After the storm

As they kept on walking and walking she could not remember the shape and texture of colours. The way a red velvet cloak contrasts with other colours in a room, satiated and soft. The way sunlight turns a young leaf into a transparent kind of green. And the beauty of those green leafs when standing under a tree looking up to them against the blue sky. All there was now, was the vastness of the white snow, contrasted by black mountaintops piercing through. Even the sky was one giant bulk of whiteness, weighing heavy on her head, forcing the colours out from her memories. She could not count the days they had been walking through this landscape. Her feet did not belong to her body any more. They walked mechanically, without a will being imposed on them, following his pace and movements as he walked in front of her. Had not his cloak been a dark chocolate type of brown at one point? The frost had turned it white, like everything else. His silhouette moved at a constant pace. They had to survive. She fell. A sharp pain through her right knee. She wanted to cry out, but feared the snow would soak up the sound. He moved farther and farther away from her. But then he froze. And turned. She saw his silhouette coming closer. And then everything went to white.

She woke up feeling cold. The light of the fire flickered on the wall of the cave. He was sitting close to the fire, with his back turned to her. He moved his arm, stirring something. He was warming snow into water. Water, she needed that. She produced a sound. He turned around. Brown. She remembered now. His hair was brown and curly and his eyes were brown as well. His skin and lips were teared by the frost. It looked painful. Did she look like that as well? He brought a spoon of water to her lips. She tried to swallow some. "How are you feeling?" he asked, with a brown voice. "Cold," she answered. He smiled slightly. She thought about him carrying her through the snow. "I'm so sorry," she said. He said nothing and gazed into the fire. Shadows danced across the walls. "I wish I was stronger" she whispered. He shook his head and turned his gaze towards her, as he drew closer, slowly. She felt a panic rising from her belly. "Don't", she said sharply, feeling weak. But he didn't listen and just smiled, eyes twinkling as he drew even closer. "Don't worry", he said "it's just to keep you warm." She wanted to protest still. But then everything turned to brown as he placed soft breaths of warm air onto her cheeks, her neck, her nose until he finally breathed life back into her lips. She soaked up his warm breath into her lungs, warming her from the inside. Her heart raced in her chest. There was no more coldness left in her body now.

Before the storm