A sign

The wind blew against my face with stinging pain. My feet were buried in the snow, but I knew if I did not find somewhere warm soon, I would perish in these elements. I’m uncertain what drove me to believe I could survive in this weather. I have been walking for miles I’m certain of it. I still could not find a dwelling in sight to take me in. I should have listened to my mother when she told me to not let my gas go below a quarter tank! I’m such an idiot! Now I’m out here stranded just trying to find some warmth in the wilderness for some damn reason when I probably should have just stayed in my car! My body is getting weak. I don’t know how much longer I can trek through this snow.

I look up to the sky like it is supposed to tell me what to do from here and fall to my knees. The bitter coldness from the snow slowly seeped through my clothes. The warmth of my body turned the snow into ice and stuck to me. I have nothing left to give. I am weak and tired. The coldness that was once ripping through me like a knife is barely noticeable now. I try to stand, but I am too weak and fall to my face. The coldness hitting my eyelids and cheeks sent a shock through my body. I still cannot find the energy to stand and walk. I muster just enough to roll myself over to my back, looking up to the sky as snowflakes flutter down and make a home for themselves on my frigid cheeks.

As I lay there being slowly buried in the snow. My body no longer had any feeling at all my mind began to lose consciousness. I smiled and felt content in a way. The feeling of home and climbing into my warm bed and getting under the blanket resonated within me. I started to think of my mother and father. They had no idea I was coming out to surprise them for their anniversary. How long would it take them to realize they hadn’t heard from me? How long after that would they call the authorities and put out a search? Would they find my car? If they happened to find my car would they then be able to find my body after the fact? These thoughts were deep and dark but yet I still had a smirk on my face like a little kid at Disney World. So many unknowns were surrounding my situation, but I was not scared. I was content and ready.

My eyes began to slowly shut and out of nowhere, I heard a scream. This scream echoed inside of me. I slowly opened my eyes again. There it was again! This was not a human scream. It was like a screech almost. Was I about to be eaten by some abdominal snow creature? I somehow managed to get the strength to turn my head towards the screech. At the end of times, I would rather know what was coming to eat me than a surprise. The snow covering my eyes made my vision blurry. I couldn’t see anything. I heard it again. This time my head turned quickly to the noise. My eyes were still too blurry. I blinked a few times and with every blink, my vision started to become clearer. Then I saw it!

In the tree next to me was an owl and not just any kind of owl but a barn owl! I recognized it from my studies of zoology in college. This magnificent creature looked back at me as if it was piercing through my soul. It screeched again looking directly at me. Something inside of me was intrigued. Intrigued so much I began to slowly sit up. The snow slowly slid off my chest and into my lap. I kept my eyes locked on this owl. It did not move. Just watched me. Encouraged me somehow. I stared at it and wondered to myself if I was perhaps already dead and this was an out-of-body experience of some sort. If this was it felt so real.

I kept my eyes on it and it let out another loud screech as I slowly got on my knees. I tried to stand but my strength wasn’t enough. With my knees dug into the snow and staring down this owl like some five-year-old trying to win a no blinking contest I screamed out.

“What do you want?”

In return, I just got another screech but something in this screech again resonated with me and I began to crawl closer to it. As I crawled closer the owl flew away to the next tree. Looked back at me and screeched. Did this owl want me to follow it? At this point, I had no idea what was happening to me or if it was real, but my mind was intrigued enough to keep pushing me forward. Every few feet the owl would change trees. Tree after tree I followed it and he looked back and would screech at me.

Slowly the strength in my legs started to come back and I was able to stand again. Slowly walking and bracing myself on trees around me when I need to rest. All the while this owl still staying close enough to me. Watching me and guiding me. I still could not fathom what was happening and it was just better than laying in the snow waiting to be covered and taking my last breath. This went on for what felt like an eternity. The owl would screech and I followed slowly behind. Just as hope was about to leave me again, I saw it. I saw an even more beautiful sight up in the distance! Over the ridge, there was a cottage! A cottage with smoke coming out of the smokestack and the lights on. I was saved!

I slowly crawled my way up the steps as lifting my legs was too hard to do. I Gently knocked on the door and the owl let out one last very loud shriek. Moments later the door slowly opened. An older woman gasped and yelled for someone. I smiled back at her and my eyes shut. The next time my eyes opened EMS responders were surrounding me.

Later, when I was in the hospital and my parents had come, they asked me about what happened. I told them about the beautiful owl that had saved me and guided me to safety, but they did not believe me. They thought I was still delirious, but I know the truth. An owl was sent to me in my last moments to guide me to safety to keep me alive because it wasn’t my time yet.

“Grandpa there is no way that story is real!”

“Oh, but it is. Just ask your mom. Every time she would be going through a hard time in life, I would tell her this same story. It helped guide her and show her even in our darkest times all we must do is look for the smallest sign to guide us.”

“I still don’t believe it but it was a cool story grandpa! Thanks for telling me it. I guess I just need to look for my sign and keep trying, huh?”

“Indeed, you do buddy.”

I smiled and huged my grandson as he ran off to play. I looked out my bay window and there in the snow-filled tree a barn owl set staring back at me.