After the storm, things changed. Breath swirled in the frosty air. Cold snowflakes settled on my gloves, and I watched them melt into little drops of water.

Death plagued the earth along with the small beauties of the winter. Everybody mourned the losses of loved ones. Forming little melted spots in the snow beneath me, my warm tears fell, dedicated to my mother.

Gently, she would stroke my hair before I fell asleep on these cold nights. Her soft touch felt absent tonight. I headed back inside to try to sleep.

Jealousy infiltrated my mind as I watched little girls with their mothers playing outside. Knowing I wasn’t getting her back, I turned my head away.

Love felt gone from the world now- I didn’t even have my father, because he was away on a business trip. Mom was supposed to take care of me for the next few days. Now I had to live by myself- I didn’t want to ask the neighbors for help, it was too awkward.

Opening the bedroom door felt like too much. Perhaps I would just sleep on the couch… it felt more natural to me, because of all the nights I had “accidentally” fallen asleep there.

Quiet whispers filled every corner, an echo of my despairing thoughts. Resting my eyes was worse. She laid underneath my eyelids, my mother’s body. Try as I might, I couldn’t stop seeing her. Unbearable thoughts filled my mind. Visions disturbed it further.

Where she went was better… I knew that. X-rays of her body seemed to prove otherwise, though. Yielding her body to the doctors was hard, but it revealed horrible breakage and infection. Zigzag cuts ran through her bones, and it made me wonder, “is she really happy in the afterlife if her body looks like this?”