I gasped for breath as I awoke, propping myself up until I was sitting up on the cold, frozen ground.

“What?” I asked myself, utterly confused. “How did I get here? Wasn’t I just in bed?”

Wrapped in my white winter jacket, I was sitting on the edge of a snowy, circular clearing. Surrounding said clearing was a forest of tall pine trees, whose sharp needles were coated with a layer of frost. The skies were a clear ocean-blue, and tiny snowflakes slowly floated down from the sky. As the crystals brushed my cheeks, I growled at the cold touch. “Stupid snow. I hate winter.”

“Good, you’re awake,” said a soft musical voice behind me. I turned around, and was greeted by an extraordinary sight.

Floating before me was an incredibly beautiful young woman, garbed in a plain, white dress. From her back reached six sliver-shaped wings, silver and shimmering like snow. Her long, flowing hair and soft eyes shone white, like a full moon in the sky during the dead of night. Yet despite her divine appearance, I could see a blank, sad look in her eyes that made me shiver.

“She looks like a fairy,” I thought as I gaped at her. “Isn’t she cold in that dress?”

“Who are you?” I asked as she softly landed onto the ground, her bare feet leaving soft footprints in the snow.

She shook her head, kneeling down before me. “That is not important. What is important is that you are here.”

I scratched my head, looking around. “What is this place?”

“This is my home,” she answered flatly, before reaching her hand to me. “Come on. Get up.” Hesitating and looking at her pale, slender fingers for a moment, I grasped her hand. The moment we came in contact, I was shocked by how icy-cold her flesh was. As she pulled me up, I noticed that she stood a head taller than me, and her soft, delicate features seemed to speak a story of sadness.

“This is her home?” I thought, bewildered. “She lives in the middle of nowhere? No wonder she looks so sad.”

“You hate winter, don’t you?” she asked softly.

“How did you know?” I stammered, stepping back with uncertainty.

“I can see it in your eyes,” she murmured, slowly stepping towards me until my back was to a tree. “Your hatred for the cold snowflakes. I can see the resentment you feel for snow; I can see the resentment you feel for me.”

“What? What are you talking about?” Despite my query, she ignored the question.

“Tell me, young one; what do think a snowflake is?” she asked.

I was frightened by the fairy-woman’s unusual behavior, but answered nonetheless. “Snowflakes are just insignificant pieces of ice. They’ll melt away anyway.”

The fairy’s gaze narrowed for a moment before softening once more. “How shallow-minded of you.” she murmured, before dragging me to the center of the clearing.

“What are you doing?” I exclaimed, but was silenced when she pointed to the sky.

“Do you know how snowflakes are formed?” she asked. “Water droplets in the sky freeze, before surrounding droplets condense and add to the snowflake, which grows like a flower in the sun.”

“So?” I muttered, disinterested, but she grabbed a falling snowflake from the sky and snapped her fingers. Without warning, the white snowflake expanded from the size of a dust speck until it was the size of an apple, floating and spinning above her palm as a clear, crystalline design.

As I stared with wide eyes, I realized aloud, “I thought snowflakes were white?”

The fairy shook her head. “Snowflakes look white because of their bright edges, which blur together into a small white speck. They also reflect the light because of their transparency and look white. But they’re actually clear, like glass.

“This snowflake is a capped column,” she continued, eyes gazing upon the two hexagonal plates joined by a column of ice like an axle with two wheels. “It’s often formed during warmer temperatures, just below freezing. Isn’t it beautiful? The two identical plates bonded with each other, creating a symmetrical piece of crystal.”

I stared at the once-miniscule crystal, amazed at the beauty such a tiny particle held before pointing at its unyielding facets. “Why are its edges so straight?”

“Because the water crystals attach to the rough spots on the snowflake’s surface, causing only smooth spots to remain. It’s like a perfectly straight line, eternally stretching in a single direction.”

As I gaped with fascination, the fairy giggled, smiling brightly. “Is this your first time seeing a snowflake up-close?”

Nodding, I continued to gaze at the snowflake with fascination until the fairy shrank it once more, releasing it to be caught by the cold winter wind.

“Here’s another,” she said, catching and expanding a second snowflake. “An ice fern,” she murmured. This snowflake’s six arms grew several small, thin side branches like the pine trees surrounding us, all reaching out into different directions and lengths.

“See? This snowflake is also six-sided,” she said. “All snowflakes are six-sided because of the water crystals’ hexagonal arrangement.”

“But why is it asymmetrical?” I wondered, staring at its complex branches.

“Probably because of some dust in the air,” the fairy explained. “That affects the water crystals’ arrangement. Isn’t it pretty? This asymmetry makes it so unique.” But she frowned. “Sadly, some humans dislike and shun such individuality.”

As she released the snowflake, I gazed into her sad eyes before piping up, “but the world’s not all that bad!”

The fairy looked up, surprised at my exclamation.

“I know I thought snowflakes were insignificant and everything,” I began, looking down in shame. “But thanks to you, I managed to see how beautiful they are!” I continued, looking up into the fairy’s eyes. “This world can’t be so bad if there are these beautiful snowflakes and amazing people like you!”

The fairy closed her eyes before smiling from ear to ear.

“Thank you,” she whispered happily.

After an uncomfortable silence, the fairy whispered, “It’s time for you to go.”

“What?” I exclaimed, frightened and reluctant to leave. “No! I want to stay!”

The fairy smiled sadly, shaking her head. “I’m sorry, but humans were never meant to stay with me.” As she spoke, my vision began to darken and blur. “I am the cold, icy wind who comes at the end of each year. My new friend, I will miss you dearly.”

“No!” I shouted again. “Let me stay!”

The last thing I saw was the fairy reaching out to me, with a sad smile on her face. Harsh, icy winds howled and circled around her like wolves on the prowl, lifting a miniature blizzard to obscure her form.

“My name is Winter,” she said softly, and despite the shrieking winds, her words were clear as day. “What’s yours?”
…

I gasped for breath as I awoke, propping myself up in my warm, soft bed. Reaching up to rub the sleep from my eyes, I noticed they were wet with tears.

“Let me stay,” I choked quietly.

But I looked out my window to see a wonderland outside: a blanket of snow covered the world, hiding away the green grass and hanging onto the bare trees. Slowly, a smile grew on my face as I realized how close I was to my fairy friend. Quickly, I leaped out of my bed and quickly changed into warm clothing. I ran out of my bedroom shouting, “Mom! I’m going to play in the snow!”
…

From afar, I watched my young friend play in the snow as they frolicked about and threw the fluffy crystals into the air. My simple, white dress and silvery hair flowed in the soft, winter breeze, and despite my pale skin’s exposure, it did not feel the stinging cold. I felt my heart warm as my friend laughed and smiled, spinning while holding their arms out wide.

“I’ll always stay here, Winter!” they exclaimed joyfully to me. “I’ll never leave you!”

With a small smile, I whispered, “Thank you, my friend.”

“Thank you.”