Snowflakes

I never liked the cold. I’m a cold blooded creature so it’s hard for me to live in the winter. The air is so thin and, honestly, a bit suffocating. A different, sort of airless suffocating. I feel like I may die in that kind of frigid, wintry atmosphere.

I pulled the scarf tighter around my neck and hiked my boots up before I swung my door open to meet with the freezing night air. My little brother hopped out after me, a grin spread over his face as he ran with his arms wide open to greet Gramma Abbey. A scowl found it’s way over my features as my mum crossed in front of me to wrap her arms around her mother.

I turned and grabbed my bag out of the back seat and threw it over my shoulder. My mother’s strangely cheerful voice sent my thoughts off on a tangent.

"Hi mum," she grinned cheerfully. "Thank you for agreeing to watch over Makenna for a few days."

A few weeks. Christmas was here in a few weeks and I had to spend it away from my friends, granted I didn’t have many. Maybe one or two. Being home-schooled causes you to be a bit withdrawn from…everything. Especially with a mother like mine.

My mother didn’t believe in public school. It was mostly the people who were teaching, I suppose. She was worried that they would say something and we would get the wrong impression.

She just needs to learn how to chill out. There is nothing wrong with public school, private school, or any academy sorts that I could endure.

After Papa left us, it’s just been me, mother and Evan, my younger brother, and believe me it had worn on me. It came to the point where every other word out of her mouth was "it’s in your best interest," or "dear, please, I know what I’m talking about," and occasionally "mother knows best". I would most often reply with an eye roll in disagreement.

She has really fallen off her rocker since Papa left us. I’ve tried not to give her a hard time, but a senile elderly woman is more sane than her, which is precisely why I opted to go stay with Gramma Abbey for a few weeks.

Yes, it is partly my fault I’m here, but when faced with the choice of being in a “sweater-weather-spirit” with the family or spending it away from an insane, overbearing, blabbermouth like my mum and being with a nice, clever, and funny old woman who makes cookies with me instead, I chose the obvious; Gramma Abbey.

"Makenna, come over here and say hello to Gramma Abbey before Evan and I leave," my mother half-shouted at me from across the driveway.

I still hadn’t moved from the spot where I stood next to the open car door. I was looking out over the foggy scenery, thinking about my current situation.

Gramma Abbey lived in the middle of nowhere. Her house perched on a small hill in the middle of a large patch of trees, out in the countryside of Holmes Chapel. No neighbors, only nature, which was great in the summer when it was a bit warmer, but it was torture in the winter.

I slowly stepped over to the greying old woman, a small smile spreading across my face as I drew closer to her. She held her arms open for me to walk into a warm embrace. Her cheeks were plump and rosy, a bit like Mrs. Claus on a dark snowy morning at the North Pole.

"Hi Gram," I smiled, circling her in a hug.

I always loved how she smelled of peppermints and sugar cookies this time of year. It never failed to cheer me up, even in the winter months.

She released me and grinned delightfully at me. “Are you excited for Christmas?”

Had mother not told her why I was here?

"That’s precisely the problem Ma," Mum piped up. "I was hoping you could get her into the Christmas spirit."

Grams made a quiet “oh” of realization before shooting a soft smile toward me. I felt my own smile wavering as I saw the gears turning in her head.

"We will have to get started right away then," she nodded, winking at me as my mother grabbed Evan’s hand and stepped off toward the car, cheering quietly the whole way.

"We’ll call a few times a week to see how it’s all going?" She called from her driver’s window.

"Of course dear. Goodbye!" Grams called, waving happily.

Mother pulled down the driveway, eager to leave me in someone else’s hands for the time being. I turned back to Gramma Abbey, grinning brilliantly as she did the same.

"Let’s get you inside and make some hot cocoa," she grinned.

As soon as I stepped through the threshold of the large, cottage-like house, the warm embrace of chocolate treats and cookies welcomed me to the world that is Gram’s house. I kicked my boots off by the door and padded my socked feet over the carpet floor and into the kitchen.

Sat on the counter were fresh, warm, reindeer-shaped sugar cookies. I reached for one and brought it to my mouth. The soft texture melted into my taste buds and I felt like I was finally home.

I remembered taking family vacations to see Gramma Abbey and Grampa Ricky every summer and for a week around Christmas time. It was large on the inside, five bedrooms. My cousins and I would share one room and all of the parents would get their own rooms. We stayed up late and ate tons of sugar that Gramma Abbey would sneak in to us without parental approval.

Then, when Grampa Ricky passed, we stopped going as often. My cousins stopped going altogether. I haven’t seen them in so long; I probably wouldn’t even recognize them any more.

There’s not a single thing I would change about that house. Not even the ugly wallpaper in the kitchen.

"Are they as delicious as always?" I heard Gram’s voice behind me, her tone cheerful.

I nodded, swallowing the last bite. “Quite,” I giggled, crumbs falling from my lips.

She raised a brow and handed me a napkin with a small smile peeking out. I took it and dabbed at my lip gloss.

"Where has the time gone?" She sighed. I looked at her quizzically. "Seems like when you were here last, you were just a little quip of a girl and now… well, now you’re all grown up," her tone was sad and full of longing, but her eyes were filled with cheerful memories.

I stayed silent, not knowing how to respond to a statement of that sort. She waved her hand and shook her head, her smile reappearing quickly.

"You can go make yourself at home upstairs if you’d like," she gestured her hand toward the staircase. "I know it was a long drive to get here."

I nodded silently and shrugged my bag back onto my shoulder. I walked fast-paced up the stairs and into the smallest bedroom without a second thought. It was the closest room to the stairs and the closest to the bathroom. It was also the closest to my heart.

That bedroom was the one I had shared with my kin during the best days of my childhood. I threw my bag onto the green striped arm chair next to the white vanity. I flopped back onto the one of the twin beds and let out a loud sigh as the familiar scent of childhood memories flooded my senses.

I allowed my eyes to flutter closed as the effect of the late hour of the night crept up on me.