The weather report called for snow, and a lot of it! Overnight, a foot of snow has covered Destiny City in a beautiful blanket of white, and schools and most businesses are closed! When you venture outside however, the air feels almost temperate, and picking up the snow is a lot like picking up some sun warmed sand at the beach. What might have caused this? Is it global warming playing some sort of trick, or just the imps that seem to linger in the city? The strangely warm snow day lasts for only a day though, by the next day, the air is bitterly cold again, and all of that wonderful snow is somehow gone without a trace!
Gisela hated the cold. It was already hard enough to keep her body at normal temperatures, and heat-leeching snow didn’t help at all. She lay under a mountain of seven blankets at night, two of which were electric. She wore a minimum of five layers at all times just to keep what precious body heat she had close to her skin. More often than not she was shivering, teeth chattering painfully in her skull. Her parents didn’t often let her out of the house when the weather was this bitter.
So when school was canceled due to the absolute and insidious blanket of snow that had been plopped on top of the city, Gisela was more than happy to lay under her blankets and watch the sun rise through her window.
Hell, it almost looked warm.
The scent of hot maple syrup pulled her from her den after a long and lazy morning. Downstairs, her mother was making pancakes, no doubt requested by her father. She smiled softly at the Gisela who slumped into the room, exhausted but unable to sleep regardless.
“How was your night, sweetheart,” her father asked, kissing the top of her head. Not how did you sleep. How was your night? She loved her parents always but in those little details, she truly felt blessed to have them.
“It was okay,” Gisela rasped, leaning into her father’s affections. He grunted in response and ruffled what might have been hair had she not shaved it the night before.
“No nightmares,” her mother questioned gently, setting the plate down before her.
“No sleep.”
“Not better.”
Gisela didn’t argue with her mother on that point.
“It seems like your sleep is getting worse, Ella,” her father gruffed around a mouthful of food. Gisela only shrugged and nibbled on a forkful of breakfast.
“Maybe you should talk to Dr. Stevens about that?”
Gisela only shrugged. Granted it would be easier to talk to her than her parents. Given certain… aspects of the good Doctor’s personal life.
“When is your next appointment,” her father questioned gently, not knowing that his previous statement had been about all Gisela could handle.
“I’m going to check the mail.”
She left before either parent could stop her. And even though he cold was deeply oppressive, it was better than being interrogated about her insomnia.
But she wasn’t met with cold. When she opened the door and stepped out, her bare feet were met with blood-warm air. The snow beneath her toes felt… warm. Almost hot. Gisela bent down to see if it wasn’t some trick of sensation but… her fingers confirmed the truth. Even though the snow retained it glistening white, and even though it melted in her hands, it still felt like sun-warmed sand.
Further along, the driveway yielded no more answers. The temperature didn’t dip down. The snow didn’t lose its heat. Gisela went back inside with a questioning on her face that her parents asked after but did not pursue. And for the rest of the day, Gisela looked for reasons to go outside, where she could check and see if the weather had changed. She even asked her parents to go outside and fetch things for her, asking after the cold when they got inside. They remarked on the bitterness of the chill and snow, which only left Gisela all the more puzzled.
The next day, however, all was back to normal, and when she left for school she cursed the cold and the snow anew. Perhaps more now for the taste of that magical warmth in the middle of winter.
