Fandom: Originals
Rating: G
Summary: An ordinary walk through the woods becomes a matter of life and death.
Warnings: religious stuff?
Disclaimer: This is my own original idea with my own characters. Don't steal! ^-^
Tani’s note: This was written for a story contest using a style that's a bit different from my usual. I really like how it turned out. If you read, please feel free to tell me what you think, even if it means you have to tell me that you hated it. Just make sure to tell me why! Now, without further ado, I present...the story!
When Hana was little, her grandmother had told her that the clouds were where the angels lived, and she should always look to the clouds for guidance. It had been her favorite thing to hear. She loved the idea that someone was always protecting her.
Today was a day where angels watched over her every move. The day had dawned cold and cloudy, with a promise of snow flurries from the weatherman. It would be the first snow of the year if his predictions came true. So, lacking anything to do, Hana had decided to go for this walk through the woods in the hopes that she’d be the first to see those crystallized drops of water make their way to the ground.
The air was crisp, and there seemed to be an almost expectant silence as she entered the woods. The world was poised between fall and winter. She’d always thought that the first snowfall of the year was a magical thing that should be treasured. This one seemed like it would be a special thing indeed.
An odd kind of contentment fell over her as she made her way deeper and deeper into the familiar woods around her home. It was as if the rest of the world, and all the worries that came with it, were slowly fading away. Then the first flakes began to fall, melting to icy drops against her skin. She shivered in cold delight.
Hana wandered aimlessly into the woods, watching as a shroud of snow began to cover everything and the world became a white shadow of its former self. It was as if she was locked in a trance by the wonder of the falling snow. A trance that broke a short while later when she realized that she had no idea where she was.
Feeling the first stirrings of fear begin in her stomach, Hana scanned her surroundings for any familiar landmarks. Nothing. And now the snow was beginning to fall in earnest. She squinted, trying to see through the white curtain that seemed to have fallen over the world around her. It was no use though. She could see nothing. She had no idea where she was.
Firmly pushing down the panic that was growing in her, she tried to think of what to do. Weren’t you supposed to stay in the same spot and wait for someone to find you if you ever got lost? Yes, that sounded about right. So decided, Hana settled down on a fallen log to wait. I‘m sure someone will notice I‘m missing pretty soon. Then it‘ll only be a matter of time before I‘m rescued, she thought hopefully.
Minutes passed, and the cold slowly began to seep into her very bones. Shivering and shaking, she conceded to herself that even if someone was coming, they might not be able to find her. After all, if she couldn’t find her way out, then how was anyone going to find their way in? The best thing she could do was try and find her own way back. It wasn’t like the woods went on forever. If she could just keep herself from going in circles, then she’d be sure to come to an end eventually.
Mind made up, she climbed to her feet, jumping up and down a little to get the blood circulating through her body once again. Then, trying to choose the direction she’d come from, she set off.
It was a cold and nightmarish walk. The snow showed no sign of relenting, and even while she was moving the cold seemed to be getting worse and worse. It felt like she’d never be warm again. In addition to that, her strength was rapidly evaporating. She could feel herself becoming weaker by the second.
Finally, seemingly having made absolutely no progress, Hana sunk to the ground, thinking to take a quick rest. Once she was down though, she felt absolutely no desire to get up. She was sinking into a daze of cold and numbness. She wasn’t afraid any longer. In fact she didn’t feel anything . . . Nothing at all . . .
She straightened up with a start, suddenly frightened once again. She couldn’t feel her hands or feet! Even worse, she’d been on the verge of going to sleep. Probably never to wake up again.
Staggering a little, she climbed laboriously to her feet. Head hanging, she began to trudge forward with renewed speed. That speed didn’t last long however, and minutes later she found that she was barely moving forward. The numbness was creeping up her legs from her feet like an invading army, and the fear began to leave her again. Finally it was all gone, and she sunk to the ground. She was so cold and tired . . . Surely if she just slept for a while she’d feel better.
Her eyes slowly drifted shut, and as easily as that, she found herself in a different place. Light floated gently from some unseen source, and a strange feeling of peace overcame her.
"Hana," someone said softly. She looked around for the source of the word, but no one was there. Still, she didn’t feel fear. It was as if, in this time and place, nothing was capable of hurting her and she instinctively knew that. Which was silly, but still how she felt. Suddenly, she sensed a presence behind her. She turned around and stared in shock at what she saw. He was an angel.
The first thing she noticed was his wings. They spread to either side of him like some kind of ethereal frame, white as the snow she’d been surrounded with. The next thing she noticed was his eyes, pure sky-blue orbs that were disconcertingly lacking pupils. Looking closely, she thought she saw a cloud pass through them, but she blinked and it was gone. Those eyes were the only bit of color about him; the rest of him was pure white, even his hair and lips. He was so otherworldly that she knew she should be frightened, but she wasn’t. "Who are you?" she asked fearlessly.
He laughed, a sound reminiscent of chimes. "You know who I am. I am an angel."
She nodded, not the least bit surprised. "Am I dead?" she asked.
He shook his head. "You’re dreaming. Right now your body is trapped in a snowstorm, dying."
"So I will be dead." A faint tendril of alarm stirred within her. "I don’t want to die."
He smiled. "I know. It’s not your time yet anyway. That’s why I’m here." He took a few steps forward until he was only a few inches away from her. Putting his hands on her shoulders, he said, "I’ve come to tell you to wake up." He began to shake her, repeating over and over, "Wake up," until he was shaking her so fast that everything began to blur before her eyes. She closed them momentarily, and when she opened them again, it was to the sight of her father’s worried face. He was shaking her as well, but he stopped as soon as he saw she was awake.
"Thank God," he sobbed. "Thank God. You wouldn’t wake up, and I was sure I‘d lost you. Oh, thank God you’re alive. We’ve got to get you to the hospital."
Then she was being lifted and carried out of the woods, and her mother was gripping her hand, and the car was moving. She tried to go back to sleep, to tell them that she was so very tired and she needed to rest, but they wouldn’t let her. They wouldn’t let her when they got to the hospital either. Finally she just gave up on trying and allowed them to do what they would. The heat flooding back into her body hurt, and she cried out, but there was nothing she could do except endure it.
Then finally, after what seemed to be hours of torture, she was allowed to sleep. Exhausted, she drifted off into the darkness of a well-deserved rest.
She woke in the hospital with only a vague idea of everything that had happened. Her clearest memory was of her angel. She didn’t tell anyone about that though. Instead she told them what little she could remember, and in return they told her that she’d nearly died, that it was a miracle that she was even alive, much less as unharmed as she was.
They kept her overnight in the hospital, and then let her go home. Life resumed as it always did, and she fell back into it, glad to still be an active participant. And with time and distance, the whole experience began to fade from her mind. Except the angel. He was the one thing she really remembered. He had saved her life after all. It was only fitting that she remember him. And in remembering, she began to wish there were some way she could thank him.
It was on another cloudy day that she finally got an idea on how she could do it. Working quickly, she filled a balloon with air, and attached a string to it. The message took a little longer, but a few tries later it was ready.
She attached the small piece of paper to the string and took it out to the clearest area she could find. With a whispered prayer, she let it go. Hana watched as the wind lifted it into the air, taking it higher and higher until at last it was just a lonely spot of color in the cloudy gray sky. Then, hugging herself against the cold, she turned to go inside.
The next day found her walking home from school with a friend. The sky was a clear blue that reminded her of the angel’s eyes. A few flakes of snow drifted lazily down, and she smiled to herself. It looked like her message had been received.
"That’s funny," commented her friend. "There’s not a cloud in the sky, so where is the snow coming from?" Then, shrugging, "I guess it must have gotten dislodged by the wind or something."Hana continued to smile, not bothering to mention that the air was utterly still. This was a message meant for her alone, and that was the way she meant to keep it. Angels were a secret best kept close to the heart.