Let It Snow Let It Snow

There it was, the cozy, small, red-roofed cottage nestled so peacefully in the fallen snow.

The atmosphere was as thick as gelatin, and the stillness of the scene suggested all was well — that all within the cottage were happy and content. Fine just staying put in their little winter paradise.

I imagined who might live there. I was a stranger. I would never meet them. Contemplating the tranquility of the scene was enough for me.

For now.

Did I mean them any harm?

That was for me to decide.

How dare they enjoy their serenity! How dare they think all they needed was each other? That their love would protect them from, first, the elements; and then, from the likes of me?

I pulled back a bit and took it all in from a different perspective. I wanted to witness from another vantage. It remained the same.

Same calmness; same peace and tranquility. But I wasn't the same. My indignation grew; resentment matured into a true monster. Soon they would know the wrath of someone who would jeopardize their perfect little world.

Didn't they know they were trapped? By me? With nowhere to go?

And I schemed. No one would ever even know how I had changed their world — shaken it up. Where there was peace and calm, I would wreak chaos. A storm of inclement weather.

I grasped that little snow globe and shook it violently. It wasn't the first time, nor would it be the last.