221B - Snow

by I said dangerous

Feeling a little melancholy after the holidays and this idea came as I watched the snow drift down out the window late, too late at night. However, I DO wish you all a very Happy New Year and many many 221Bs!

Feather-light snowflakes leisurely twirled down amidst the muted streetlight glow. A lone man trod steadily along the silent avenue, not with speed or intent, but radiating necessity in his stoic stride. In the distance, heavy, imperious tones of cathedral bells resonated twelve times, marking the passing of the year. The solitary figure slowed to a halt, attentive to the fading echo of the last chime, raising his head to the dark, spectral sky, strewn with a million unique crystals falling gently to earth. White began to mix with blonde and grey, as the snow caught in his short-cropped hair. The worn leather coat bore slight accumulation on shoulders and on the edges of sleeves, just before his hands disappeared into drier pockets. Solid clumps of slush had collected on his scuffed boots, conveying the length of his journey. But most significant was the unfathomable expression in the hazel eyes as they gazed intently upward, dark circles underneath betraying his wretched countenance, but offering little to indicate their reason for being. Tiny flakes landed on eyelashes, only to dissolve and become tears running down his ashen cheeks. Shivering, he squeezed his eyes shut tight as if in pain, and shuddered a long bone-weary sigh. The man entreated the night with barely uttered words in a ghost of misty breath…

"Please come back."