He looked out of the window as he sipped from his hot cup of coffee, the black liquid was a flagrant offense to his taste buds, yet it was the best he could prepare. Heavy snowflakes fell languidly outside; it was a wonderful view to behold, if only he wasn’t so used to seeing it. He sighed as he fantasized about his upcoming day. A crackling noise stole his concentration. He looked at the fireplace; the fire was dying, “I have to remember to get more firewood from the back of the cabin” he thought to himself. He set the coffee cup on the wooden table at which he was seated and tugged at his pull-over’s sleeves until they covered his fingers. He sat there for a five minutes contemplating, once in a while taking a bite from the stale bagel he had prepared the night before. He stood up and walked a couple of steps across the cozy room to a closet door while his dog, lying under a blanket, watched him affectionately. He pulled out a fishing rod and a basket, set them on the floor, and then reached inside again for two heavy red snow coats with fur across their collars; one sized for an adult and one convenient for a dog. His dog lifted his head, his master saw this and said “not yet,” He put the dog’s coat on the floor and then went up the squeaking stairs to change himself first. When he got down, he dressed his dog, and put on his boots. With the basket in one hand, the rod in the other and his dog trailing behind him, he marched out the cabin door, and made his way towards the lake. He walked slowly against the wind towards a seemingly eternal whiteness. His boots made a crunching sound on the snow, while the wind whistled past his ears. He kept walking until he reached the frozen lake which he knew all too well. He grimaced at the sight of it; it was like meeting an old foe. He searched for the fishing hole he’d drilled earlier with an ice auger and sat down beside it on a bench made of snow. He threw his line inside the cold waters of the lake and waited for the fish to catch the bait, while his dog sat patiently beside him.
































He thought about how the cold made him feel, how it has a tranquilizing effect, almost as if it entrances him to sleep… to surrender…though he’d learned his lesson…the hard way…
His eyes opened suddenly when his dog barked loudly; a fish was tugging at his line. He pulled out the fish from the water with easiness; as he was a veteran, and then patted his dog lightly on the head. He packed his things and made his way back. After 27 minutes of walking in the snow, he reached the cabin. He wondered how he always found the cabin and never got lost. Indeed he was the one that always found his way back, he thought in guilt. He entered the small vacancy that he called home and quickly undressed himself and his dog from the coats that had accumulated so much snow. He walked into the kitchen with the fish and started cleaning its guts before cooking it on the stove. He prepared a plate for his dog and one for himself each with an even portion of fish. After dinner, they both sat in silence. After some time, he got up with his plate and took his dog’s plate from beside where he was lying and watching his master, and put them in the kitchen sink. He stood there for what seemed forever, with a tear trickling down his cheek. He pulled a locket from his pocket, it had the words “You melt my frozen heart” engraved on its back. He opened its cover to reveal a picture of a beautiful woman smiling back at him. At that moment, he couldn’t stand it any longer; he fell to the floor and cried vehemently and loudly in desperation with tears coming down from both eyes. His dog walked to him and rested his head on his leg, trying to comfort his master. At that moment, the snow stopped falling.