The Writers' Block Anthology

Winter is Coming

As I opened the door to my house, cool air immediately rushed up to greet me. Falling around me like wispy tendrils, flinging my hair this way and that, clawing gently at my clothing. I closed my eyes for a moment to relish the sensation. This is what I love about autumn. It's wedged between two harsh seasons, the scalding summer and the bitter winter, who could care less about the life that dwells in their midst. Autumn, however, is gentle and caring. It allows you to breathe without feeling the stifling heat or blistering cold. Its winds caress you gently as though trying to comfort you in this horrible reality of a world. Its winds don't tear the moisture from your body or sap your warmth. Autumn doesn't take like the two harsher seasons, it gives.

I opened my eyes and gazed out into the world expecting to see the rich saturated colors that Autumn paints its trees, but . . . it took a moment for my brain to process what I was seeing. The warm colors . . . the warm comforting colors had been replaced by cold extremes. Black and white. I closed my eyes and shook my head, maybe my eyes were acting funky. Trick of the light and all that. I opened them again only to be greeted with the same landscape as before.

A few of the neighbors who had come out of their houses for various reasons were also looking at the spectacle of change. Some of the children were running around and throwing leaves up in the air, but the adults all had an uneasy or confused look on their faces. I walked down my steps and crouched to pick up one of each colored leaf in the checkered blanket covering the ground. Despite the colder look it brought the world, the leaves themselves were truly beautiful. The white shimmered more like a pearl with speckles of gold while the black was void and glossy. Different but gorgeous. How did they change overnight?

My phone buzzed in my pocket, reminding me that I needed to be headed off to work. I opened my car door, placing the leaves gently on the center console. I sat down and took out my phone to find that both my friends and my work chat were blowing up. It was all about the black and white leaves. I sent that I was on my way in the work chat and began to drive, careful of the children darting everywhere as they played in the new leaves. While I drove, I noticed there were a lot more people outside than usual. Most were just curious about the change. Many were taking pictures. A few were holding up signs about the end of the world; at some of the stoplights some people were shouting incoherently through megaphones holding the leaves and pointing at the trees. I sigh, my work will be chaotic from the looks of how the public is taking this event. I work at a marketing company that specializes in managing social media for other companies and officials. There will be many clients who will try to capitalize on this event, for better or worse, to push their own agendas. I can only imagine what this day will hold.

I pulled into my work parking lot and rushed inside. Almost immediately I'm being handed stacks of papers and having things shouted at me. I manage to get to my desk and log onto my computer to find my day filled with meetings. This was going to be a nightmare.

"Hey! Someone turn that up!" shouted one of the managers.

I looked up and saw them pointing at the TV we usually designated for the news to help us keep up with recent events. Someone unmuted the TV as an elderly woman appeared on screen being interviewed by one of the news crewmen.

"You have to listen to me! I'm not crazy!" she begged. She had an accent that I didn't recognize. It was very thick and hard to make out at first.

"Okay, we're listening," said the interviewer as he pointed to the camera. "We're all listening, so please tell us what you have to say."

"S-she's coming," the elderly woman whimpered. "S-she's coming and no one can stop her!"

"Who's coming?"

"Morana." The woman began to shake, and her face began to contort as a tear rolled down her cheek.

The interviewer stared at her, his eyebrows scrunched together as he turned to someone out of camera shot and made a questioning gesture. After a moment, he turned back to the woman. "Who's Morana?"

"Morana is the goddess of winter and death," the woman rasped, staring blankly at the floor.

The interviewer gave a small scoff and turned back to someone off screen with a cool smile and a look of disbelief. "Bill, you've got to be kidding me. This is the big story you had me rush into work for?"

There was a brief pause. 'Bill' seemed to answer because the newsmen rolled his eyes and turned back to the elderly woman. "Okay, fine, so what makes you think this 'Morana' is coming?"

"Are you blind?" the woman snapped, taking the newsmen aback. "Haven't you seen the leaves?" She took the pair of leaves out of her pocket and shoved them into the man's face. "These. These leaves. Surely you've seen these. They're unnatural. Cursed. They smell of death and the bitter cold. Don't you see what they represent?"

"I-I mean sure we've all seen the leaves, but--"

She stood up and came closer to the screen, holding up the white leaf. "This leaf, it is cold to the touch and the color of pure snow. It is winter. And this leaf," she held up the black leaf, "it is void. See how its very presence sucks the color out of anything that it is near? It is death. This is the power of Morana!"

The news studio was silent as was my office. No one moved. No one seemed to breathe as the old woman stared us down through the camera. She was shaking, the leaves quivered in her grip. "She is coming. Beware of her and her creatures. If you do not heed this warning, you will die."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Please R&R, don't forget to vote if you enjoyed! All comments and/or reactions are welcome! :D

Eternally Yours,

~ Phoenix