personal world, filled with a trillion diamonds. The ice acted like a highlighter bringing my attention to things I would otherwise ignore. A holly bush filled with bright red berries glistened festively in the cold. No artificial Christmas display could compare to its beauty in this frozen landscape. The red and dark green was accentuated against the dull whites and blues of the wider frozen world. My eyes would not leave it even as I ran past. A piece of heaven had been brought down to earth. It was so beautiful. Still, the risks of this icy world would not go unnoticed. I heard loud snaps that sounded like gun fire in the distance. Only when I came across large tree branches sprawled across my path did I realize the noise came from mighty branches snapped off of their host trees by the added burden of the heavy ice. It was not hard to imagine what would happen to me if I just happened to be under that tree as the branch gave way. A small shudder went down my spine. I decided to give the trees a wide berth whenever possible. The following days were clear, and the sun shined brightly, but the vortex kept coming. The
The author manages a quick, frozen smile. before the ice came, was now bright and shiny and bustled with new life. The sunlight reflected off all it fell upon. The world seemed new, clean, and pure. It was reborn. The streets were deserted. I was the only fool stupid enough to risk death simply to run in the ice. But the payoff was large. The landscape seemed like my own
21
