Snow Blown

Neil Parker was three years old the first time he saw the boy with snow white hair. He's older than Neil, with a deep set frown and eyes as red as the setting sun. He holds himself like he's scared someone might try to grab him, and the air around him feels cold and lifeless. It intrigues Neil. He wants to know this person, but his mother is walking away and he must follow.

As the years pass, Neil sees the boy throughout the year. He begins to notice that he's around more toward Halloween and Christmas, and then he goes away until Easter. Each time the boy gets a little older, but never as much as Neil feels like he should. By the time Neil is thirteen, he's sure the boy is still his age, despite him having been seemingly years older when he'd first seen him.

It isn't until his fourteenth birthday that he musters up the courage to say hello, and when he does, he realizes quickly why many others don't brave the space around him.