Death's Snow Angel

Memories

I park the truck at the end of the driveway, staring at the path that I would have to try and drag the food bins along. I sigh, leaning back in my seat. Maybe I could just drive through the snow... I put the truck in gear and take a deep breath, driving forwards. To my relief, the truck doesn't stall and keeps driving into the snow.

I throw the truck in park and nearly scream when I open the door to snow up to my door. I laugh to myself, putting on my snowshoes that had been in the back seat. It was cold outside, and the freezing wind quickly made my nose run and my eyes sting.

First I grabbed my backpack with all my toiletries in it, and then grab a small cooler. The cabin keys were in my pocket, and I loop them around my finger as I trek the ten feet to the cabin. I knock on the door not expecting an answer, and get nothing as I unlock the door. Just in case 3 2 my grandpa had come up here for some reason, I wanted him to know I was coming in. When I open the door snow spills everywhere, and I just sigh as I continue through the house. There was no point in taking my snowshoes off because I'd be right back out there once I unloaded the cooler and dropped my bag. I look around the cabin, at how still everything is and smile. Two weeks here alone, that was my dream. The whole place to myself and everything.

A few hours later...

I throw another log on the fire and walk back over to the couch, sinking into a pile of blankets contently. The TV was playing the indie channel quietly as the blizzard turns into a soft snowfall. I glance out the window, staring for a minute as I try to think of what I was going to write about next. My eyes flick to the window that was beside the TV, where some sort of animal was crawling through the snow. I get up and walk over, squinting as I try to make out what exactly it was, and determine it to probably just be a mountain lion or wolf. Either way, it wouldn't hurt me in here as long as I locked the doors and didn't leave anything out. I sit back down in my pile of blankets, changing the channel to Christmas music. It was a few days past, but I still liked the holiday cheer after Christmas day had left for the year. I jump when I hear a distant scream, waiting for some kind of gunshot or something, maybe an animal noise... But hear nothing. I knew not to go out there, it was a rule my parents established with me since I was little.

I chew my lip as I wrap my fingers tighter around my mug, walking back to the couch and sitting down. I was sure it was probably just an animal of some sort, or it could be a skier...

I get up from my chair again, deciding to wander around the cabin for something to do. I grab my suitcase and drag it up the stairs, standing in the middle of both halls. We have two hallways upstairs- one to my right, which was where my parents and guests stayed, and the ones to the left where Maddie and I usually stayed. Three rooms on either side. I sigh, dragging my bag down the hallway to my left, and open the last door at the end of the hallway.

"Yes, headphones!" I leave my suitcase by my bed and grab my headphones that were sitting on my nightstand. I had left them here in the summer, and couldn't wait to get them back.

The room was still dark with the blinds closed, and my closet door was cracked open a bit still. I rip open the blinds and narrow my eyes, trying to adjust to the brightness of the snow that was outside. I had an amazing view of the mountains and what would be our backyard in the summer. With snow on everything, it all kind of looked the same.

My record player was sitting beside my vanity, an 80s record of some kind still sitting on it's track. I saw a letter or two from Justin, and walk over to pick them up. They were from the summer, but I never got more than two- one per month, and then I got home. I collect them and toss them in the trash, staring at the countless pieces of paper in the trash. All from writing stories in the summer, or writing to Justin.

I leave my vanity and walk over to my closet, opening it up. Hangers hung empty, aside from my ski jacket, snowsuit and skis and poles sitting in the corner. Maybe I would go skiing tomorrow, or hiking- one of the two. I open both doors, and see my snowshoes in the other corner. Snowshoeing it is. I look back over to the window and see a