The street was shrouded in a horrid mist of fog and the air was filled with the troubling noise of frigid whines and bitterly chattering teeth. I dragged my feet along the wicked cobblestone encased in ice, so much like an insect enshrouded in amber, perfectly preserved in dignified sleep for the rest of eternity.

I felt frost growing in my wretchedly brittle bones. The cold was an invader, pressing its bony hands underneath my skin, forcing its way into my brain, wracking me with shivering sobs.

Children sniveled and shrieked in horror at the feeling of their muscles turning to ice, every step more painful than the last as joints froze into twisted, painfully deformed shapes.

The cold had persisted for years now, the welcoming embrace of spring’s warm arrival remained unannounced. No one could understand it, but it was the way things had become. Winter prevailed over our lives, leaving its tormenting mark upon everything I passed. Passersby were covered in an unimaginable amount of clothing and heaters rattled their miserly tune everywhere: in homes, in cafes, in the pallid streets, but to no avail. No matter how many coats or blankets one shrouded themselves with, they never felt warmth’s sweet nectar slide under their skin.

The layer of ice coating the cobblestone grew thicker with every step I took; every step, I slid and fumbled, feeling my cold-weakened knees tremble. I felt my feet move forward, but my body didn’t follow. My feet crept away from me with a quickening rush and I found myself flat on my back, coughing and spluttering, desperately trying to pull air back into my desolate lungs.

As I lay on my back, eyes facing the pale sky, I noticed something strangely familiar. The clouds spiraled and shifted, forming brief gaps in the unbroken blankness. I scrambled to my feet, gasping for cool breath, and clutched my jacket to my chest. The people around me began to slow their unforgiving pace and finally drew to a questioning stop.

The atmosphere was filled with chatter, breaking the assumed barrier of silence. As the clouds drew themselves away like the splendid draw of gilded curtains, silence fell again, deeper and fuller than before.

Weak rays of daylight scratched at my face, pulling me in and spitting me out with an overwhelming fervor. As the sun slowly revealed itself to the reverent people, a scream, rife with pure joy and pleasure, rose into the air.

The sun tickled my face, and I lifted it higher searching for the loving touch of heat. The sun grew stronger and, against all warnings of my childhood, I looked it straight in the eye, daring it to be a lie, a farce. But it held steadfast in the sky and the burning flame piercing my retinas hardly registered to me as I held it in my steady gaze.

Finally, I closed my eyes and dropped to my knees, letting the warmth drip over me and seep into my skin. I feverishly peeled off my layers of coats and sweaters and ripped my hat from my head.

I leaned into the tender sunlight and it grew stronger the more I gave myself to it. It pressed itself into me and I pressed back. It grew harsher and I felt beads of sweat begin to drip down from the base of my neck. The air became stifling as the sun ravaged my skin, cooking it to a quite pleasant shade of red. I felt myself drowning in the torrid air, gasping for breath that set fire to my lungs. I felt as if I was being swept away by the tide of sunlight, like it was holding me under its cruel fist. I couldn’t understand a single thing taking place around me, only the scorching sun, lifting me away from the world.

And it was the most beautiful thing I had ever experienced.