Snowflake

The sun didn't wake up this day, and it was cold, but the man left for the town anyway.
Snow had fallen for days, and the roads were difficult to travel on.
A white blanket muffled the noise of the world, and the moon shone through the clouds.
At the bridge, he stopped.
The moon lightened the play of the snowflakes.
It was here that he asked his wife to marry him.
He remembered her, as if he had seen the moon.
The world was not fair.
Last year, she got weak in the summer, and with the first snow, she died.
"Are you waiting for someone?" said an old voice.
The man turned. At the end of the bridge stood a stranger, leaning heavily on a walking stick.
"May I enter this bridge?"
The man nodded, and the stranger came closer.
He smelled of cinder and sage. His clothes were made of fur, and he had all sorts of bags knotted on him.
The two started talking while the snow continued to fall.
The man spoke about his wife, and said things he couldn't even share with his friends.
"What do you ask for, truly?" asked the stranger.
"A child," said the man, "a daughter, so I see my wife in her."
"There was one waiting for you. Give me your life, and I'll lend her mine."
The man hesitated, watching the snow. The stranger waited for minutes, without saying anything.
The man could no longer go to the pub this evening. His cold home would wait, but he'd be alone.
"Yes"
The stranger spoke, but no longer to the man. The smell of ash and coal overwhelmed him, and the man's vision blurred for a while.
And up there, far away, there was a special snowflake, meant only for the man.
It grew as it slowly fell, its color more blue than the others. Strong. Gentle in its movement.
"This is your daughter," said the stranger.
The man could not see, but felt. Laughter, when it should be silent.
"Yes, this is my daughter. I can see her now."
She came so close the man could almost touch her, and he reached out for her.
But the stranger blew her away.
Before the man could do anything, the snowflake fell into the river and vanished.
"Snowflake to a drop, drop to river, and the river to ocean. The bargain is fulfilled."
Two men left the bridge.
The woods devoured them, like a snowflake on the water.

This story is part of Nathan Hatch collection Twenty-Four Doors.
Original photo by Kevin Charit, modified by Ashmore.

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