follow @
The Official Site of Author John J. Zelenski
  • Home
  • About / Contact
  • Blog
  • Reviews

A Very Short Story

10/24/2015

0 Comments

 
For this post I thought I'd share a very short story of mine.  For those who've read it, they've told me it touched their soul.  I hope it does the same for yours.  Enjoy.


Snow Angel
Quarter-sized snowflakes landed carelessly across a crisp blanket of snow that morning.  While the cold but still air felt undoubtedly like winter, it seemed to hold the slightest hint that Spring was not too far in the future.  It was a typical Saturday in early February that awakened fresh memories of a not too distant past. 
He trampled the unbroken sheet of white and made his way up the slight hill to where she lay.  The sleepy sun cast long shadows against the tomb stones and head markers in the distance.  Everything about this place told him to remain quiet, yet he wanted to scream.
So he did – then he laughed, and finally cried.
Her marker stood as a memorial, but to what – a life that never had a chance to begin – a rose that’s taken before its petals are unfurled?  It seemed beyond the point for questions but not out of the realm of reason to ask them.  He knew he’d see his daughter again someday, but standing there very much alone that morning, he needed something more than a promise.
As the sun rose higher, the snowflakes began to wane and finally disappeared giving way to a small, chilly breeze.  He tucked his hands in the deep pockets of his jacket and buried his beard into his chest.  His right hand tightened around a folded piece of paper which felt oddly familiar.  Realizing it was a photograph, he brought it to his chest, keeping it folded.  The pictures in his mind were much clearer and required little effort to open. Closing his eyes tightly, the tears still came but dried quickly against the cold air and a steady stream of sunshine.
He let out a sigh and turned to leave but something bid him to stay.  Whether acting on impulse or simply obeying the still, small voice that spoke to him that morning, he fell to the ground and lay on his back.  He grinned, then laughed out loud while wildly flailing his arms and legs.
“I’ve made an angel for my angel,” he said to himself.
A sudden burst of wind caught him unaware and he shuddered a bit as he caught his breath.  Rising to his feet, he brushed away the icy pellets that clung to his jacket and tucked the photograph into his chest pocket.  As he slowly turned to say goodbye, the sun hid bashfully behind a large, white cloud – the air stood strangely calm and gave some indication of what he would see.
A small snow angel lay nestled next to his.

JJZ
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Picture
            

    Archives

    August 2022
    January 2022
    September 2021
    November 2020
    March 2020
    September 2019
    March 2019
    November 2018
    April 2018
    June 2017
    December 2016
    September 2016
    July 2016
    March 2016
    January 2016
    October 2015
    August 2015
    June 2015
    March 2015
    January 2015
    November 2014
    July 2014
    May 2014
    March 2014
    January 2014
    November 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

    Picture
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.