She packed her bag filled with dreams, her eyes glowing with determination... yearning to run and shout like a child in the boundless space. She was prepared to start a new chapter, and as she left the city today, she would enter the City of Brass, where a new dream awaited: a pink dome, a shining sun, and a hint of autumn rain.
The biting, cold wind dampened her enthusiasm. She glanced around and saw that it was the people and she who wore the heavy clothes. The passersby kept moving without pause, a vibrant stream of shawls and woolen hats. Meanwhile, the night sky, dark and cloud-laden, was too stunning to appreciate in the cold fully.
The ground beneath her was covered with what looked like dirty white ceramic, stamped with large footprints. She wondered, "Am I imagining it, or is it raining white cotton?"
She lifted her head to let the snow settle on her face, and her eyes shone with a brightness that relieved the shivering coursing through her body. It was the first time she experienced a genuinely snowy winter, a season that froze voices, leaving only the faint echo of smoke from their mouths.
She moved swiftly ahead, forcing her way through the rushing stream, her bag of dreams lighter, leaving behind another wish.
She stood among the towering buildings, like being in a land of giants where people appeared tiny, as if inside a snow globe. Each shake sent snow into their heads and pockets, making her another target for the falling snow.
She recognized how ridiculous she appeared, attempting to reach the sky with her eyes wide open and pleading for more, as the snow swiftly melted upon contact with her skin.
It was a delicious obsession she had never felt before, a sense of wonder similar to a child's fascination with shiny objects for the first time or their enchantment with the dancing, colorful shadows cast on walls by dim light beside their rocking crib.
The cold city lights flickered inside her as she walked, briefly lost in her thoughts. She noticed a small café on a street corner, glowing with warm colors amid the snow. Its inviting appearance contrasted with the harsh winter, providing a comforting break from the biting cold.
She felt a pull, a longing for refuge, though it wasn't truly out of need; her fascination with winter remained strong. She stepped into the quiet café, which was unoccupied. A lone man sat there, clutching a large coffee mug, staring out at the winter landscape through the nearby window.
Nothing is more captivating than watching strangers, reminiscent of cinematic scenes where people walk to a rhythm, stirred by a strong wind.
She longed to be part of one of those winter scenes; she was tired of merely watching the magic box in the living room.
She wished her parents had known what a real winter was like... She imagined that perhaps her mother would have invited Winter Man over for green tea and a chat while knitting him a wool hat.
She couldn't recall ever owning a wool hat as a child... An inexplicable urge took over her, and unconsciously, she rose from her chair and moved toward the man who seemed somehow linked to the winter she had fallen in love with. Holding her coffee cup, she approached him, unsure of why she was drawn to him. He continued to watch the passersby with a distant gaze...
His coffee was gradually cooling down.
Is there another winter hue she's unaware of? That thick silence causes white clouds to escape your mouth each time you speak and breathe out.
She desired something akin to winter, but warm. She paused thoughtfully. "Hello," she said eagerly. "Would you like to come out with me and enjoy the falling snow?" An unexplainable urge made her invite this stranger. He looked at himself in surprise, signaling his refusal. Clearly, it wasn't his first time seeing winter or snow. She left her coffee cup on his table and hurried to the café door. Suddenly, she found herself dancing in the snow, a strange, magical feeling making her dance even more. She temporarily approached the mysterious man's window... a final attempt to persuade him to join her... or maybe some strange force pushed her to go there.
It was a feeling she couldn't quite put into words. For a moment, she wondered if the Winter Man were real—if he would join her. As she danced in the white snow, her belief deepened that the sky wasn't just raining cotton and that winter held a special magic, known only to a few. She didn't want to hide from winter anymore. Suddenly, it seemed as if the man behind the window was watching her, as if she were a dancing ornament inside a crystal snow globe. She didn't immediately realize that this man was truly the winter man—and that she, too, had fallen under the winter's spell...!!
Some people avoid winter, while others dance in the snow, and somewhere, these moments remain preserved as unforgettable memories. Happiness is easy to find if you look around, maybe in an old memory, or in snowfall, or maybe in a crystal globe.