I watched as the sun yawned across the morning sky in shades of blush and tangerine, setting the pale landscape on fire. It was a glittering, beautiful lie.
And yet I was out here nestled between snowy drifts, staring in awe because it wasn't in me to ignore this gift. Especially not now. My soul sighed, long and deep.
I pushed to move over a few feet. This made three.
The ground cushioned my raw, tender body with layers of cold fluff. The numb felt so good. I relished the relief for a moment before lurching onto my side to dry heave.
Nothing came up. It never did no matter how many times the demons crept up my throat.
I shifted again, skin protesting and stretched tight. Four.
My eyes drifted over the pastel horizon searching for the truth. They were inevitably drawn to that smudge of black to the west.
My body recoiled in horror at the confirmation, eyes squeezing shut as I swallowed the screams down, down, down.
How was this my reality?
Rolling over one last time, I forced my arms and legs to move, back and forth in an arc until my muscles burned. Five.
I struggled to my feet, a hiss of pain escaping.
The sound was agonizingly loud in the surrounding stillness as I watched dawn's watery light reflect off the blackened husk in the distance. Garish and grotesque.
The fire took all five of them.
I was left with angels in the snow.
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Comments (23)
Great job congratulations
" a glittering, beautiful lie." Gorgeous and scary af!
Amazing writing! Loved it!
Oh no! This is so beautifully penned, and so heart-wrenching at once. Snow angels -- great foreshadowing.
Wow this read like a poem. Powerful prose!
Wow, unbelievable, beautifully written.
“A glittering, beautiful lie” sets things up for later, and is a great way of setting the scene. This was intense, and you used every word well. Great stuff!
Holy shit Heather. That was powerfully written. Using the counting to bring us to that ending was beyond brilliant!
That ending punhced me in the face and kicked me in the gut! I was so shocked! Certainly wasn't expecting that at all! So well done, my fear friend!
In the Salina Journal last night there was an article about a woman who died trying to save her baby from a fire. I do believe her end was more merciful. Achingly, hauntingly, horrifically well done, Heather.
Gosh. This was fantastic. Your descriptions were beautiful and the story was just heartbreaking.
Powerful and no doubt a Top Story, excellent work
Wow. This is intense. Beautiful and chilling descriptions!
Oh. My. God. What an ending. I was wondering what the counting was, and oh my God!!
OMG, lil' sis! You'e outdone yourself with this one! Chilling in more ways than one.
Stunning Heather, disconcerting but beautifully done. And that last image of the snow angels. Wow! 🤍
Oh, wow! That first line grabbed me by the collar and it only got better from there. Well done!
Wow, this is powerful.
This is so brutal! I mean, well done, but...
I love how you took a horrifying moment and made it sound beautiful. The final lines wrapped this piece up to perfection.
Wow! That of course was so sad in its final punch to the gut. Great job capturing the emotion.
Oh, wow -- disturbingly brilliant!
This was not what I expected from the title and it is amazing. You paint a very clear, very painful picture. Well done!