Amazing Things Happen When You Believe

That day had been amazing. Their hideaway looking beautiful in the snow, a perfect blanket covered the grass, flakes fell from the trees in the breeze, the statue appeared to have a tiny snow top hat on. They ran. They ran in and out of trees. They chased each other around the statues. They threw snowballs and kicked snowy mountains without a care in the world.

Then time froze.

They stepped closer, their eyes fixed upon each others with a knowing stare. He took her in his arms and tilted her chin upwards. She closed her eyes and could feel the bright sun against her eyelids.

Curious how much brighter the sun feels reflected off a pure white world.

He gently swept a few stray hairs back from her face and kissed her. A deep meaningful kiss. A kiss where nothing else matters but the feeling within that kiss. What was that feeling? Could it be love? He knew it could be, if they had time, he could love her. Right now he felt like he needed her. He needed her to kiss him. He needed her to want him. He needed her to be his. Need. That feeling was too strong, too intense, he had to break it.

He ran his cold fingers down her neck, lower, lower, until he found her waist. His icy hands crept up her top, catching her off guard. At the cold sensation on her back she yelped, then giggled. He hooked his leg around hers and gently lowered her to ground, into the snow.

She looked amazing. A colourful angel on a pure background. Her skin was so pale that the colours where highlighted, maximised. The bright fabrics of her technicolour coat glistened and her jewellery glittered and sparkled. Her stunning red hair fell behind her, above her and was speckled with polystyrene snow. Most of all he noticed her big, blue eyes shining up at him. Those eyes, he could not resist those eyes. When he had first met her those eyes and made him break all of his 'dating' rules. Of course, they'd never had a chance to date, he hadn't known whether he'd see her again, he'd had to kiss her. He had to kiss her now, in the snow, it was a perfect image and he wanted to capture it, to remember it forever.

They lay there in snow until they got too cold and he helped her up, she was glowing and smiling a true smile. He took her hand and led her over to a fallen tree, expecting to help her up. She pulled herself up with ease and he giggled to himself. She really wasn't like other girls, worried about breaking nails or getting muddy, she was a true explorer.

They watched the sun disappear through a gap in the tree tops. Sitting on that log next to the stream, which had frozen over the previous night. While it had still been light they'd watched some children breaking the ice with sticks. Smashing and cracking. They'd laughed at how acceptable destruction was when you were young.

On that log, in their own make believe world they lost track of time telling stories of adventures, and misadventures. Giants and dwarfs, tigers and zebras, pyramids and castles and secrets. They told each other secrets. Secrets that didn't mean anything, and secrets that meant everything. But both of them kept one secret to themselves. Their giggles echoed throughout the woods.

"You never stop smiling," he teased. "I love that. I love you." His grin disappeared.

Awkward silence? Had she heard? They broke eye contact and looked around, there was very little light apart from the moon peeping through the branches and a slight glow of the fairies. Fairies don't shine very much anymore, not enough people believe in them. Once upon a time one fairy would have glowed enough to light your way through the whole forest.

"It's very dark," she whispered. "How are we going to get back?"

His face lit up. Grinning again.

"We can make snow lanterns!"

"Snow lanterns? I'm sure they're about as useful as a chocolate teapot!"

"You'll see." He told her, and started moulding snow.

His fingers moulded the snow into the shape of a lantern, she marvelled at him.

"We can use the fairies to light them!" she exclaimed.

"The fairies?"

"Yes. The snow fairies!" She pulled him to his feet. "Look around, can you see them? They glow so weakly. If we believe that they can light our way they will!"

She spun him around and his eyes began to focus, he could see them faintly. Make out flickers of light here and there were no natural light would reach. He held up the snow lantern in one hand and took her hand in the other. They closed their eyes.

They felt magic, a heat against their eyes. When they dared to look, they peered out slowly, the lantern was glowing warmly and bright lights were dancing all around them. He set the lantern down and took her other hand and spun. They spun around in a blur of snow and fairies, their heads raised to the sky, laughing. The fairies danced with them, reflecting onto the leaves of the trees and making patterns on the ice of the stream. It was beautiful.

The spinning slowed down and he pulled her closer to him, looking once more into those deep blue pools that were her eyes. Those eyes told a million stories all at once, he knew it. That was why he was so drawn to them, he was drawn to stories, he wanted to know her stories.

"See, amazing things happen when you believe" she whispered sadly.

He drew her closer still and wrapped his arms around her. He held her tightly. He wanted to believe, he wished he could. He could believe in fairies, he believed in dragons and angels, he believed in himself, he believed in her. But he couldn't believe in them together. He believed that they were soul mates, thrown together at the wrong time by accident. He believed that they were meant to be together. But he know that it was impossible, and that it would hurt them both too much. He couldn't do it. But he wished he could.