Snow

She walked through the snow, her feet bare.  There was a sting below but she couldn’t really feel it, her entire being was centered inward. Her pure white night gown swished around her ankles, being carried by the wind. There were smudges of dirt on her nightgown, standing out starkly against the white background. No matter how much it would be washed, those marks would never disappear. They were a part of the gown. Her eyes stared blankly ahead, blue as the cloudy sky above but with red surrounding the irises. Her hair was hanging loosely, being carried with the wind as it tangled and became a helpless mess. It didn’t matter anymore. She had fixed her hair perfectly for the past twenty years, curling, straightening, and doing anything in order to look good. To feel good. Her hands which used to be soft and perfectly manicured were now covered in calluses, her nails chipped. Her lips that used to be full and adorned with colors of red and pink were now blue, cracking, and creaking a stinging sensation whenever they moved. She couldn’t smile now. It was too painful. She moved through the trees, moving towards the lake that was half frozen over by the winter. There was white lace falling from the sky now, covering the ground with fresh snow. How many times had she worn something similar? Dressed in lace, dressed like snow. Innocent. Cold. Pure. Snow could not have fire. It would be unable to stay in its perfect form if it had fire. It would become something ugly, unable to fit in with the rest of the snowflakes. Her foot dipped into the freezing water which she couldn’t even feel. She couldn’t feel at all anymore. She had become numb. As she moved further into the lake, the water rising further over her body she thought of the stains. When someone found her body would they see the stains? Or would the freezing cold water finally take them away?