We’d been walking for what seemed like forever. The menacing snow clouds from before had drifted away and were out of sight. A crisp, blue blanket covered the heavens and seemed to wrinkle, up ahead. The sky was patched in some places, with nearly transparent clouds that had straggled behind and were drifting away.

Which described the predicament I was in at the moment. My impatient sister was far up ahead and her pace had quickened.

“Or maybe I’VE been dawdling…” I wondered aloud, but quickly forgot what was said. My attention had been diverted. Again.

The steady… drip…drip…drip of the water bottle I was carrying caught my attention. Every thirty-two seconds, all of those eager water droplets would shove on just one. They would strain. They would push until that single drop could see its freedom. Completely oblivious to the death that it faced on the icy ground below.

The sun had finally burst from the earth like a flower. I could see the bud beginning to sprout. But it wasn’t the wonderful sunrise that caught my eye. It was the little diamonds that were catching its light. Millions and millions of glints and shimmers gasped to life. They feasted on the sun’s warmth and smiled their thanks.

My pace slowed until one could scarcely call it a form of “movement” anymore. An amazing array of necklaces and diamond rings, jewels and sparkling gems hung from every tree branch. They flaunted their beauty and carved an everlasting image into my brain.

A black object waved far in front of me. It was my sister, Ellie, and now she was impatient. I tore my eyes away from the amazing scene with a frustrated sigh and continued to trudge through the snow.

Crunch…. I kicked at a few stray snowballs. They blasted forward, completely split in two. Crunch…. My boot struck again. The clumps of snow exploded and--

“Come on!” yelled my sister.

“I’m coming, for Pete’s sake!”

My steps lengthened and my patience shortened. Apparently, there was no time for gawking at an amazing scene. Especially one that only comes around once every twenty years!

Drip…drip…drip… The water bottle caught my eye again. I shook off the temptation to lose my concentration and made an abrupt right. The neighbor’s house stood in front of me. Thousands of tiny arms hung off the rooftop and struggled to catch a ray of golden light. Several reached their goal and morphed into a stunning ruby red. I didn’t notice.

Nearly falling, I stepped onto the driveway and slid. A fire of alarm shot from the tips of my toes to the top of my head. Not just a mildly nervous fire, the one that’s searing hot and white with fear. It took some time before I regained some balance. I looked up and gasped.

Nature’s jewelry store looked different now.

The trees that had once been covered in sparkling gems were going to splinter, then fall, crushing me beneath their weight. The glinting glass below my feet turned dead white, like the lens of an eye that’s been clouded by cataracts. Shivering, I shifted the water bottle to my left hand and eventually shuffled to the woods. A wide entrance opened to a curved pathway. It led down to the middle of our neighbor’s property where my sister and I would be taking care of their animals for two weeks.

“Finally!”

I could literally hear Ellie roll her eyes as she reached for the second water bottle I was carrying. It sloshed and almost spilled on her.

“Isn’t it strange how something so utterly gorgeous and pure, can be completely hideous and wicked at the same time?” I wondered aloud, gazing at the jewelry store before my eyes. Its sign read, "Open for Business".