A Cold Distance
This week, our writers capture the essence of the recent weather through the ambiguous prompt "A Cold Distance"! If you are interested in joining our team as a member or ambassador, please feel free to contact theoutlet.contact@gmail.com or dm us over Instagram @theoutlet.inspire!
Chills
By: Ava Arasan
When blue fades out,
in a sea of grey,
when waves drop from the sky,
flitting down,
floating,
unable to fly,
some find it dreary,
dark,
and with doubt,
for how can you see
right through a grey cloud?
some find it safe,
warm and cozy,
blanketed in cotton,
sure and for certain,
even through chills,
and mellow-type weather,
I find myself liking it better,
sometimes the sun's too bright,
it is too crisp to see,
so sometimes I enjoy
a rainy day home,
just for me
A Cold Distance
By: Morgan G.
“Briar, how much farther?” she complained.
“We’ve still got a long way to go, Cal.”
Calix sighed. They’d already been walking for a least an hour. She had wanted Briar to just fly and carry her so they wouldn’t have to walk up this mountain, but he said no. The White Palace had many guards apparently.
“So, remind me. What’s the plan again?”
“We sneak in, and we get an audience with the Queen. Remember, I do all of the talking.” Briar explained.
“Right, because the Snow Queen has an icy temper. How surprising.”
Briar stopped walking for a moment to look at Calix, “Are all humans as sarcastic as you?”
“No, and stop calling me that.” she stepped past him and continued walking, forcing him to follow her.
“But it’s true, you are human.”
“So are you.”
He frowned, “We’ve been over this. I am 98% human, and 2%-”
“Bird.”
“Yes. House Finch, to be specific.”
Calix didn’t care if he was 90% human and 10% flamingo, she just wanted to get to the Snow Queen’s Palace so that they could convince her to attend a meeting with the other three Royals.
They had already visited the first three leaders, and convinced all of them to meet to discuss the prophecy. Calix’s prophecy. She had come through a portal to this world of humans with bird wings.
In Calix’s realm, it was said they would enter the portal and find a way to reverse the effects of global warming. However, everything got even more complicated when Calix discovered she was also the main character of this world’s prophecy. Apparently, she would reunite the four seasons that had split up after a war a long time ago.
Figuratively, there was a lot resting on her shoulders. But literally, there was just her backpack on her shoulders as she and Briar continued up the mountain. Briar had gotten a special coat to keep his wings from being harmed by the sharp cold breeze, and both of them were dressed in warm winter clothes. Even dressed under all of her layers, Calix shivered as they got higher up the mountain.
They still had a long distance to go, a cold distance that got even colder as they went higher.