How We First Met 1

An evening's snow drifted down in scattered patterns of mini white flakes. For once, silence filled the hallway amongst the children in the orphanage as they focused on the light taps against the tall chilled window. With the breeze in its favor, the snowflakes danced a choreographed ballet for the kids to see. The children's mouth was left agape wondrously as they pressed their noses against the pane.

"Dinner is ready," said the Director, who snuck secretive glances at the straight line formed down the hall. Once his voice echoed into the children's ears, they turned their heads in unison and pointed out to the beautiful snow outside.

Chuckling at their innocent gesture, he nodded. "You may go outside for fifteen minutes after your meal." Claps and chatters sounded the hallway as kids cheered excitedly for their upcoming cold adventure.

Raising his finger, the Director continued his words. "But! You need to finish your meal and then wait for at least ten minutes before getting dressed. Don't forget to wear your hats, mittens, scarf and jacket."

With a smile on his face, Jason followed the children to the dining hall where hot meals were served on the usual spots. Jason inquired about the clothing that his family had donated to the orphanage for the winter. "Is the clothing we delivered warm enough for them? It seems a bit chilly in the hallway."

"It's more than enough. We normally turn on the heat during the night time since the classrooms are always warmer. They could wear extra layers and take it off in the classroom. Come, let's eat." The director led Jason to his seat.

After their meal, the kids took a short break before putting on their winter clothes. Darkness crept in and surrounded the front yard when the group of children ran out to play in the snow. Luckily, they installed additional lights around the front of the house. Otherwise, the kids wouldn't be enjoying themselves right now.

Although the layered snow wasn't enough to form a huge snowman, the young ones loved leaving their footprints all over the yard. Some even wrote messages to the Director.

Though it was loud with the kids screaming and chasing around him, the sound of creaking metal still caught Jason's attention. Jason's breath pales against the numbing air as he spoke. "I think I left the gates opened earlier. Let me go close it."

"Alright. I'll be here if you need me." The Director replied as two little girls pulled him to the yard.

Jason stuffed his hands into his pockets and buried his nose into his scarf. "It sure is cold tonight. My nose is numb already, and I came out less than ten minutes ago." He whispered to himself as the wind howled to his ears.

As expected, the wind was playing swings with the front gate, shoving it back and forth. Taking his hand out of his pocket, he reached to close the gate. Suddenly, he heard small huffs coming from outside the gates. Taking a curious peek from where he stood, he saw consistent puffs rising and disappearing into the cold air.

He took a stick by the gate and daringly pulled it open. Following the traces of where the clouded puffs were coming from, his eyes landed on a little girl sitting on a pile of snow. She was huffing breaths into her palms, trying to warm it up. As if she was the main character of a play and the snow was her stage, she looked up the moment the broken streetlight turned on.

She rubbed the side of her arms as her body trembled from the low temperature. Her bright round eyes showed visible redness around it. His eyes followed her slow shaky motions and realized her fingers were stiffened already. Her hands were peeling and tints of blood soaked through the cracked texture.

Under the flickering streetlight, it was difficult for him to tell what she wore underneath the spring jacket. However, it was apparent that she was not wearing enough to fight the winter's breeze.

Fear crept in her eyes as she moved away from him. Though she was frozen like a popsicle stick, she didn't ask for help. Observing her movements, he sensed her wariness around him and decided to maintain a distance from her. While doing so, he knelt down to meet her at eye level and introduced himself.

"Hi, I'm Jason. What's your name?" He asked, but she didn't give him a response. She seemed to be in shock from whatever had happened to her.

Smiling, his eyes wandered through the darkness in the streets. He massaged his arms in a bobbing manner and spoke again. "Ah, it's freezing cold tonight. You're wearing very thin layered clothing. If I'm cold, then you must be even colder."

Her chapped lips quivered as she gave him a low nod. He stood up, unwrapped his scarf and took off his coat. Walking closer to her direction, he whispered. "Don't worry. I just want to put these on you. It's much warmer than your current layers."

After helping her put on his wool coat, she said in a rasped voice. "Y..You're cold too."

He chuckled and brushed off the snow on her head with his bare hands. "Yes, but I can't leave you here in the dark. Besides, you are colder." He knew he could leave her here and call the Director for help, but a part of him couldn't bear to leave her alone. She was obviously scared of her surroundings, and he didn't want to startle her by calling another person to help.

"Hmm, do you want to eat candy?" He asked as he ran out of ideas for a conversation.

Her eyes were telling him yes, but she was shaking her head. At this moment, her stomach let out a loud complain because she had missed lunch and dinner. She covered her stomach and lowered her head in embarrassment.

"Do you want something to eat?" He chuckled at her cute action.

She didn't respond as if she was having a difficult time deciding what to say. He understood it was difficult to trust a stranger's words, but he needed to figure out a way to bring her into the orphanage. It was almost nine at night, and she can't sleep out in the cold like this.

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew in their direction, giving him an idea. He whispered. "Hey, are you afraid of ghosts?"

She responded to this question with the quickest nod she had ever given him. He let out a hiss, "Do you know that graveyard nearby?"

She nodded once again and looked more frightened than before.

"The spirits crawl out of their graves to hunt for little kids for dinner. So, we need to leave before they come out. If you fall asleep our here, they will drag you down to their graves." He said it with such confidence that he almost believed in his own words.

She gasped in response and glanced sideways to make sure no spirits were around.

"How about this? You come with me to meet the other children and the Director. You can stay for the night, and we'll bring you home when the sun comes out. This way, we'll be safe, and you won't starve in the cold. What do you think?" His palm faced upwards as he waited for her to take his hand.

Less than a minute later, another breeze whistled in their ears. Startled by the aggressive wind, she took his hand and followed him into the orphanage.