my friend

삼

I never said I have a destination in mind. I trust the snow, that's why.

...Maybe I should've realised she was leading me out of town. Is this even out of town? I don't recognise this place. There aren’t any people, I only see white.

I'm uncomfortable, but it's okay, because the snow is my friend. She'll lead me back when I'm ready to go back to work.

Work. I completely forgot.

I bring my watch up and check the time. My break is over by five minutes. I'm busted.

'Call your boss, quick!' she says.

Before I could agree, my music cuts off. I furrow my brows and dig into my back pocket for my phone, slowly taking out my earphones with the other hand. I press the power button and expect the lock screen to come up, but all I see is an empty battery bar, making my heart drop.

No.

I'm stranded, my phone ran out of charge, and I'm cold. In the snow. I look around once more to see if there is even one person around, but there isn't. I'm panicking.

There's a bus stop shelter a few yards ahead, and I would be able to get back to work if I had brought my bus pass with me. What do I do? In my mind, there is only one thing I can do, one thing I want to do.

Wrapping my arms around my torso, I stagger to the bus stop, my breathing getting shallow. I try to conserve the body heat I have left by hunching forward and hugging myself tighter, but the snow gets even heavier. The winds are so strong they threaten to lift me off the ground, and little feisty specs of ice constantly prick my face. I feel like I'm fighting against the snow, but aren't we friends?

When I reach the bus stop, I drop down on the bench. I put my head back and let myself cry.

It's okay, this is all okay, because the snow is my friend.

Is it really?