Why am I here again?

I asked this of myself as I stared down from the tall hill where people were sledding down from.

“Doesn’t it look fun?”

I slowly looked up unblinkingly at Anika who grinned. It was the next day and I was back outside with X dollar long johns, face mask and all. This time instead of a frozen pond, Anika had it in her head that we should be sledding down a hill.

“What if I smashed into a tree?” I finally asked when my stare didn’t seem to faze her.

She waved her gloved hands, “Not a chance. There aren’t trees close enough for you to hit and you’ll run out of momentum long before you get over there. Relax! You’ll be fine!”

I really wasn’t the kind of person that ran on adrenaline of any kind really but with Anika’s help I finally decided I would slide down. She had offered to go first, but I wanted to instead. I needed her help to make sure I was situated.

“Ready?” she practically yelled.

Although her voice was almost in my ear I didn’t wince as I calmly answered, “No, but you can push anyway.”

I could feel her roll eye eyes before she pushed me down the hill. I held on for dear life, eyes wide as I cruised along. Once I got down the hill and stopped, I stood up. I didn’t want to admit it, but that was low-key fun.

I turned to wave at Anika only to find that the hill that everyone and everything was frozen. Not that kind of frozen, but legit paused. I looked at the few people down the hill with me. One was in an awkward position of getting up but half slipped and was frozen there like a sculpture. Two others had gotten into a light snowball fight and the snow was hanging in the air, half smashed into the person who was frozen with a laugh turning away.

I swallowed. I could spot my friend, up top, hands in the air, paused in the middle of waving at me. What was going on?

“Um….excuse me?” I called out.

Honestly I don’t know what I was going for but no one so much as blinked much less responded to me. Even the worker with a bright orange shirt over top of his winter garb, stood with a small smile.

I finally remembered myself and lowered my hand. And suddenly, like a sharp pain, I felt a weight that seemed to begin to press down from all sides. Even my mask seemed restricting suddenly but I refused to take it off. It felt like the temperature dropped way below freezing.

Suddenly every survival winter movie played through my head. I hated those kinds of movies. I had come to the conclusion long ago that I’d rather be baked to death in the desert than frozen to death in the middle of nowhere. I have a low-key fear of freezing to death. Low-key because I would never put myself in a situation that would have such an outcome.

Until now.

Now, I had a high-key fear of freezing to death.

I shivered as I turned around and almost jumped out of my long johns. In the cluster of trees, in the center someone sat cross-legged. He was only a few feet away from me and I recognized him instantly as the man who was at the pond the other day. His eyes were closed but I could feel a sense of murderous intent from him. His aura held my feet like ice blocks, making me freeze before him.

I didn’t move, didn’t so much as breathe.

Since I was closer to him now than yesterday I could see the crease between his eyebrows furrowed up as he moved his hands in a rhythmic manner. I sure didn’t know what he was doing but the longer he did move, his lips moving in a silent incantation, something between his hands began to spark.

I watched as blue lightning began to sizzle. I could hear it. It began to form, into a cloud, growing bigger and bigger. His dark blue shoulder-length hair that was stripped with white swayed gently as if the lightening was no more than a breeze to it. Eventually, he opened his mouth and white and blue glittering air exited mixing with the cloud. Eventually, it got so big it began to rise upwards into the sky. Its rumble reminded me of thunder.

Only then did he tilt his head upwards before opening his eyes. When he finally lowered his head, his eyes caught sight of me. Much like the expression I saw yesterday, his jaw dropped and that murderous intent disappeared from sight as shock colored his expression.

Finally, his shut his mouth clacked close and he cocked his head, eyes narrowing. “Can...can you see me?”

It took a moment for my voice box to work, “Why shouldn’t I see you? You’re sitting in broad daylight.”

The first response was enough. Why did I add extra stuff? There is no telling who I was talking to!

I saw him exhaled shortly, his eyes going unfocused, lowering. He must have been in thought because he finally looked up at a nearby tree.

“How is this possible? No one has ever been able to see me before now? Did you do this?”

I followed his line of sight and saw that white bird sitting on a branch. I hadn’t noticed it before now. It was the same bird from the other day. I could not miss it’s erect posture even before it turned it’s head and looked straight at me.

The blue skinned man turned his head and looked between the two of us curiously.

“Do you two know each other?” he asked.

I couldn’t help but to sputter. He talked as if we, a human and a bird would have an acquaintance.

“So you really did see me yesterday…..”, he said trailing off.

I’m not sure how but I blinked and had to jumped back once. I don’t know when but he had risen and moved to stand before me. I didn’t even hear any snow crunching. I instinctively looked down and blinked. It wasn’t so much that he wasn't wearing shoes. It was that too, but mostly because he was standing on top of the snow, no indention of his figure in it.

I really couldn’t help it.

“Aren’t you cold?” I asked looking up at him. He was taller than me, towering over my 5’7 frame.

He took a long blink as if he had to process the meaning behind the word before his eyes lowered, pure white lashes covering them, “Cold?”

Before I could answer a scoff passed his lips, “Cold? Cold-that has little meaning to me.”

He raised his hand, palm upward. Snow began to dance in the center, “Nothing is as cold as the loneliness in my heart.”

I would be lying if I didn’t say that his words didn’t make my breath catch. He met my eyes and I had to swallow around the lump that formed in my throat. Why were his words so direct?

I could see his almost translucent eyes almost like a blind person. But I knew that he wasn’t blind as he gazed down at me. But within them, I felt I could see a turbulent wave that never seemed to stop. It seemed to pierce my heart over and over again.

But why?

I couldn’t say.

I just knew that this was different from the murderous intent I felt before. But then he blinked, breaking the spell.

“Who are you?” I blurted out.

He blinked again. When he tilted his head once, “Me?”

His eyebrows creased as if he was again trying to process what that meant. He tilted his head the other way and I noticed the clack of his long earrings against his cheek.

I realized that sounded abrupt and tried again, “I mean….what is your name?”

His eyebrows shot up, “My name?” He seemed to hum a moment before answering quietly, “I have long since forgotten such a thing.”

I turned over the clause in my head, “You had one?”

However before he could answer that question, I ducked instinctively as I heard a rumble of thunder. I turned and looked back. I could see that snow was beginning to kick up, on the mountain. It was surreal, as if it was snowing just over the top of the mountain where everyone was still frozen but not where we were.

With wide eyes I whipped back to face him who had donned a cool and collected demeanor.

“What...what is that?”

Last I remember, there was nothing like a snow storm set in the forecast.

He gazed over my head at the mountain, “It took me years to build up this much power. It has slowly grown over the years and now it’s finally here.”

A slow smirk began to form across his face and I shivered once more at that murderous intent that reappeared.

I glanced back at the snowstorm. It seemed different from usual snowstorms. Angry and wild. I could hear the wind picking up and I worried about my friend and the resort.

“Why? Why are you doing this?” I asked, thinking about the other day. I whipped around to face him, “That day, at the pond. What were you going to do? Did I really see a crack in the ice?”

His eyes refocused back on mine, “It seems you were the only one that saw it.”

At his words, I thought of the implications and a shiver of fear ran down my spine, “Were you going to break the pond? What about everyone who was skating? We could have all died.”

“So?”

My mouth fell open behind my face mask at his answer.

I sputtered, “S-s-so? What do you mean, so?”

He gave a ripple of his shoulders, “What do I care about any of those mortals?”

“You could have killed me and my friend!” I snapped.

Something flashed in his eyes, something that held him back. I stared up at him, nose wide as he looked down at me.

He finally spoke softly, “I didn’t expect anyone to be able to see me.”

“And that’s why you stopped, because I did?” I asked.

He twisted his head once before shaking himself, “No one cared when I died in that pond.”

I’m sure I looked like a slapped mackerel just then.

“Excuse me?”

His eyes darkened as I heard the thunder from behind, “I don’t remember my name and don’t remember anything except that frigid cold that dragged me under as I sunk in that pond. It felt as if I had been sinking for ages. The only flash I remember is a pair of cold eyes that watched but I don't remember who it was. I sunk and no one cared. The next I remember was waking up in an ice cave looking like this and that bird.” He glanced over at the tree.

“You...drowned in that pond?” I asked absently, unable to believe my ears.

Silence drifted except for the wind behind me.

Finally I looked up at him, “You know what it feels like and you are willing to put others through it?”

He looked away, not answering my question.

My eyes narrowed, “How are you any better than that one that watched you drown?”

He whipped his head towards me, his wide nose flaring and eyes pointed. I only lifted my chin. I didn't want anyone to get hurt but my voice was soft and pleading, “I can extrapolate that you are angry but there has to be a better way.”

“Such as?” He asked after a moment.

I was pleasantly surprised and pleased that he asked.

“I don’t know”, I admitted slowly but quickly continued, “But we can figure it out.”

He looked stunned as he blinked at me.

What, what did I say?

Finally, he waved a hand between us, “We?”

I nodded.

“Us, together?”

Ahh, it just occurred to me. If he’s been alone all this time, perhaps the idea of someone helping him or doing something with him was something had to be processed. Despite the cold, I reached up and pulled down my face mask to give him a smile. Then I nodded once more.

I was rewarded with a quirk of his lips as he looked away almost in a bashful manner.

At that moment, I shivered, quite hard, rattling my frame. I reached up and hugged myself absently. Why was it so cold?

He gasped and darted to my side, “Come with me! My friends say that inside is warmer.” He lifted his hand and pointed to a cluster of trees. It took me a moment before I realized there was a cave he was pointing to.

Now I admit I hadn’t looked that closely but I don’t remember that being there. However, I had to think about it. He was a stranger after all.

I pulled up my face mask as I glanced at him. He was looking at me so earnestly that I couldn’t seem to grasp the defenses I should have. However, I couldn’t help but to hesitate as I asked, “How do I know you aren’t going to kill me?”

He looked genuinely surprised, “Why would I kill the one person that can see me? That offered to help me. It’s been so long…..” he trailed off looking down at his feet.

I really couldn’t say anything against that. I glanced at the snow that was falling quite heavily. “If I go with you, will you stop it?”

He looked over his shoulder and looked troubled at the request. I reached out with my gloved hand and grabbed his wrist. He looked at it as I said, “Please. I don’t want anyone to get hurt.”

He looked up at me before slowly nodding, “I guess I’ll stop...for now.”

I would take it. He turned and quickly moved his hands in a complicated manner before pointing like a gun towards the cloud. It took a few moments for the air to begin to disperse leaving clear air.

“Is that satisfactory?”

I jumped at his voice and it took a moment to realize his question before I nodded and smiled behind my face mask.

“So, will you come with me?”

I finally caved and nodded. He gave a wide grin and I swore I had deja vu, but I didn’t quite remember where. Down to the little dimple that appeared.

Strange.