text: Winter was the only season when I would see her, every year in December on the day of the winter solstice. I met her first when I was only ten. Sitting in the park on a cold winter day as the snow fell like ash, clinging to the ground like a child clings to their mother. My father had let me go on a walk that day on my own. He needed space to think, he used to be a writer for a not so well known magazine, and tended to work in complete silence. So that’s how I found myself making a small snow man in the park outside our apartment. There wasn’t enough snowfall to make my creation any taller than my knees. I gave it two small rocks for eyes and twigs for hands, I looked back in awe at my masterful creation. “I like him” Said a voice from behind me, I turned around to see a tall figure with galaxy eyes and pale white skin. Long strands of golden hair falling from her head down to her shoulders. She had pointed eyes and small antlers like a deer coming from the top of her head. She stood taller than my father almost twice as tall with arms that were just a little too long for her body. She leaned down close to the snowman, taking a small icicle she held in her hand and placed it on the area that would be his nose. The figure smiled and asked “What is his name?” “Icey, Icey the snowman” I said with a big grin on my face “A fitting name for such an icy fellow” the words almost felt warm like the heat of a wood stove after a long wintry day. “Whats your name?” I asked looking up at the tall figure “Oh, I do not have one of those anymore, I have a gift for your father if you think you could bring it to him” said the figure. She handed me a bundle of snapdragons that she held in her other hand. They smelled sweet and looked as if they had just been picked, The figured looked down and smiled again at me. The snow picked up, and the figure walked back into the roaring winter. As I turned to watch her go off another figure appeared in the distance. It was my father in his winter cloths, snow boots and long red scarf. He rushed over to me. “Sweetheart, what are you doing out here, I told you to come back before it got dark” “Father look look, the nice lady with the antlers gave me this just for you” I held out the bundle of snap dragons to my father. He held them in his hand for a moment and began to silently shed tears. “Whats wrong father?” I asked, holding my hand out to him My father got down and embraced me “nothing at all sweetie, Im just finally happy you got to meet her” Me and my father meet my mother every winter, on the day of the winter solicit.