It's soft, clean. Every day it gets more and more. Getting food is hard. Our country is not prepared for snowstorms, and all the roads are closed. Father and I have decided to walk to the nearest grocery store once a week, getting whatever we need there. The cold is bad, but so far we're still alive.

June:

It was my sister's birthday this month. I finally managed to get my self-made snow sleigh working, and as a surprise I walked about 5 kilometers to her friend's house and back again, so that the 2 of them could be together for one day. The ice layer on our pool has grown to 1cm thick

July:

Ice shards are sharper than they appear. A large hole has formed in the ice layer on our pool, and when I touched it a shard pierced my grove and cut me on my hand. It bled a bit, but mother quickly fixed it. Ice layer has grown to 2 cm, and the top is completely frozen.

August:

The river has frozen over. Me and my sister decided to walk to it to see if it was still flowing, but we were disappointed. Soon our roads will be mostly drivable again, thanks to the north. Some of those countries have decided to give us a few of their road cleaners, and the workers have started cleaning up the snow. Ice layer has grown to 4cm.

September:

The plants are losing a lot of colour. All the leaves are dead, and the trees are like ghosts trapped in time. The frost on my window is close to covering it, with only a small area in the middle still see-through. Ice layer has grown to 5cm

October:

There was a very small break in the clouds this week. It was just for a few seconds, but it was the first time I had seen the sun in 6 months. It was beautiful. The wind is sharp, but not as sharp as it was. Ice layer has grown to 6.5cm.

November:

I had always wondered how a winter birthday would be. It wasn't quite what I expected it to be. Last night my friend Red came to visit me, and gave me a really nice photo of us last year. Ice layer has stayed the same.

December:

It is currently the 31st. The sun had just broken through the clouds, and the darkness is quickly disappearing. The scientists have figured out that the ice age is over, and that hopefully everything will go back to normal. They did warn that many floods are expected worldwide due to the enormous amounts of snow melting. Things will be better now.