A Soft Chuckle

Word Count 489

Darkness closed in around me as I hurried to get home, being careful not to slip on the ice. My breath came out in frosty puffs as I tried to not panic and continue on with the winter winds buffeting me along causing my coat to flap open. Winter made me nervous since my husband had passed away in a blizzard two months previously and I still had a hard time coping with being alone.

My mind shied away from thoughts of my husband, refusing to admit he was gone. The pain was just to much for me to bear at this time. How much longer I would have to push these thoughts back, I had no idea, I just knew I would go insane if I dwelled on his death and yet how could I heal if I didn't allow my pain to come forth? My husband Steven had often mentioned that I needed to have faith that he and I would be together forever but now he was gone! Without me! And I had no one to care about me anymore.

Gasping from a stitch in my side, I slowed my steps down, hugging my coat around me to keep warm. I could feel my heart beating rapidly in my chest and my hands felt numb with the cold. How much longer before I could walk in my front door? Trudging on, I glanced up at the dark sky noticing how bright the winter stars were.

A noise alerted me to the fact that I was not the only one out in the cold this frosty evening. I turned quickly around and lost my footing, going down hard on the ice packed sidewalk. Pain slammed into the back of my head causing my world to turn black for an instant.

Coming slowly awake, I felt strong arms holding me closely keeping me warm. My eyes focused on a blurry face that seemed faintly familiar but at the moment I could not bring it into detail clearly. Then my world turned dark again.

As I opened my eyes again I caught a glimpse of white and knew I was being held closely by someone. Soft murmurs came to me and I tilted my head to catch a glimpse of whomever it was. Wrapped in strong arms I only knew I felt no fear as I struggled to see who had saved me. Then I glanced back and down.

There on the ground lay a body, freezing in the snow and ice along a lonely sidewalk. No lights were on in any houses nor was anyone walking by the area. That body was me!

Almost simultaneously, I felt a soft kiss tenderly on my neck and my ear heard the soft whisper," I told you to have faith" ending in a soft chuckle. Wings of white wrapped me in a cocoon of warmth as I went with my beloved.