The hospital ceiling was too white. Too bright. It almost hummed when I stared at it for too long. I blinked slowly, letting the cold air of the room settle on my skin, and the faint beeping beside my bed reminded me that I was still here—still breathing, still waking up to the world I had left in such a rush.
Then suddenly...
All I knew was the darkness—not scary darkness, but the soft kind that wraps around you like a heavy blanket. I floated in it, weightless, as if the world outside had forgotten I existed.
Sometimes I heard voices. Sometimes I didn’t.
A slow beeping sound echoed far away, like someone tapping gently on a door, trying to remind me of something. My own name drifted through the dark every now and then, spoken by different voices—worried, trembling, hopeful.
“Ottilie … please wake up ... please You have to live ... live for me.”
That voice — That trembling broken voice pleaded me to wake up,I knew it was him crying .
Suddenly, I felt a thin thread of light broke through the darkness. It wasn’t bright, but it was warm. It reached me like a hand.I would feel it his large hand gripping mine as if he would keep me alive.
It took time before memories started to slip back into my mind—not all at once, but in small pieces, like shattered glass finding its shape again.
The rain.
The running footsteps.
The shock of cold air on my face.
And then… nothing.
It was a snow day.
Everyone was laughing and having fun in granny Katerina while Ivan who is recording them through a camera. <"so exhausting "> he thought looking outside the window. he wispered to himself.
came a loud voice.
A boy with a black hair—he was wearing a apron.it was he's friend lev morozor.<"can you bring the wood to fireplace">he said gazing at him.<"okay">he mumbled. he opened the door.
The snow was heavy falling .
As he looked at the right side he saw a blur of a person vision far away.<"who?"> he thought and pointed the camera and zoomed in the same direction.
Ivan eyes widened — he saw a girl making a snow man and playing like a child all alone.
The wind blew her long brown silky hair <"pretty"> was the first thought he had looking towards her. While he was lost gazing at her.The girl also looked at the same direction as him— her luminous green eyes pulled him in before he even realized —it was as if they had a brief eye contact.That stunned Ivan— his expression softened instantly.He puts the camera down.
came a loud voice again.
he said totally forgetting about the fire wood.< Coming> Ivan shouted. Than he went in with the firewood.
On the other hand the girl who Ivan was staring at felt a chill down her spin— she looked at the same direction where he was standing and recording her. As she too saw a blur of a person vision far away.
And just like that the morning sun rose —Drip drip the sound came from the snowmelt water drops.
i coughed, as i let out a small, shaky cough—as i realized i was coming down with a cold.<"Oh Ottilie" >worriedly said my mother adle.<"I told you didn't I not to stay outside for too long ">she said gentle — her eyes full of worry for me.
<"yes u told me but, it was so much more fun outside mom" > i softly said as i glanced at my mother < "please don't over exhaust yourself ">my mother replied worriedly. i sneezed<" i wanna do what i want makes me happy mom ,this is my last wish"> i said .<".........ok do as you wish .........honey">my mom wispered softly — her voice gentle and commanding.
I looked at the heater in the corner of the room, its faint orange glow flickering softly against the walls. The warmth spread slowly through the air, chasing away the cold that clung to my hands and sleeves.
<"you have a hospital appointment today remember ?? So dress up before its late"> mom looked at me .<"alright mom"> i muttered under my breath — our eyes met her eyes full of worry and gentleness and mine..... maybe dull... or lifeless. I smiled.
After an hour I dressed up and went outside where my mom was waiting for me.I went in the car, pulling the door shut behind me as a rush of cold air slipped in with me. My breath came out in tiny white clouds, fading almost instantly in the warm air from the heater.
The seat was still a little cold, and I tucked my hands into my sleeves while Mom adjusted the mirrors.
she asked, glancing at me with a small smile.I nodded <“Yeah”>
The engine hummed softly as she started driving. Outside, snowflakes drifted past the windows, sticking for a moment before melting into clear droplets. The world looked quiet, washed in silver and white.
The car windows were fogged from the inside, turning the outside world into a blur of white. Snow drifted down in soft, quiet flakes, settling on the glass like tiny stars before melting away— I leaned my forehead gently against the cool window, watching the world pass by in slow motion.
Bare trees lined the road, their branches dusted with snow, bending slightly under the weight. Streetlights glowed faintly through the falling flakes, making the whole world look like it was trapped inside a snow globe.
My mom kept both hands on the steering wheel, eyes focused on the slippery road. The heater hummed softly, filling the car with a warm, cozy air that made my cold cheeks tingle.
my mother asked, her voice gentle but loud enough to rise above the sound of the tires pushing through snow.
I nodded, still watching the white landscape.
“Yeah… it’s pretty,” i murmured.
My mother smiled without taking her eyes off the road.
“Snow always makes everything quiet,” she said. “Like the world slows down for a moment.”
I breathed a foggy circle onto the window and traced a tiny heart in the center. Outside, the wind blew a swirl of snow across the road, but inside the car felt safe, warm—like a small moving shelter against the winter.
