A Collection of Short Stories

An Eternal Winter

The radio played the weather forecast for that day. It was going to be a brutal winter, and it was highly suggested to lock up tight and keep warm. The last of the forecast was hardly done before music started to sing from the speakers. I stood up from my chair at the kitchen table, using the edge to coax myself up.

I stared out the windows that displayed the winter sky. The sky seemed to bend differently in winter, and the blue hue was faded as if it were just the remains of an old photograph capturing the summer days. Cheryl always complimented my eyes and said how I must have stolen the color right from the sky. Smiling at the thought, I grabbed my cane and walked out to the barn.

There were only two horses in the barn; Autumn and Dragon. My grandson named Dragon, but since he moved away to the city, he couldn't take Dragon with him, so naturally, we took the horse under our wings. Autumn was Cheryl's favorite horse. I wasn't much of a horse-person, but I still loved them because she loved them.

I tended to Dragon first before I took care of Autumn. I placed a shaky hand on her head and stared into her big, curious eyes. Sometimes I wondered if Cheryl and Autumn were connected by the soul. They shared the same eyes; the eyes that shimmered with adventure. Putting a blanket over her shoulders, I whispered, "Stay warm, girl."

Afterwards, I traveled the dilapidated dirt road back to the house. I made myself a cup of coffee and sat down on the steps of the porch. The breeze took the coffee's steam away with it, just like how time slipped through my fingers. Not long ago, my children played on the old swing that hung from the huge oak. They would play tag in the grassy field and run along the dirt path without a care in the world.

I remembered the first night I brought Cheryl home. I laughed at what an immature fool I was then, but everyone is at that age. We sat outside under the stars and admired the brilliant lights that sparkled above us. From that day on, I had come to appreciate the sky and its wonders.

I stared up at the distant mountains and watched the clouds slowly roll over them. Picking up my coffee, I grumbled as I watched it turn into a frozen brick. I sighed as I placed it beside me. The wind grew into an amorphous beast as it blew past the house. As if marking the end, the branch that held the swing dropped to the ground with a startling crack.

A tear rolled down my cheek as I heard the strings of Cheryl's guitar play their last song. The wind had blown the windows open and ran through the house, searching for anything to wreck. The fields were devoured by frost, and the memories were demolished. Closing my eyes, I let the frigid air eat away at my tattered skin, in hopes that I could get a second chance to do what I couldn't do then; show everyone just how much I loved them.

And somewhere in the swirling clouds, Cheryl watched and waited patiently for me to join her.