A Love For Winter (Part One)

First part of my multi-part romance short short.

Breathing heavily, I stumbled through the woods of the barren wintry land that once flourished with life. But when the frigid weather swept in with relentless force, it was only a matter of time before the lively world I knew disappeared, along with Autumn.

A Snowy landscape, there was nothing more captivating than the scenic view of the hushed essence of Winter. It warmed my heart, which had been frozen for so long that I couldn’t remember the last time I felt that one word escape my shivering lips. It seemed so long ago since I made my way into this winter wonderland that I would seemingly endure for much longer than an eternity-floating around this frozen thought forever.

It was as though forever wouldn’t find its way to me quick enough, unfortunately, and I was trapped within the graveyard of all life, a wintry mix of past memories and a future that we would all meet one day. It brought a saddened chill over my ghostly spine that I couldn’t cope with such pain. It tore apart my emotions, one by one, every second of every minute, and every minute of every hour, for twenty-four hours a day. I thought all would be lost. I imagined that I would run and run and still never see the end to my suffering. I couldn’t bring myself to experience such pain for so long. I feared for my restless soul; the ghost that walked the spiritual plane, searching ever so passionately for a way back to her...a way back to my one true love.

And as I ran through the soundless woods, my time would never run out. Spring would never come. All that was seemingly dead would never come back to life...I would never return to the world of the living. And my love would appear to be lost in her own world, a world without me. Then again, she could move on...she might be happier-

I froze before finishing the thought. That couldn’t be right. She would never find herself in better spirits without her soul mate...but was I...of course I was! We were meant to be. I was going to marry her. I had already chosen a ring...but now that dream was forever lost in the deep caverns of time; the endlessly tangled road that would never see a straight-shot path. Always twisting and turning, the path may seem to follow through at first, but when you least expect it, the road may take a meandering course that never has the same set motive as it appears to. When a person comes to such a road, they might as well turn back before they become lost within the twines of the interchangeable past and future.

I took a deep breath, cleared my mind, and peered around, noticing that I was no longer in the cold, desolate forest that I’d just ran through. My mind flourished with enough thoughts to forget how far I’d sped across the snowy landscape. Where was I now?

Trudging along through the snow that seemed to be making a home on top of the remaining floury substance that fell from a time long ago, it grew more difficult with each step that my path became more and more difficult as the day went on. Soon it would be nightfall, and if I did not make it in time, I would be frozen in the deadly tundra for the rest of eternity... If only she was still with me. I could find a way, a reason, to make it out in one piece. But without the girl of my dreams, I had no purpose, no reason to exist. My spirit would be whisked away in the wind and I could move on to wherever my next venture takes me. But I did not truly wish to leave just yet. There was something I needed to do first. I needed to see her...one last time. I made my way through field and came to a small village.

It had been several years since I’d seen another living soul-far too many. I wandered through the wintry woods for half of what seemed like an eternity, but I knew that it was much longer. It had to be. And from what I could see, things were much different since my last encounter with society. Much had changed…

For one, where were all the horses? What were these metal contraptions that were somehow carrying people to and from all the different places? And what was this strange thingamajig called a “television”? Nothing made any sense. Not one lick of logic...at least, not from my perspective.

I went around and asked for some answers to the millions of questions that were developing in my mind with each passing second, but the response I was given seemed a little off. That is simply because I did not receive one. As a matter of fact, it was as if I was not even there. Many of the few citizens in the little village, walked right through me, minding their own business and doing their own thing. It was rather strange, but I still couldn’t understand. Could they even see me? Could they at least hear me? Or anything? Truth is...they couldn’t.

I walked around for quite some time before I figured that out. I begged and begged for others to acknowledge my presence. I pleaded, even getting down on my knees and urging everyone to explain to me what was going on. But there was only silence in response to my pleas. I couldn’t wrap my mind around what was going on. I couldn’t fathom the idea that I was not to be heard from, or noticed. It made me feel rather lonely...somewhat sad, and I figured that I would never see Maren again... For all I knew, she was gone as well...forever…

My hope began to drift slowly into the wind, detaching itself from my heart, the only piece that was left. Once it was gone, my fragile heart would then shatter, and I would be no more. I would be lost forever, never again the person that I used to be. Is that what love does to someone? Perhaps it was better to give up and forget the feeling ever existed...but what would that accomplish? I would still be the broken-hearted spirit I am now. It would make no difference. I grabbed a hold of the hope that was floating through the air and pulled it back in, reattaching it to my shattered heart. Feeling as though much of the energy I’d lost returned to my body once my heart had been partially glued by the presence of hope, I continued on, trying to make sense of everything.

I walked towards a newsstand and caught a glimpse of the daily paper. I looked at the date and noticed something peculiar. I thought it had been a mistake...but I read it again, and again, until I came to the realization of what I’d seen with my own eyes. It said that today’s date was December 24th, 1976...but that wasn’t right. It wasn’t possible. I was surely positive that it was only 1776 yesterday... But now I wasn’t so sure.

If what I saw was true, that meant that Maren was already gone. My beloved had left the world of the living long ago, and I would never see her again. My hope was lost forever. And I wandered away from the town, making my way deep into the frigid tundra. Nothing was left for me there. The world of the living had nothing of importance to me. At least, at the time, that was what I had thought.

But in life, you could say that there are some miracles that may change a person’s life. As it was Christmas Eve, there were definitely bound to be some strange things afoot. But nothing like this; nothing as coincidental. It seemed almost as though fate had taken pity on my shattered soul and found its way into my world once more. Standing behind me, not entirely sure if I was visible to her, though, was a young girl. Beautiful, she was, I stared at her, completely mesmerized, as small pockets of air escaped my frozen lips, making not a single sound-only the kind of whisper the wind would make on a quiet snowy day.

I stood still, carefully eying her until she made a move. She was quite the attractive girl. Her long golden hair swayed to and fro in the wind as there appeared to be snow flakes caught in her hair. Pale, her skin complexion was rather smooth and her luscious hazelnut eyes sparkled under the evening’s sunset. It was astonishing, breathtaking, and captivated my attention entirely. When I first looked upon her perfection, all else was lost. The thought of Maren soon faded...and this girl...whoever she was, was truly the one I’d loved.

I felt a warmth in her presences that I’d never experienced before, and my eyes began to tear. I was happy. I was proud to be in her line of view. I was glad someone saw me, that someone noticed me. But once again, my hope was quickly shattered when she began to walk forward. Somehow, surprisingly, as she moved towards me, our bodies did not collide. Rather, she had passed through my ghost. She couldn’t really see me. It was just a coincidence that she was looking in my direction. Nothing more than that. And my sorrow grew further and further into a deep sadness. I was in love with this girl...and she couldn’t see me. I was a ghost to her; someone who didn’t exist. But somehow, I would make myself appear. Somehow, I would become human again...I had to no matter what. I had to try.

Author's Note

It's only the first part, so if it feels incomplete, now you know why. Check out parts two and three if you'd like to know what happens next!

Reviews

[Afraa]

You're a very powerful writer and can really touch someone with your words. This story and "The Scarlet Rose" proved that. I know if I ever want to read love stories, I would come to your profile. This was very heartbreaking and your usage of words was intense. I have felt every ounce of pain this man had.

I simply cannot wait for the other parts to this story. Amazing job, Brian! :)

[Brian M. Peeples]

Thanks! I actually couldn't wait until tomorrow to start the next part, so I started writing it already!

[Afraa]

Haha! That always ends up happening to me too! :)

[Brian M. Peeples]

Personally, I prefer my romance stories than any other genre that I write. I don't know why, but I think they're my best. So, that drives me to be a romance writer, possibly even a romance novelist? Kind of different since I'm a guy. But there are a few out there.

[Afraa]

There goes something we have in common!

How's the story coming along? :)

[Brian M. Peeples]

It's going very well! I'm getting ideas as we speak.

[Afraa]

Haha! Don't let me interrupt you. And I will reply to your message when I can!

[Brian M. Peeples]

Sounds good!

[steven]

your starting off great! keep it up!

[Brian M. Peeples]

Thanks! I'll be trying to write part two tomorrow, and if I need a part three, that'll be the following day, if I have the time. I should.