-Humanity Shines-

[16] - Winter for the Brave

Cars race carefully down the freeway, trying to get home for the holidays. Trying to get warm. Warmth, it's something we all feel. The warmth of a fire, the warmth that blossoms in your heart, warmth from someone special.

That special person to Violet was her mother, the woman who was cradling her to keep her warm in the blizzard. They lived under the freeway, where normally snow and rain wasn't too much of a bother, but it was now a roaring beast that howled and grew. If Violet left her mother, or uncovered just some of her skin, it felt like a million needles hitting her.

"Mommy...I'm cold." her voice is quiet, and it's almost like a speck in the snow, but the mother heard. "I know honey, once it clears up a bit we'll move to somewhere better. We just have to wait, okay? Can you wait for mommy?" The small girl nods slightly, and buries herself as much as she can into her mother.

Violet knew that the weather could get bad sometimes, but this, this was new. No matter how much she tried, she couldn't get comfortable. Her body hurt, it shook and cried in pain with how she felt so close to numb yet not close enough; feeling every tingle and ache. She wanted to cry, but she couldn't. She had earlier and felt how cold it made her cheeks, she couldn't imagine it now with how bad it was now.

But eventually she focused on her breath, then her mothers heartbeat. Before she knew it, she had fallen asleep.

   
    It's loud, like a baby crying.

    Violet wants to open her eyes, but she's too tired; and even if she had wanted to - her eyelashes clung together like glue.

    Everythings groggy, and at some point she hears the wails closer, above them. It stays there, the only noise in the snow. It's exhausting to listen, because to listen is to be awake, and to being awake leads to feeling the cold. Violet wants to sleep, but as she starts to slip she hears a man's voice.

    "Maam? Maam are you alright-? HEY GUYS! THERE'S A KID HERE TOO!" Violet feels her mother shuffle before holding Violet tighter, "Who are you?" She tries to sound stern, but even she is weak and quiet. The man doesn't hear her as the sound of more people talking and walking over was present.

    "Miss we are here to help, we're gonna take you somewhere to get warmed up. Can you stand?" She feels her mother try, but she can't - and Violet being there doesn't help, but she won't let go. Violet forces her eyes open the best she can, and it's blurry. She turns to look up and the snow is partially blocked from the man standing there. She rubs her eyes and eventually she can see all three men, two of which are holding a stretcher.

    She looks higher and see's the red and blue lights, the wailing continuing. Red and blue, it means they're here to help. She holds her arms up and the man picks her up, giving the mother enough room to get up - just for her to collapse against the snow. The other two men walk over and help her onto the stretcher.

    Violet looks to the man holding her, "Are you police?" The man chuckles and shakes his head, "No, but we work very closely with them. We're EMT's, we help people." She smiles but looks around, "How did you find us?"

    "We got an anonymous concerned caller." They start heading towards the ambulance, "Good thing too. Don't know how much more you guys could've taken of this." "Where are we going?" Violet asks as she gets sat down in the ambulance next to her mother, "First the hospital to make sure you guys are okay, then to a shelter for the meantime. It's warm and they have food. But for now just rest with your mom, okay?"

"Okay." Violet looks to her mother who looks exhausted, as if she was about to fall asleep at any second. "Hey mommy?" She grabs her mothers hand, looking at her tired eyes. "Yes baby?"

Violet smiles, "We're gonna be okay."