The Fall of Winter | Teen Ink

The Fall of Winter

December 28, 2008
By project827 GOLD, Portage, Michigan
project827 GOLD, Portage, Michigan
13 articles 1 photo 90 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Real Revolution Starts At Learning, If You're Not Angry, Then You Are Not Paying Attention" - Tim McIlrath


The first snow of winter fell, silent as a dream. It landed on the white landscape, slowly enveloping the world in a thin and icy blanket. The skeletons of the trees collected delicate clumps of snow on their branches. Not a sound escaped the world. No wind blew, no bird sang, no animal scampered across the forest floor. The silence was as powerful as a thunderclap, and so stunning it was disturbing. But there was no one to listen to it.

Strewn across the ground, now almost hidden by snow, the bodies of a million men and women. All their eyes were blank and lifeless, and their hearts were cold long before the snow started falling. Limbs were flung in various directions, and many still clutched weapons. Some bodies weren’t even in one piece, but were blown apart by heavy artillery. There were at least fifty different bloodstained uniforms, many of which were could no longer be identified. Yet all the different nations were finally unified, their blood flowing into one giant red pool. Americans lay with Asians, Africans lay with English. After the final war there was finally peace.

In the cities, the giant silver towers were slowly turning white as the snow fell. Many of the buildings lay in ruins, smoke still curling into the sky. Destruction was visible everywhere, and shards of glass and brick were scattered across the street. Cars had been tossed around like toys, and the roads had been torn up. Even the bomb shelters had been destroyed.

All around the world, it was snowing. In Africa, it was snowing. In the Americas, it was snowing. In Asia, it was snowing. The heavens seemed to be crying, their tears freezing before they hit the ground. The final war had reached every corner of the earth, it had consumed everything. And slowly, the snow was covering it all up.

But not everyone was dead. Somewhere in America, the last two humans alive huddled around a fire. Both teenagers, they didn’t know what to do. One was a male soldier who had fought in the war and was wounded. Without any treatment, he was slowly dying. His skin was clammy, and he couldn’t walk anymore. But his brown eyes still shone with all their brilliance. The other was a girl slightly younger than the boy, and also was the boys closest companion. She had been trying to care for the wounded boy, but lacking experience, she couldn’t do much. Her black hair was unkept, for she didn’t have any time for it anymore.

“The snow hasn’t stopped,” she told the boy, who couldn’t see outside from his cot. All she heard in replay was a racking cough. “Do you think there’s anyone else out there?” she asked, walking balk to sit at the side of his cot.

“No,” he answered, the small word rattling in his throat, his voice as coarse as sandpaper. “I can feel it. We’re the last ones. And, as things are looking, we aren’t going to last long anyway.” He finished his statement with an enormous cough that stung the girls heart. The boy sighed and looked at the girl. “Take me to the window. I want to see the snow.” His red-rimmed eyes met hers, and she knew that this was his last wish.

“Of course.” she said, her voice heavy with sorrow. She helped him up, draping his arm on the back of her neck. Slowly, they made their way to the window, the boy’s feet dragging across the floor. When they got to the window, he leaned against the window frame. He was silent for a while, his eyes taking the scene in front of him in great detail. The snow, the broken buildings, the smoke curling in the air, everything. “The snow is so beautiful. Even on all the destruction. It’s like the snow is purifying the world.” His mouth twisted into a smile at this thought. Than, hesitating at first, he reached his hand out into the cold. The snow stuck to his skin, but he barely felt it. He kept his hand there for a while, admiring the small pile of ice that was forming on his hand.

“Come on, lets get you back to the cot. This cold isn’t helping your condition at all.” Even though they both knew that nothing could help his condition anyway, they went back to the cot. He lay there, his eyes half closed, a smile still on his lips. A tear escaped the girls eye, and hesitantly bent down. The boy knew what was coming, and closed his eyes.

By the time her lips touched his, she was kissing a dead man. More tears started flowing down her cheeks. Too late, she thought. We were always just a little too late . . .



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This article has 17 comments.


on Jun. 16 2009 at 3:14 pm
project827 GOLD, Portage, Michigan
13 articles 1 photo 90 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Real Revolution Starts At Learning, If You're Not Angry, Then You Are Not Paying Attention" - Tim McIlrath

(to kandykanga and anyone else)

yes, you can share my work with other people as long as you give me credit for it. The more people who read my stuff the better.



And thanks to everyone who's commented on my work and rated it and basically anyone who acknowledged it's existence, it really means quite a bit to me.

mindy said...
on Jun. 16 2009 at 4:35 am
its really good. way better than any small peice i've read before. very powerful

kandykanga said...
on Jun. 16 2009 at 4:02 am
that was sooo amazing!!! can i show this to my friends on myspace? (i'm asking bcuz i don't want u to think i'm stealing it...=])

~keep up the awesome work!!!

Bethani GOLD said...
on Jun. 15 2009 at 7:22 pm
Bethani GOLD, Highlands Ranch, Colorado
10 articles 0 photos 508 comments

Favorite Quote:
Life is perfect until you sit back and realize how boring it is without risks.

Wow! This is a powerful story. I love it. It's so sad and true.

on Apr. 24 2009 at 7:22 pm
project827 GOLD, Portage, Michigan
13 articles 1 photo 90 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Real Revolution Starts At Learning, If You're Not Angry, Then You Are Not Paying Attention" - Tim McIlrath

(to xXsmileXx)

thanks, and I am trying to write book at the moment, but its been kinda hard and i dont have that much time on my hands right now. but i'm trying, so . . .

on Apr. 24 2009 at 3:22 pm
xXsmileXx PLATINUM, St. Louis, Missouri
34 articles 0 photos 265 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Your dreams only become intangible when you stop reaching" ~me ;)

OH MY GOD! that was the best story i've ever read here on teenink. You should seriously consider writing a book. I almost cried! And everyone else pretty much summed up what else there is to say.

on Mar. 23 2009 at 9:10 pm
Mika_Lestat PLATINUM, Shinnston, West Virginia
27 articles 0 photos 16 comments
This was excellent!!! I know what you mean about how you think your writings are a little 'dark' but no matter how dark you can always see hope and light in it!!!

on Mar. 21 2009 at 4:08 am
Sasha-Bear PLATINUM, Lockhart, Texas
32 articles 0 photos 8 comments
hey Adam, i saw that you commented on my stuff and wanted to see what you had written, (by the way thanks so much for the comments!) you are an amazing writer and i know that people have said this a thousand times, but wow! never stop. its interesting to see different perspectives and to be pulled into such a peice. My favorite part was the heavens crying and their tears freezing. It was really a moving peice. Hopefully a day such as that where we finally rip ourselves into equality will never come, but this is definately an eye-opener. I will definately keep reading. (sorry for the long comment, lol)

Stephie said...
on Jan. 23 2009 at 4:46 am
Oh my gosh. you are an awesome writer! it made me visulize the picture and i almost cried at the end.

Kare said...
on Jan. 18 2009 at 3:18 am
I am Rachel's stepsister and she showed me your story and it was gooood so sad at the ending u should make a sequal of it!!!!

drum94 said...
on Jan. 16 2009 at 5:34 pm
good job Adam. nice story...you can do this for a living!









your pal zack......from camp at michaluca.

just3words said...
on Jan. 15 2009 at 12:43 am
The first paragraph took me in...this was a very moving piece. Wonderfully written...distinguished deposition....beautiful.

Flame16 said...
on Jan. 9 2009 at 8:16 pm
Hey, cool story.

It's really good, very moving, and, of course, well-written.

Good job.

jan said...
on Jan. 7 2009 at 11:30 pm
Hello Adam, I am a friend of your mother's and heard about your story. It is beautifully written and made me cry! I think you have great potential---keep on writing, your way of constructing sentences and paragraphs really keeps the reader interested and engaged.

RaeRae said...
on Jan. 2 2009 at 4:02 am
That was an amazing story. It was written in great detail and was touching in parts.

michele1213 said...
on Jan. 2 2009 at 2:56 am
Hey, it's Michele, from elementary. Remember me at all? Anyway, Maria told me about the story.



It's good, a few things to be corrected, but good.

on Jan. 1 2009 at 7:35 pm
a little sad because it is the end of the world and such but definitely well written. my favorite line was how there was finally peace after the final war. Keep up the writing!!