When Winter Came

"There's a problem," she said, and through the phone I could hear the words being strangled within her throat.

"What do you mean?" I asked, my body already lifting itself up from the position of which I was laying in. Spring never had a problem, this was ought to be bad.

She took a deep breath through her nose and let out a shaky puff of air through her mouth. "Winter," she said, "he's coming."

"Well, he's supposed to," I confirmed, "that is his job after all."

"No!" She shrieked. "You don't understand!"

There was a long silence, and then there was this.

"He's coming. But this time... he's planning to stay."