Twin Souls

Chapter 2: Snowdrops

REVISED: 11th Feb 2024

2. Snowdrops

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One week later...

It was already dusk, and the place was colder than ever. Throughout the day, not a single ray of sunlight touched his pale skin. Looking out the large window of the Winter Palace, he noticed the white sky had turned bluish-black. Ivan needed to get home as soon as possible. In his mind, he knew that a dangerous blizzard was likely to strike tonight.

His colleagues waved him goodbye as he took his cue to leave. He cannot wait to go home and drink vodka after he attended a three-hour meeting about Syrian refugees. What a nerve of them to commit crimes in Russia, even if the citizens let them stay with open arms. Those scavengers should know their lessons and their place in society.

With a relieved sigh, he found his car and went inside. His hands were on the steering wheel as he drove away from the gates of the Winter Palace. He could not help but admire the view of Saint Petersburg from the car window. From the architecture to the streets and the landscape design, everything was breathtaking. It was already 2016, but its beauty did not fade after all these years.

The streets were empty, and only a few cars passed by. Along with the absence of people, the whole place was covered in silence. In the white mist of winter, there was a small, visible figure near the gates of another building. Curiosity took him in, and now he found himself driving towards it.

He stopped and was surprised to see a woman with a smartphone and monopod in her hand. Her face filled with delight as she looked around her surroundings, and Ivan could tell that she was not over 15 years of age. She was dressed in a white coat that matched the white ushanka with a creamy pink scarf draped around her neck. Why she took a selfie in the middle of a blizzard target-potential street, Ivan had no idea.

Maybe she was not aware of the weather forecast today.

... Or perhaps she was just stupid.

He had no intention of disturbing her selfie business, but he felt that he needed to warn her about the climate. Immediately, he stepped out of his car, and she gave him an alert, wide-eyed look in return.

He was about to say a word, but the girl almost dropped her smartphone. Luckily, he was quick enough to catch it.

She muttered a small "thanks" and looked up at him. At that moment, Ivan noticed how short she was. Her head only reached his elbow, and the coat she was wearing was big for her small body. Rarely did he encounter Russians who were so little like her...

'A foreigner!' He realized.

"Miss, are you aware of the blizzard that will occur tonight?" He asked in a grave tone. He never intended to frighten her as he quickly noticed how she flinched in her place when he spoke.

"I... I... I do not know about it. Was the blizzard so bad?" the girl answered shyly.

'Oh, what a stupid question,' he thought and rolled his eyes. "You haven't encountered a blizzard before?"

"Well, today was my first day in Russia, and this was my first snow experience. I was delighted to see all this white stuff falling from the sky!" she exclaimed, and surprisingly, she positioned herself next to him, pulled out her smartphone, and realized that the odd foreigner wanted to take a selfie with him.

"You won't mind this, do you?" she happily said and made a 'peace' hand sign while he, on the other hand, only looked at the camera with a blank stare. She finally pressed the capture button, and Ivan saw how awkward they looked in the picture.