In my other post, Moonlight at the Beach, I described the exuberant sensation of soothing water at the beach, on a full-moon night. I described the senses of the waves. I was not expecting it, but I did receive a comment! I, as a writer, love writing. Last time I was itching to write about short stories like The Three Unicorns. Then, after that, I had a deep interest in sensations like in Moonlight at the Beach. Now I will continue that route by describing to you the horrible feeling of being freezing, and end on a happier note. I highly encourage you to get cozy and warm before reading this and please don’t drink or eat anything cold.

Imagine…

A dark figure looms above you. Darkness rolls off of its billowing cloak and you can not see any features of its face except for its golden cruel eyes. “Youuuuu,” it hisses with acid. “You…will…pay…” You squeak in alarm and try to move but shadowy tendrils seep out and hold you fast. Their grip is solid iron and very strong for shadows. You are immobilized in fear.

The figure laughs quietly. Its shape is a mass of swirling gloom, changing and molding and overlapping each other. The dark creature narrows its eyes and they start pulsing red. Shadowy tendrils dart from its body.Your heart quickens but you are transfixed in the monsters burning glare. The eyes slowly grow bigger until all you can see is two burning coals that seem to roll off fury in waves so strong, you can barely save yourself from toppling over.

You wake up in a winter misery land. The lush snow behind you fall in clumps. Your clothing is damp, thin , and cold. Your shoes are already sinking in snow. You breathe raggedly and they puff out like miniature clouds. You stagger to a hump and scoop it up, sucking meekly at the ice. It only seems to make your throat drier than it already is.  You clutch at your neck now as night falls. You look up at the twilight sky, gazing at the stars. There is a supernatural silence in the air that makes your breathing sound like blizzards. Things hiss, snarl, and grow around you. Something thumps near. But when you look at the stars, tiny glowing orbs, your fear goes away.

It seems like minutes even though it is actually hours going by when you stare at the dark sky. Everything around you goes quiet, even the heavy breathing of darkness. It is a calming quiet, the peaceful one of sleep. Suddenly, there is a breeze, and you hear whispers on the air. You tense, ready to run if needed, but there are no creatures out there.

You hear it again, louder, sweet murmurings that float past your ears, barely out of reach. You notice warmth spreading throughout your body. The claws of hunger and thirst have stopped scratching.

Then, silence.

You hear it softly at first, three pure notes in usion. They are the sweetest sounds you have heard. The melody continues, the hum filling the air around you with joy. Monsters scuffle away, growling. One of the floating voices laugh, a tinkling sound, like tiny bells. The air all around you is so light and happy, you can almost see the light. The melody continues to drift all around you and the darkness darts away, as if allergic.

The song ends with flourish, one high note sounding before they vanish. The sun comes up, and the scene begins to change. The hump you attempted to drink from brightens into the color of your bed covers and the snow surrounding you gets revived of color. The sun leaks through your window, bathing you in gold. But you can still listen to that ending pitch of the beautiful song, almost recognize it. Then you do recognize it.

It was hope.