I Hate The Snow

I sit in silence, watching the snowflakes fall outside. I hate the winter. I had the cold, especially after everything that happened that day. I shiver, pulling my cardigan closer around my body. I still feel numb to it, almost like it never really happened. It’s been eight years now, but that moment will forever haunt me.

Cas had been so excited that day, prancing around in the snow. We were deep in the forest, deeper than we would usually go. But some hills are great for sledding in that direction. So, off we went, deeper into the forest. I had heard stories about people getting killed or going missing the further they went into the woods, but I didn't believe them. I thought they were simply stories meant to deter children from the area.

Everything was going fine. Cas's joyous laughter filled the air as he sled down the giant hill. He dodged trees, letting the wind fly through his hair. I sat in silence, enjoying his laughter as I read a book.

He stopped sledding at one point, chucking a snowball in my direction. I chuckled, resting the book at my side. I stood, chucking some back at him. I remember thinking it had to be the best day of my life. Mom and Dad had been gone for a year, so this was the first time Cas had really been a kid in a while.

Then we built a snowman. Cas gave it his scarf and crooked stick for a nose. I whipped out my camera and quickly snapped a photo of him proudly standing next to it. We had spent the entire day out there, despite how cold it had grown.

Cas decided to sled some more. I resumed my reading, not quite ready to go home. We lived in a small cottage. I worked two jobs to make sure he could finish his schooling and to keep the fire in our fireplace burning. I was only 11 at the time, but the world didn’t care. I had to be grown, even if it wasn’t fair.

I remember my nose beginning to go numb as the sun started to set. I closed the book, grabbing Cas.

"It's time to head home," I had warned.

"Ohh, come on," he whined. "Just one last time, please?" His mossy eyes gleamed up at me-- wide and dewy. He knew this always worked on me. I ruffled his wavy hair, placing his hat back over his ears.

"Fine," I relented, allowing him to enjoy one last go down the big hill. “But then we go home, little rabbit. I don’t want you to freeze.”

SNAP!

I jumped, startled by the sound of breaking branches behind me. I looked around, saw nothing, no one. I shrugged it off, sure it was just an animal. When I looked back, I couldn't see Cas or his sled. Panic seeped into my chest, my breathing growing heavy.

"CAS!" I cried out, leaping down the hill to find him. "Cas, this isn't funny!"

"Hello, little girl," A voice called from the trees. I froze, afraid and cold. A stalky man came from behind the trees, dragging my little brother with him.

"Let him go," I warned.

"Why would I do that?" The man challenged. "I have found myself two naughty children to sell on the market." My chest burned, the tips of my fingers growing hot.

"Just let him go, and you can take me instead." The man chuckled, eyeing something behind me. Before I could turn to look, someone grabbed me from behind. I screamed, reaching out for Cas.

"Camile!" Cas cried, trying to free himself and get to me. "CAMILE!!" His small voice was strained, afraid. It broke me, awakening the fire from within.

I screamed with all of my might, setting the man who was holding me ablaze. His cries filled the air as his flesh began to burn. I remember that smell, that horrid, rotten scent. The stalky man still held my brother, but now with a gun to his head.

"Let him go!" I warned once more.

"I don't think so, you just tripled the value on your head. Magic ones go for thousands." I gritted my teeth, ready to burn the world down if I had to. I shot out my fire, burning the man's leg. He let Cas go.

Cas ran forward, his arms stretched out. I open up for a hug, ready to catch him and run.

BAM!

The shot rang out, my brother stopping in his tracks. His mouth opened wide, his eyes filled with anguish. He collapsed, the snow quickly turning red around him.

"NOO!" I screamed. I tackled the man, wrapping my hands around his throat. He screamed in pain as my hands melted his flesh. I didn't stop, not until he had stopped moving.

By the time I got back to Cas, it was too late. He bled out, the ground around us stained. I lay beside him the whole night, hoping I would succumb to the cold. My cheeks burned from the snow, my hair frozen in place. But when the sun rose, I was still alive….alone.

I picked up my brother, cradling him to my chest. I stumbled back home, resting him in his hay bed. I left him there for three whole days, silently wishing he’d wake up. But he never did.

I was the only one there when they buried his body. They laid him next to Mom and Dad. He was only eight, far too young to die. The villagers all kept away from me after that. Said I was a bad omen and that everyone I touched was meant to die. They didn’t understand. It had been such a great day.

I hate the winter. I hate the cold and the snow. I curse all of the children who get to sled down that hill, enjoying the thing my brother loved most. It isn’t fair what that man did, that he took Cas away. I still live alone, I probably always will. I sit down with Cas’s picture with that stupid snowman. I wipe away my tears. I know it was years ago, but it feels like it was just yesterday.