A Bitter Feeling

• Talia Edwards, Grade 11
• Short Story
• 2021

As snowflakes fell softly from the sky, painting the ground with a thin layer of snow, he wished for it to last a lifetime.

The crisp winter air fills his lungs with each breath he takes, the sight is simply wonderful.
The once brown tree branches had been plastered with snow that glistened as the sun shone on it.

Sighing, the boy runs his fingers through his hair. Soon he knows he’ll have to leave— leave this place he now calls home. He’s become attached to this place... It makes him feel safe, at peace— finally at peace with himself.

The sun shone brightly, illuminating the lightly dusted freckles that covered the boys cheeks. It made his once dark brown eyes turn a shade of amber, almost like honey. The heat from the sun radiated onto his face, barely warming him as he sat on a wooden bench in the snow, right next to a frozen over pond.

The boy looks around at the people on the ice. Observing the families and friends enjoying their time skating, he allows a smile to form on his face— a smile that didn’t last long.

The corners of his mouth fell slowly as his eyes were met with another. They were brown, much like his own. His stomach dropped at the sight of them— a feeling he hadn’t felt in years, a feeling he hoped had disappeared. He was wrong...

They weren’t just any brown eyes. They were the same eyes that squinted when laughing at his jokes. The same eyes that brightened every time they were met with his own.

The same eyes that he fell in love with, all those years ago.