The life has gone from the snowdrops; they are crushed.
A short story inspired by unseasonal snowstorms in South Yorkshire
A new series of short stories set in the deep past but inspired by small moments in my own life: seeking to illuminate mundane moments like these lost to the mists of time. These are intended to be little vignettes of every day life: small moments that don't warrant a whole narrative but are the substance of our experience of life on this earth.
Click here to read all previous short stories!
Short and sharp.
Over almost as quickly as it had come.
Swirling in mystical patterns, lifted, soaring, and tumbling along the waves of the wind.
Shivers, air ice-cold on the face, hands frozen.
An unseasonal snowstorm.
Winter is almost over; warmth had returned to the days. Green shoots peered above their earthy home, where the bulbs had lain dormant while the ground was frozen. They had secretly been at work these past weeks, growing and changing, ready to return to the above-ground world.
Little white snowdrops hung in clusters around trees and along paths. Their heads bobbed in the gentle breeze as if they were chattering away to each other. What do they speak of? Perhaps the birds returning from their winter sun vacation; the tulips taking their time to emerge from their hiding place, later to the party than their more eager peers; the sun standing a little higher each day, gradually growing in strength.
Suddenly they are blanketed with snow, weighing down their delicate stems. The life has gone from them; they are crushed, smothered.
The blizzard consumes all in its path; only those inside are safe from its steady, relentless march through the valley.
Soon all is white and no sign of those signals of spring remain.
Until, little by little, the swirling slows, then stops, the snow recedes, retreats, uncovering those it had drowned in its embrace; the little snowdrops lift their heads once more.
Short and sharp.
Over almost as quickly as it had come.
Have you read my most recent short stories? They’re based on my own experiences but set in the deep past, trying to draw connections between our day-to-day lives and those who went before us.
I love your writing Holly! Your choice of words is outstanding.
LOVED this Holly, so much beauty in this story, snowdrops on the brain this week! xx