SPRING
The weather had been terrible. The worst of the snow had melted but the temperature, day and night, refused to venture much above freezing. There seemed to be no way to get warm.
Goniff, the slightest member of the team, had it the worst. The coat he had to wear on the last few missions was just not warm enough. On really cold days the wind seemed to go right through it and him. He had tried complaining, offers to trade and out right begging but nothing had worked. He was stuck being cold and he hated being cold almost as much as he hated being hungry. And that was another thing. He was hungry. Maybe if he could get something warm to eat it would help. He went to sleep cold and hungry and he woke up cold and hungry. At least in stir he was warm and fed.
Casino tried to push his hands deeper into his pockets. It didn't help. Holding a machine gun with your bare hands in the middle of winter was torture. Now that the danger was Chief's problem he had to find a way to get his hands warm. Damn, it was cold. This reminded him of the time he had been challenged to touch the metal sign post with his tongue. He had not fallen for it but his little brother had. He remembered standing beside him with his hands on the pole around his brother's tongue trying to warm it enough so he could get unstuck. It had eventually worked but his hands had hurt terribly when he got home and tried to thaw them out.
Actor shivered as he tried to hunker deeper into his coat. The original owner had been as broad in the shoulder but he had been shorter in the waist and arms. Actor had spent the last four hours walking around with his shoulders pulled in enough that the sleeves would cover his wrists. He had gloves but they had gotten wet from the melting snow. Now they were useless. Oh where was there a good tailor when you needed one.
Garrison hated snow. Not only was it cold, but it hid dangers such as icy patches. The worst, though, was it showed their tracks. Now it had melted and when the temperature ventured up, the ground turned to pudding sticking to their shoes. When it froze again which it always did the ground was rutted making walking difficult. He had twisted his ankle about an hour ago and it still hurt. Miserable weather. He just wanted to get home and sit in front of a good fire with his feet up.
Chief stood still for a moment. He though he heard something. Nothing. He wanted to pace just to get warm then stopped himself. The old woman who had helped him had told him to never complain about something you can't control. If it was something you could control then get busy and fix it. Well the cold was something he had no control over. Didn't like it but there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it. He remembered being in NY City in the winter. It was beautiful but cold. 'Think about warm things' had been the advise of a fellow drifter. That brought to mind and he started to smile…No not her. That was cold. No. He could think about the warm times if it helped him. He tried again but all he could think of was her with some one else and he was out in the cold, again. Damn. He shivered in his coat trying to scare up some warmth but it was no use. He turned his back to the wind for a while and concentrated on listening. All he heard was the cold wind.
The team had finally reached the safe house late that evening where the Resistance would hide them. The pick-up was not until dusk the following day so they would have the rest of the night and the day to rest. Their hosts would also provide security so the cold exhausted men could rest. Each man curled up in the meagre blankets they had been given. After about six hours they began to waken. Garrison was first. He pulled his boots on and went out to survey the area. He was surprised by the change. Chief was the first to join him. He too revelled in what had happened. Casino and Actor soon followed. Smiles broke out on all their faces. Goniff finally crawled out of bed wondering where everybody was. He too stopped short when he stepped outside.
The sun was shinning and the gentle breeze was warm. The ground, once soggy was firming up as it dried. Chief was the first to notice the little white flowers blooming by the house.
Snow drops announced their host. The first spring flowers. They all admired their fragile beauty. Their host then informed them that in less than a week it would be Easter and time for lilies too.
Easter. Yes, a time for renewal. A time for rebirth. They had survived the winter and now Spring was upon them. It lightened their hearts and their steps.