In the growing cold of night, a lone flake of snow prematurely began its descent from the comfort of its home — a place where it was born and where billions of its brothers and sisters would soon follow. It won’t be long now before its siblings spring from their beds — anxious to begin the long and graceful dance into the abyss below; just as countless of others have done before them.

On this night however; the lone snowflake was swiftly taken against her will on a journey just moments before the others awoke. Alone and uninformed as to where she was headed the winds blew and screamed as if in a rage carrying the flake far away from its family. While the howls of frigid air moved across a great sea of light grey clouds, all fear of the unknown drifted away and a feeling of excitement overwhelmed the little white flake.

She was embarking on a solo dance — a rare and extraordinary experience which very few flakes have ever had the privilege of experiencing before her. It was thrilling as much as it was terrifying. Without an ounce of hesitation the flake closed its icy little eyes as tight as she possibly could and spread her shimmering wings — welcoming the powerful winds to steer her fate.

No flake ever truly knows what lay ahead or beneath them for that matter and not many do so alone; therefore it’s less of a question of what’s to come and more of a matter of sharing in the mystery of the adventure at hand. The mass of numbers provides a feeling of warmth which is an impossible sensation for a snowflake to comprehend and all the more reason it’s so comforting.

The life of a snowflake is short and beautiful — it’s filled with many emotions, unknowns and shared curiosities for it’s a one way trip with no records of histories or stories to enlighten those who will embark on their own journey; when their time comes.

So while all of her brothers and sisters had begun their migratory dance together, this little flake was dancing all on her own and her only witness was her captor and carrier. The ride seemed endless as waves of wind blew her around for miles in every direction. In the light of the moon the little snowflake glistened and beamed with emotion such as she had never thought possible. She was an individual; with a uniqueness that was all her own and shared only with herself.

After an unexplainable amount of time, the ground below became visible and far off in the distance she noticed warm glowing lights. Her eyes were now wide open and she was captivated by what she was seeing — a world unlike anything she could have ever dreamed grew near. Out of darkness and solitude the icy winds that drifted and dragged her while she danced the dance of a snowflake — there lay a small town full of life.

As if time had slowed, she now dropped as though each second lasted days and the little flake had been surrounded by a crowd of children. Her eyes were fixed on them as she slowly danced and flew around them with as much awe and excitement as was mirrored back at her through their own eyes.

She found herself on the tip of the nose of a small girl who glared at her with eyes crossed, while all the kids laughed with joy and warmth in their hearts. As she began to fade and gradually disappear, she noticed all of the children looking to the sky. Glancing upward; she saw her brothers and sisters were descending upon them by the billions — and she too felt the warmth surround and engulf her completely.

by Mike Corriero –