The Frozen Heart

John was there once again staring at the blank slate of his canvas. The daunting task of painting the beauty of a lake weighed heavy on his heart. He had only just started to paint and felt that if he started something so large, he would eventually give up and move on. The only option John really had was to simply start on his project. It was a beautiful day outside with the sun shining through the leaves, casting little stars on the ground below.

‘Hello there?’ Said a quiet voice behind John. He turned around startled to see a lovely brown-haired lady of about his age.

‘Hello,’ John meekly responded, quickly turning back to his empty canvas.

‘Sorry I wanted to ask if you were going to start painting? Oh, my name’s Elaine pleasure to meet you Mr.?’ Elaine stared at John patiently awaiting a response.

‘John’ the painter responded ‘Just John will do. I was going to start painting today but I seem to have lost the inspiration for it all.’ John then realized that he would more than likely never touch that canvas for at least the day. ‘How would you feel about a coffee?’ John asked Elaine.

‘I would like that’ Elaine answered smiling.

They went off together to one of John’s favorite coffee places called The Alchemist. As they drank their coffee and talked there was a spark. Elaine as a lover of books and nature was always optimistic. John on the other hand was a bit more cynical; he had seen the pain of the world but for the moment this wonderful woman made him forget.

They were in love. She cared for him and he cared for her. There was something inseparable between them; a bond that neither could explain yet both felt. As they went through the years together they decided to get married. While John was impartial towards ceremonies and would have been perfectly fine with eloping, Elaine wanted to have the most beautiful wedding possible. John eventually gave in. Although John would not admit it he happily let her plan the wedding just to see the joy on her face.

They were almost a week from the date of the wedding when John received a call from Elaine at work. She was sobbing so much she could hardly get the words out of her mouth. As John drove home she talked and he was able to piece it all together. Elaine had a terminal illness that would take her life after only a year. Now, even John was sobbing.

John and Elaine decided to treat the year they had as anyone else would. They lived very happily together for that year. A week before their anniversary, however, Elaine passed on.

John went to the funeral but he did not talk to anyone. He felt as though he had lost himself along with her. There were so many emotions that John could not keep up with them all. His heart felt empty and lifeless. He found his way back to the spot where Elaine had first come up to him with that quiet greeting. It was quite lovely outside but John did not notice. He simply started painting. After a while, he noticed that most of his canvas was still white as snow. In fact,

It was snow. He had painted the beautiful sunny lake as a dark, empty, and icy lake. There was not a single sign of color or happiness in anything, except for the face of his love Elaine. There she stood with her wedding dress falling behind her and becoming one with the icy floor she stood on. John looked and saw that though the painting was sad and empty. Elaine still stood there smiling at the beauty of the painting she now got to finally see.