Because of the Blizzard

In a tiny cottage in the wooded village of Taungoun, I lived with my daughter, Olena. She was a spitting image of her mother, Helen, and the older she got the more it showed. Same pale blonde hair. Same round chubby cheeks. Same deep green eyes. Same breathtaking smile. Same beautiful voice. Oh, how I miss her mother! I’ll never forget the night she disappeared. Twas the third night of the awful blizzard that had fallen over Taungoun about a year ago. Never had we ever faced such harsh winds and heavy snow for this long of a period at a time. It was dark and cold, but my wife and I were warm beneath the covers of our tiny bed. I was fast asleep in a dream of some sort when suddenly I awakened. An unsettling presence fell over me, and I had a notion to go check on thirteen-year-old Olena in the next room. Just before I could stand, Helen’s eyes flew open and she arose as if in a trance. I called to her, but she seemed not to hear me. She climbed out of bed and walked gracefully over to her chest of jewels, drawing from it her favorite necklace; The golden chain with the large green crystal teardrop pendant. I’d seen her wear it on many occasions, but it never seemed to glow the way it did that night. Bringing it to her face, she smiled softly and glided out of our bedroom. Her gown swayed as she carried a tune under her breath. I called her name again and again to no avail. If you saw her, you’d think she was perfectly fine, and that’s what scared me the most. I leapt from bed and ran to follow her. After a few moments of searching, I found her in Olena’s room. She sat by the bed and combed her fingers through our daughter’s precious tress. I watched in confusion and heartwarming wonder at her affection towards our peacefully sleeping young lady. She finished the song, placed the necklace around Olena’s neck, and kissed her forehead. Then, she arose and came up to me as I stood in the doorway. She whispered that she loved me, and pressed her soft sweet lips against mine. I told her that I loved her too. After a warm hug, she took me by the hand and lead me back to our bedroom. She gently pushed me into bed and I settled in under the covers. She rubbed my shoulders and kissed me one last time, then turned to leave the room once more. It felt like a dream. I wanted to follow her, but I couldn’t find the strength to arise. I could only watch as her silhouette disappeared into the dark of night. My weak eyelids nearly shut when, suddenly, I heard the door fling open. Loud winter winds and snow flew inside, sending chills up my spine. I called for my wife, but she did not answer. Knocked out of the trance buy the harsh cold air, I threw back the covers and leapt up, running barefoot out into the gelid snow. I shouted her name over and over again but heard no response. I ran nearly half a mile out into the forest searching in the wintry dark. My tears froze upon my face, my fingers went numb, and I became weak from the cold. I fell to my knees and shouted for her one final time. My love was gone! I lied down, becoming one with the algid snow. I would have been done for if it weren’t for my precious daughter, Olena. She must have heard the commotion and came to follow me. Thankfully, she was smart enough to bundle up and bring a lantern. How strong she was, and how innocent. She hadn’t a clue what was going on. Once she had helped me back inside, she lit the fire and made warm tea. She covered me with quilts and said she’d send for the doctor in the morning. All I could do was call for her mother. The woman I cherished ever so was still out there somewhere. I wanted to go back out and search, but Olena wouldn’t let me. She told me I was too weak, too cold, and too tired. After much debate, it was settled. I would assemble a search party in the morning. The next day, the doctor tried to fix me up, but nothing he could do seemed to mend my broken heart. The search parties turned up empty; No Helen, no clues, no footprints, no articles of clothing- Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I cried for the next two weeks straight. Little Olena seemed not to understand the severity of the situation. I tried to tell her the truth. She said that she understood but she acted as if nothing had happened. She said that she missed her mother but she didn’t cry as much as I did. She must have been traumatized. She’s motherless, and it’s all because of me- all because of the blizzard.