A girl crouched on the snowy ground,
her head was bowed
like the branches of the oak tree,
heavy with snow.
Before her lay a man,
with fresh snow
falling gently onto his pale face,
his chest heaved with the effort to breathe,
his eyes were calm,
and they locked with the girls large eyes,
"No fear," he whispered,
followed with an uncontrolled coughing fit.
The girl nodded her head slowly,
yet fear still rang deep in her heart.
The man's chest started to slow,
and with one ragged breath,
his chest went still.
The snow stopped briefly,
and the entire world held it's breath
as the girl leaned forward
and kissed the man's forehead,
he was cold,
colder than ice.
The snow started to fall again,
harder this time,
the girl watched
as it covered the man's body.
Behind her,
the oak branch snapped
under the weight of the snow,
the girl didn't flinch.
She looked at the mound of snow
that hid the man,
her father,
she got up
and started to walk away,
she looked over her shoulder,
and smiled,
"No fear,"
she whispered to the quiet world around her,
and she walked away,
her footprints being erased,
by the falling snow.