Overnight Snow

“Emily! Wake up! It’s snowing!” My sister shook my shoulder as she whispered into my ear. In response, I pulled my blanket up over my head. Suzanna was obsessed with winter. Obsessed with snow and obsessed with being outside when I much preferred to stay in bed during the winter. I hate the cold and I hated the darkness winter brought into my life. I wanted to soak in the sun all year round.  

But now there was finally snow on the ground, she wouldn’t let me forget her first love. Suzanna would want to build snow men, forts and go sledding as much as possible. Suzanna asked Santa for skis and lift tickets every December. 

“Emily, please! I even waited until 9 AM this time. We are wasting the day!” 

“I’ll be up in a moment,” I mumbled peeking out from under my blanket. I hoped I could get thirty more minutes of sleep before she came back. 

Before I knew it, two hours had passed before I finally woke up and jumped out of bed. Something had to have happened for Suzanna not to come back and wake me up again. The flashing lights out the front window held all the answers I didn’t want to hear. The two wrecked cars were surrounded by an ambulance, several police cars and a fire truck and I pulled on my warmest clothes as I ran out the front door hoping all of my worst dreams had not just come true.