Fire And Ice
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Kieran Lopes, Grade 9
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Short Story
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2013
The icy gale blew in cacophonous gusts, dimming my vision and the hope of ever coming out of this predicament alive.
White. That was the only way I could explain my surroundings. A pale canvas encompassing all, providing little respite from the blistering onslaught.
As I trudged painfully through the sinking slush, the chill wind howled in my deafened ears, and tiny shards of ice lacerated my exposed flesh. It was then, in the middle of nature’s symphony of destruction that I thought to myself, “How have things gone so wrong?”
Memories danced about my mind like demonic marionettes, leaping too and fro. The devastating remains of the helicopter, the expertly crafted machine now a gnarled tangle of metal. The shrieking, the foul odour of scorched flesh, the searing heat, the intense cold. Then…white.
The frozen hand engulfing me pulled my mind back to reality, or what was left of it. An overwhelming sadness filled my entire being as images of my two beloved daughters and wife flickered in my conciseness, fragments of a life I would never see again.
Tears welled in my eyes, and turned to crystal the moment they spilled. I’ll never see my darling daughters again, nor witness the transformation into beautiful young women that every father should. And Bethany, I can see her now, as stunning as the day I first laid eyes upon her. I was ensnared, enchanted, and now I could almost feel the soft, sweet touch of her lips against mine. As I closed my eyes, trying to cling desperately to the fond, yet fleeting memory, I was greeted with a sharp whip of freezing air, offering no compassion.
In stark contrast to my wife’s welcoming embrace, my lips were becoming blue, and my breathing had begun to wheeze, as if a boa constrictor was clenched around me, squeezing from me my very life.
In the distance, a figure emerged from the blank abyss, a woman, who, even though obscured by a blanket of ivory, possessed features that radiated warmth.
I struggled forward, ignoring the persistent blizzard. The alluring figure grew nearer, gliding across the icy floor like an angel sent from heaven to carry me from hell.
The familiar face came close to mine, and as I reached out to the porcelain hand….nothing. The candle had died, the flame extinguished, and once again I was alone.
As my mind flickered, a collage of beautiful memories, my eyelids, heavy with fatigue began to droop. My legs felt no more, chilling and lifeless. The heart that once beat with a blazing fire, was now frozen - the once unwavering love, but a distant ache.
I fell to my knees, succumbing to the elements and letting the white veil fall over me. As my world began to give way to endless black, a dazzling light filled my faltering vision, and hushed voices filled my deafened ears. I could almost see the otherworldly figure once again, an iridescent shimmer on the horizon, a beacon. Almost…