Music Box

It's cold, but not unpleasantly so, my body shivers, I breathe, in and out.

Watching my breath spin away as white air.

I hear music. Quiet, calm.

The world stops for a moment.

The cheery tune, the melancholy tone fills the air.

I raise my hands, moving my fingers to the notes.

I close my eyes and slowly spin.

As the song continues, snow begins to fall.

Tiny, delicate flakes, slowly cascading to the earth. I pay them no mind.

As the song reaches its peak, the snow falls harder, soft slush accumulating under my dancing feet.

The world is filled with music, the silence absent.

The song plays madly, the end of its time near, the blizzard rages harder than ever.

I continue dancing, continue playing the invisible notes with my fingers.

The song ends, the storm dies. I stop.

Tears flow down my cheeks, but I smile.

I tighten the scarf around my neck, and set off toward home, humming the sound of the music box.