A Chuisle mo Chroi

“Tell me dear, can a heart still break once it’s stopped beating?” I asked, quoting line for line all the dialogue as I watched one of my favorite films.

A knock pounded through my door. Choosing to ignore it, I raised the volume up a bit louder, attempting to drown out any disturbances from beyond my room. The knocking persisted, until finally the door opened.

“New arrival,” my sister’s voice rang eerily, matching up perfectly with the movie.

Lifting my head to look at her, I questioned, “How did you know that line was next?”

Grinning, she answered, “Your volume’s so loud. I can hear it from downstairs.”

Clicking the pause button, I sat upright scowling at my sister. “What do you want Nyx?”

Closing the door behind her, she entered my room. Cautiously, she trudged through the cluttered chaos that had once been my floor, now adding snow prints to the mess; it was no longer recognizable and would probably be more considered a dump site than a floor, but at least her tracks would melt so I wouldn’t have to clean them. Finally reaching me, she plopped herself down, exhausted.

“You really need to clean this mess,” she gasped, out of breath. “It’s like an obstacle course up in here!”

Sighing, I asked again, “What do you want Nyx?”

Eyeing my floor shadily, she turned to me and said, “Go shower and put something nice on.”

“I already showered this morning,” I stated.

“Really? When?” Nyx asked, quirking an eyebrow.

“When you guys were out,” I answered.

She eyed me, not believing a word I said. Holding my hair out to her with one hand, she leaned closer and sniffed my hair.

“Fine, you pass,” she allowed. “Now go put something nice on.”

“Why?” I whined.

“Just do it,” she ordered, using her elderly sister voice.

“Why can’t I just go like this?”

Rolling her eyes at me, she stated, “Jax, I said to put on something nice.”

“This is nice,” I answered, glancing down at my pajamas.

“No, Jax!” she exclaimed. “You know we look like hobos when we’re dressed to lounge around at home! And right now, you’re all hobo status! So go change and put on something nice!”

“Fine,” I mumbled, dragging myself to my closet, “But only because I don’t want to hear your dumb ranting.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, just make it snappy,” she declared, getting up to exit my room, and then adding on, “And dress warm, it’s cold outside.”

Grumbling to no one in particular, I rifled through my clothes searching for something nice to wear as my sister had directed.

Sighing at my reflection in the mirror, I shrugged, not really caring about my clothes appearance wise, but more comfortable wise; at least I was presentable.

Opening the blinds of my window, I looked outside for the first time since last night to see a blanket of snow covering everything within sight. Realizing how cold it was outside, I grabbed my gray coat, and scarf before heading down the stairs.

Georgie and Nyx stood by the doorway, still dressed and ready to go from wherever they went this morning. Slipping my arms inside my jacket, I buttoned it up, and tied my scarf around my neck. Noticing how similar Nyx’s and my outfits were I frowned, glad that I hadn’t thought to wear a hat as well.

“So where are we going?” I asked, following them outside the door.

“We’re going up to the glasshouse at Georgie’s work,” Nyx stated, smiling happily.

Confused, I inquired, “Why?”

“To clear your head,” Georgie replied, as if the answer was so obvious.

“Oh,” I mumbled to myself.

Side by side, we walked along the sidewalk, following Georgie’s lead. Her work was a short distance from our house, a mere ten minutes away, but we made it in less than seven minutes; Nyx and Georgie rushing through the slick pavement, while I trailed behind at a safer speed than the two.

“Jax, you head on up. Georgie and I will be up in a sec,” Nyx said.

Nodding my head, I turned towards the stairs and climbed to the top not questioning either of them. Making it to the top, I pushed the door open and stepped out onto the roof.

The glasshouse was just as toasty as the many stories in the building below, regardless of the frigid air just outside its transparent walls. The panels of glass appeared spotless, washed clean by the endless snow falling from up above, making it almost seem like the crystal house didn’t exist, but that some strange, surreal force was protecting me from the harsh cold and snow.

The atmosphere of the house was so comforting and serene, I slowly felt myself begin to relax. Moving closer to the farthest side from the doorway, I watched as the snow floated gracefully down to the streets, my breath accidently fogging up the glass and blocking my view. Raising my arm, I wiped the condensation away with my sleeve.

Hearing the door open and click shut, I smiled, turning to face them. “Hey you guys, come look a-”

As I faced the door, time stopped.