text: ***IMPORTANT: Characters are inspired by the airship Norge event. The date is set in 1903 at the North Pole. Some facts might be wrong: for example, Serbin Husky was not made known until 1908, and the North Pole’s sky isn’t very likely to be gray. Comment if there are any other problems. Please enjoy!*** The sky was washed by a nebulous gray -- one could not even recognize day or night -- and it had always been like this. At the end of the vision, there was only a boundless mass of white, not even a single spot of green. However, if one was to examine the snow closely, they could see faint traces of two parallel lines originating from a sled dog cart -- not for racing, but for transporting. Going deeper for one thousand miles, the two lines gradually became more visible and went deeper into the snow until they were replaced by human footsteps. Creatures with sensitive senses could sniff out the scent of death lingering in the air. A snowflake that rhythmically drifted left and right curiously followed the footprints with the help of the northern wind. It had unique branches stretching out from each of its five dendrites, and there was no trace of melting on its crystalline and reflective surface. There! The snowflake seemed to shout and the wind was finally convinced to let it land. It fell on roughly-made fabrics and quickly liquidized itself to seek its way through the tiny gaps between the material. Only then, did the snowflake finally drop freely as water into a warm source and evaporated into the surroundings with a fizz. Under the illumination of the gradually undermined flame, sat a group of four figures. The three of the four were all adult males with heavy layers of clothes and bags equipped. The person sitting on the right had most of his body covered with winter coats and his aged face that had been through sixty years of storm told many stories of the past. The one in the middle had his clothes soaked by melting snow and his short black hair had a sharp contrast with his unnaturally pale skin. The silhouette on the left was noticeably plumper and although he was squatting near the fire, his cheek was still flushing rose-red from the coldness. The last figure belonged to a Siberian husky but her fur was dyed by blood and she made a weak noise from time to time. Suddenly, the person in the middle reached into his pocket and picked out a short knife. The knife released a chilling light and its blade reflected the feeble Siberian husky’s dying eyes. His upper lips bitterly curved up and then he raised the knife. “Hey!” the stout man exclaimed in disgust as he clutched onto the black-haired person’s hand to stop his movement. “Stop that right now. We are not eating little Icicle! Morality over life.” The person on the right directly took the knife from both of them and indifferently glanced at the stout person, “Joseph, we can’t let your Icicle suffer anymore. Killing her is indeed the best solution.” “Abel, right?” Joseph didn’t give in either and he added, “we are not going to survive anyways! It’s not like a rescue team will come to the North Pole to save us. Killing a life will only make us sinners before the gate of death.” “Human beings have already sinned since the beginning.” The person in the middle shook his head and snatched the knife back from Abel. He searched through his bags and finally reached out a few pieces of turkey meat, blackened bread slices, and some frozen carrots. Then, he started chopping the carrots with the knife. The atmosphere immediately went silent. Abel averted his gaze to the snow afar while Joseph scratched his head and awkwardly apologized, “Sorry, I misunderstood you. You were trying to chop the carrots this whole time, right?” “I am called Lin Yu (in Chinese).” Joseph was taken aback because he didn't understand Chinese and he asked, “Lin Yu means yes?” “Lin Yu,” he reiterated his name because he thought Joseph was rechecking the pronunciation. Meanwhile, Abel, who understood a little Chinese couldn’t help but click his tongue when he heard both of them talking nonsense. Under the noise of the blade conflicting with the ice sheets, Abel withdrew a pen and a crumpled paper. As Abel opened the pen’s cap, he started to notice that most of the skins of his hands began to peel off by themselves. Ignoring the extreme conditions, Abel began to write, just like how he saw his father write in his childhood memories. With a few elegant strokes, Abel signed his name on the last page of his diary, and he knew that at the same time, he also signed his name on the death list. Abel showed his glittering white teeth and smiled as he spoke, “Brothers, although we didn’t know each other at all, since we could have the last meal together. It could be considered fate. Let’s celebrate our life at this very moment.” Joseph shouldered Abel on the chest and laughed, “how did you suddenly become so open? Let’s eat!” “I said my name is Lin Yu (in Chinese),” the black-haired man patiently repeated his name as he got his share of sandwiches. After that, he threw a slice of meat to Icicle. The sandwich they ate was leftover, but everyone ate it as they had never eaten anything before. They felt in every favor of each bite and let the sandwich melt in their mouth. A faint fragrance filled the air around them, and they reclined on the snow. The god of joy brought them back to their youth when they were with their family, laughing and playing on the ad Infinitum grassland. The sandwiches were finished, and the flame faded. Yet, just like the flame, their vitality faded away, and their consciousness melted in the snow. Icicle released her last howl, and she collapsed on the ground. She was not alone, one by one, Joseph, Lin Yu, and finally Abel found their final resting place. The only difference between them was that Abel was still seemly looking at the paper that he wrote. A few days later, they froze into ice statues, and inside, no one would ever disrupt them again. The snowflake paid its last tribute to them and it escaped from the makeshift tent. It raised its head high like a proud soldier returning from his battle. Soon, it soared high into the sky... Waiting for its rebirth. Abel’s Secret Diary, last page: 10/7/1903 When I was young, I yearned for freedom. I stretched out my wings and went to see the world. There, I started my journey across continents and oceans. In the end, I forgot my last name, lost all that I ever got. I asked, what was the purpose of this journey? Perhaps it was just a wild imagination or it was destiny that brought me here. I didn’t know even until now but I did learn that the lives of all creatures were no more or no less than that of a snowflake. When snowflakes formed, it was birth. When snowflakes returned, it was death. The period between was life. Snowflakes cherished their short ‘life’ but we could only realize that when the end was coming. That end could also be a new beginning. Abel ◥▬▬▬▬.◙.▬▬▬▬◤ FIN