text: Peter’s rosy red cheeks reflecting on the broken glass reminded him of the burning southern summers when he was a boy. It wasn’t until late spring when the DNR authorities stationed in Northern Minnesota found his body trapped in his car in a fetal position underneath 20 feet of October snow. “Fu-uuh-ckkkk, fu-uu-uhh-ckkiii-nng, Chrrr-isss-stt-tt”, he could barely cry the Lord’s name in vain. Peter knew what hypothermia was from his medical terminology course during his first year at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. He drifted in and out of consciousness; in an act of self-preservation, his mind reminded him of the good times. The “good times'' were under the Texan heat sipping on a July glass of lemonade. The musty smell of Rico’s fresh dog shit on the 16x16 shared lawn furrowed underneath his nose every July evening. And, every July evening he would sneak a few discreetly obvious glances at the newly married couple’s open bedroom window across the street. These good times brought him warmth, comfort, and an emotion he abandoned years ago, joy. The Texan summers of youth, freedom, and joy were replaced by Minnesotan summers once he graduated from Brockwood highschool. Minnesotan summers locked him inside a humid concrete building with a broken AC unit retaking 12 credits worth of medicine. Molecular biology of medicine, pharmaceutical medicine, genomic medicine, were all medical-scientific gibberish bullshit for the countless hoops he needed to jump through and the asses he needed to kiss. Oftentimes he forgot why he chose to pursue this career. Was it his passion? Was it the next step (he did score a perfect MCAT)? Was it for family? Was it for money and prestige (his father was an accountant for the American Red Cross)? Regardless, it was futile to remember the details. His body was frozen, his mind was freezing, and his memories were packed in ice. His mind so troubled and trembling could only recall the last few events before succumbing to the winter plague that ravaged his being. *“Dr. Garvey just give me another chance! I’m the best student in this cohort and you know that!”* *“Listen, Peter, it's out of my control, Proctorio detected a disturbance from your exam session, and I’m simply following the University’s protocol. If you have a problem please contact the dean, I can even give you his contact information right now.”* *A hot flash of anger boiled throughout Peter’s upper forehead which evaporated the beads of sweat into -16F mist.* *“Peter, if there’s nothing else I have to go to another meeting right now”* *His bare-knuckles connected with Dr. Garvey’s left temple transferring 165lbs of raw muscle all into the Professor's brain. It jiggled, swished, and violently exploded once Dr. Garvey’s right temple smashed into the black ice.* *“Authorities say the unknown perpetrator may have been an enemy Dr. Garvey knew as his head was repeatedly bashed into the ice, thus, leaving him unrecognizable. If you have any information please contact the Minneapolis PD”. Peter silently mouthed this mantra anytime he skidded into the opposite lane.* *His heart was going to burst from the adrenaline coursing through his veins. He imagined his heart bursting much like Dr. Garvey’s skull bursting on the parking lot pothole. He hadn’t felt this* *alive* *in years. If he wasn’t driving up North, he would gladly dance on Dr. Garvey’s grave right now. But now, he needed to focus through the howling winds that fought his car head-on, the black ice that robbed the traction underneath him, and the endless specks of white that cluttered and smothered his windshield.* A grin crept across his chapped lips causing it to splinter and draw blood which coated the tip of his tongue in iron. For a moment, Peter forgot about his frostbitten black fingers, toes, and nose. He looked at his swollen knuckles on his blue-gray hand that no longer shivered and shook. His very last memory gave him joy as he stared into the broken glass. The winter plague eventually took his body, sight, and lastly his mind. He would be forgotten in blankets of white until the spring thaw came and revealed his 2007 Honda Civic to Warden Brown.