That day was the last day of school until Christmas Break. Students in the 8th grade -- especially in Nora’s class -- were completely restless, probably waiting to break free from the shackles of uninteresting teachers. When classes were finally over, Nora watched all of her peers spontaneously jump from their chairs, gleefully bouncing around in the hallways, and  talking and shouting. Through the window of the classroom, she could also see some grade schoolers attempting to climb a leafless tree. As Nora was putting her notebooks in her knapsack, a sight beyond the classroom window caught her eye: she witnessed the first snowfall that year. There was no doubt that it was beautiful, but that blanket would never keep her warm.

Nora made her way to the school entrance; the sun had almost completed its recession, and the blue sky looked like it was pierced by pale streaks of pink light. Instead of taking the evening bus home, though, she proceeded towards the large hill that loomed behind the school. As Nora made her way to the hill, the snowfall took a violent turn and began to intensify into a blizzard.  Even so, Nora fought it and took one little step at a time until she reached the other side of the hill. At this point, her knees were completely immersed in the frigid blanket of snow. In all of the white scenery, Nora could make out a tall willow tree in the distance with many evergreens surrounding it. The wind was howling. On the highest branch of the willow tree, Nora witnessed small icicles sprouting from it; they were to start their flourish in the time that they were allowed to thrive. With her petite, frostbitten hands, Nora unraveled the relentless white blanket that was reaping the willow tree of the time that it had left. She could make out an inscription carved on the bark: “My dearest sister, and the only friend that I’ve ever had.” Nora’s tears became ice as they trickled down her cheeks. The warmth that Nora held so dear had dissipated into the howling snowstorm, soon to be completely forgotten.