flickr photo credits: (1) bionicteaching (2) Serenae (3) Serenae (4) lnboz (5) Serenae
Five Card Story: Dusted Frosting
a Five Card Flickr story by Ella L. created Dec 16 2020, 10:06:31 pm. Create a new one!
about this story
*ORDER OF IMAGES: 3, 4, 1, 5, 2*
The ride to Grandma's house was a 16 hour trip, and Dad refused to stop at a hotel to rest. There was no WiFi; nothing but rolling hills that stretched across the horizon outside the car window. The hours went by like days, the scenery limited to brown feilds anticipating a snow that never came. Finally the car arrived at Elgin, Illinois, which could have been the middle of nowhere for all I cared. I watched as we approached another hill just like all the others save a tiny white house hiding behind bare braches at the top. We stopped at the driveway where everyone exclaimed how excited they were to be here. Everyone except me. I am the last person to leave the car just like I was the last person to agree to this trip. All I wanted was a quiet Christmas vacation at home, but I always find myself stuck with my loud family for the holidays. I linger by the car and brush my hand across the frost dusting the red paint.
Frost is the most disappointing thing in the world. It reminds me of a broken promise that manages to freeze the air but hardly satisfies the earth like snow could. Like the absence of frosting on a cookie; it is a dissapointment to anyone wishing for a white Christmas. A low bark coming from the house wakes me from my reverie. Bear, who is Grandma's giant mastiff, is howling at me from the porch. Out of all the people in the house, Bear is surprisingly the quietest. I sigh and turn towards the front door, steeling myself against the wave of noise that threatens to knock me over when I open it. I mutter a few "Happy Holdays," and "Merry Christmas," greetings under my breath before manuvering my way towards the cookies. I try to hide my dismay when I see the small treats. The tray holds tiny sugar cookies with a thin layer of frosting. They match the landscape outside almost perfectly. Stupid frost.
I would happily unpack every suitcase in the car if only to get away from all the noise. My mother stops me before I even reach the door. She lectures me about being polite and showing my manners, but the boys are allowed to watch TV in silence the entire afternoon. Mom drags me into the kitchen where I will be forced to answer repetitive questions about school and my "outrageous height". I have to be grateful for my mother's talented conversation skills. If not for her, I would never know what to say. Just another reason for me to dread Christmas every year.
Mere minutes ago I thought that time could not be any slower in the car. Being forced to socialize has proven to last even longer. After an hour of waiting, my mom's attention has finally wavered off of me. I take the opportunity and dash outside of the house and into the night. I welecome the fresh and frigid air on the patio along with the silence. Grandma has put up white Christmas decorations that arch over the path into the garden. She might not be the best cook, but she decorates the house beautifully. I walk the path's length until I reach a break in the trees; revealing a clear winter sky. Millions of tiny stars shine merrily from above. I smile up at the sky, for it is rare to see so many stars in the city where we live. I imagine they are whispering "Merry Christmas!" to me through the winter breeze in the branches. I sit and stare at the stars for a while, mesmerized by their simple beauty. It never snows over Christmas break, there is only a light layer of frost that touches every surface. But if it weren't for the frost, I wouldn't be able to see the stars.
share this story
permalink to story: http://5card.cogdogblog.com/show.php?id=48298
Copy/Paste Story
Click once to select, then copy and paste HTML to your own blog/website.
create a different story from these same cards
Do you have another interpretation of the story behind these pictures? Add it to the collection as a new story!