In the Snow

Tiny white flakes fell down from above onto the immaculately flat expanse below, carpeting the landscape with an extra layer of fluff. Two human figures lay perfectly still in the silence of the cool weather, waiting expectantly for the next wave of snow

to fall. They created a depression in the otherwise flat ocean of shining ivory, the only imperfection. That was their goal, though, as they continued to wait as layer upon layer buried them underneath the choking white dust. Arms, legs, little remained

to show that they had once been there. Just a peek from their gingerbread faces. "Hey! Quit that!" The oven door made a metallic clang as it fell from the oven-mitten grasp of a black-haired girl just barely tall enough to

see over the counter. She stormed over to the place of her twin sister to snatch the bag of flower away with still mitten-clad hands. Angrily, the bag fell onto the counter sideways with a plop, a small cloud of powder escaping its mouth. "You shouldn't

waste flour like that." She stared into her sister's identical green eyes fiercely. The other sister just looked down onto the cutting board at the people-shaped gingerbread cookies. She traced her finger around their figures, all while trying

desperately to avoid eye contact with her sibling. She imagined the cookies smiling up at her as she palyed with them in their wintry wonderland. "You're just going to keep ignoring me?" She asked with a grumble. No response.

"Fine." The mitten-clad sister turned around and stomped over to the oven. She clenched her teeth angrily while making sure to keep turned away from her twin, fuming at the situation. The oven continued to

hang open, heat radiating from the burning coils within, the gaping maw waiting eagerly for its tribute. "Do you want to put this one in?" She asked with her back still turned, voice trembling with frustration. Her sister remained

silent, arms now dangling at either side while she stared at the gingerbread cookies sleeping inside of their own outlines. Through the kitchen windows snow turned to hail, and hail to rain. Tiny holes began to pierce the roving white hills that had been

swept by the wind. "Fine." Followed by the clang and clatter of the cookie tray being dropped to the floor in front of the oven. The silent twin turned to see her sister leaving the kitchen while dropping the mittens onto the tiled

floor. Doubty men were lain sprawled about the same tiles, some covered by the fabric of the fireproof glove. She leaned over gingerly and started to clean up the mess, picking up each gingerbread person with care to place them back onto the cutting

board in their winter playground. Some were missing arms or legs, she carefully found those missing parts and put them back together with their owners. Tenderly she drew smiling faces onto the injured cookies' faces with a fork from the utensil drawer.

The rain began to fall harder onto the house; a droning pitter patter filled the silence. She sighed while closing the oven, leaving the kitchen and cookies behind as she moved down the hallway. The front door was still left open at a haphazard angle,

the cold winter chill drafting through the open portal. She retrieved a small clear umbrella, donned rain gear, and left the house to trudge through slush. She followed deteriorating holes in the winter fluff, clearly left by her

sister, despite already knowing full well where the trail would end. Each step made a squishing noise beneath the watery snow, threatening to pull off her rubber boots with each sloshing step. She stopped to look up through her clear umbrella

to see each rain drop falling down overhead, desperately trying to break through the plastic barrier. Each drifting droplet was doomed to ineffectually slide down the slope of the umbrella without effect. However, the clouds refused to let up.

They completely blocked out the sun with their dark-gray masses, angry that the snow had been stolen away. Before long she had reached the end of the path. "Why did you follow me?"

She didn't respond, string down at her sister crumpled in the wet snow snobbing. "Say something..." She walked over and sat down next to her twin, sharing the umbrella between the both of them. Their eyes connected for a

split second, one sister's full of tears, the other's completely hollow. "Why won't you say anything?!" A lump formed in the silent sister's throat as she choked back tears for a moment, her lifeless eyes

breaking for just a single second. Instead of speaking, she stood up and looked down at the cold gray stone towering above her sister. "I miss her..." Still, no response. Instead she extended her hand down toward

her collapsed sister, offering to help. The fallen sister cleared her tears with one hand and took the offered hand with her other, hoisting herself up off of the damp ground. Without saying anything, the two headed back for the house, each holding the

umbrella with a single hand halfway between their bodies. At the foot of the door their father waited with a worried expression. "I'm sorry..." The damp sister mumbled in apology as she was dragged back into the kitchen where the

gingerbread men waited in the flour. "I'm sorry..." She mumbled again while sniffles escaped from her mouth. The other sister folded the umbrella and tucked it away near the oven to dry off before turning to

her sibling and smiling. She swiftly opened her arms and brought them around her twin to hug tightly. "I..." "I just wish she could be here." She shook violently with tears as she spoke.

The sister in the rain gear stood silent while holding her twin close. "I'm so sorry..." The rain continued to pitter patter against the roof of the house, eating away at all of the snow that had gathered over the course of the past

days. Outside two snow angels quickly deteriorated under the assault of the weather, leaving behind no trace of anything other than a damp puddle glistneing under the break of sunlight through clouds.