Shards

Chapter 3 - Snowflakes

My eyes follow cold white flakes that fall down from the sky. I am sitting down beside my window sill. The sky seems very clear today, although it is grey. The outside is covered in the shades of white and silver. Those are the only two colours that fill up the space. I look down at my porch and notice Jurian standing there. He’s wearing a grey coat, a simple black scarf and a woollen hat. I knock on the window and wave at him. I rush out of my room and down the stairs and welcome him in. He doesn’t say anything; he smiles at me.

  “I need to get dressed, I know,” I say. “Would you mind waiting a bit?”

  He shrugs.

  I go back up the stairs and put on a simple black coat, my striped hat, scarf and gloves, and my fluffy boots. Right. That’s enough to keep me warm. I rush down the stairs once again and hastily open the door and call out to my mother: “Mother! I’m going outside! See you!”

  She doesn’t reply but I know that she heard me. I let Jurian go outside first and I follow, closing the door behind me.

  “I showed a friend of mine the book about guns. He makes things so I asked him to make something similar.”

  “Cool,” is all that I can mutter back to Jurian. “So when will he make it?”

  “He says he’s going to start on it pretty soon. He just needs to check over all the details and he’ll be good to go.”

  “That’s great.” I smile weakly at him. I don’t look into his eyes; I’m looking at a white cat skipping across the white snow with a light purple collar decorating its neck with twin shiny purple bells jingling to its trotting. 

  “Would it be okay if I let some of my friends read the books?”

  “Look, Jurian, they’re not really mine…”

  “Please?”

  I look back at the cat and its purple collar. Should I allow him or not? The memory of the note comes back again to me.

  “Okay… but they’re not my books…”

  “Ask your grandpa if that makes you feel better,” Jurian suggests. He wants to show them to his friends so much I find it hard to refuse. I glance at the cat again for the third time but all I can see is the purple collar left in the snow, no traces of the cat left.

  “Whatever. Do what you want.”

  Jurian smiles at me. I give him a weak smile back.

  “Where do you want to go?”

  “How about the park?”

  “Sounds good to me,” I say.

¶

It usually doesn’t take long to get to the park but today it takes us longer than usual. Maybe this is due to the snow or because both of us are walking slower today. I don’t really know but I enjoy the walk anyway. I move my hand toward Jurian’s and touch his fingers with mine. He returns the gesture by holding my hand in his. Our shoulders touch. I lean my head against his shoulder. The snow is still falling and the entire surroundings are frosted. The entire scenery looks like icing on the cake my mother once bought from the bakery. My mother never makes the cake. She doesn’t like cooking. I love my mother but we don’t talk much. There’s no need to talk – neither of us finds the need to and we’re fine with it.

  Me and Jurian are strolling across the big bridge. It’s very close to the park. It’s quite busy most of the time but today it is empty with only me and Jurian slowly proceeding to our destination. When we reach the park the scenery is changed. The gravestones did not avoid the frost with their hats made out of snow. The river is also frozen and all the leaves on the trees are gone by now. The snow is reflecting the non-existent sunlight. I move my way towards the river, still holding Jurian’s hand, taking him with me. I sit on one of the benches facing the river along with Jurian.