Instant

Posted on by gmfx

The snow was falling.

Jess stood in the yard, breath a fog in the cold night air. “Why?” she muttered. “Why why why why why.”

Rocky looked up at Jess, cocked his head, and barked. He wasn’t moving.

“It wasn’t supposed to be this way,” Jess declared. “We were supposed to get a cat.”

The dog just barked, unmoving.

What could she do?

Jess got out a bag of treats, fumbled with gloved fingers and dropped them in snow.

It happened in an instant.

The leash slipped.

Rocky ran.

“Get out of the road!” Jess shouted. She was running.

Ice and headlights.

Arthur was driving. He shouted, “Get out of the road!”

Jess fell

The car slid.

It was over in an instant.

Arthur got out of the car, fumbled with his phone and dropped it in the street.

What could he do?

The dog barked, approaching slowly.

“This wasn’t supposed to happen,” he declared. “I was supposed to be at home.”

She wasn’t moving.

Rocky looked down at Jess, cocked his head, and whimpered.

“Why?” Arthur sobbed. “Why why why why why?” He knelt in the street, breath a mist in the cold night air.

The snow was falling.

* * *

Story by Gregory M. Fox

Blizzard

Posted on by gmfx

Frost and steam.

Snowflakes glinting in the streetlamps. Breath on cold glass. Fingers tracing pictures; hands closing around ceramic that’s almost too hot to touch.

But only almost.

Mismatched mugs. Faded paint, familiar chips worn smooth. Marshmallows, plump and sticky, squishing together. Lips, stretching in smiles. Smiles tinted by chocolate and tinged with laughter.

Ice at the corners the window frame. Beads of water gathering, trickling down.

Comfort.

Curiosity.

Curtains.

Small explosions. Butter and salt. One big bowl. A blanket not quite big enough for two. Two bodies beneath it anyway. Darkened lamps and LCD glow. Static sparks jumping between hands.

Wind whistling down empty streets. Snow drifts like frozen waves, slowly swallowing the whole world.

Touch.

Tension.

Trust.

Mouths opened for laughter, for popcorn, for words unspoken, unutterable, and unnecessary. Shoulders, elbows, knees, hips.

Belts and buttons.

Couch and carpet.

The sudden darkness and silence of a blackout.

Fumbling hands, groping, seeking. Dancing flashlights. Shy matches and eager sparks. A constellation of candles. More blankets. Wine and skin. Heat.

Desire.

Delight.

Dreams.

The gentle approach of a winter dawn on a soft, white world. Shapes blurred, sound muffled, movement stilled.

Waking. Whispers. Eyes full of wonder. Full of light.