Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.
Author's Note: Listening to Moonlight Sonata would probably set the right mood for this story. Enjoy.
Hesten inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. He could see his breath instantly become cloudy against the bitter cold. Large, puffy snowflakes fell through his smoky breath and fell to the soft, snow-covered ground. He inhaled again and let his breath out slowly once more.
He loved the smell of snow and the cold in general. It was unique and comforting. It calmed one's spirits and seemed to suggest and magical force was at work here. He looked around and saw the beauty of the world that he was in.
It was night time and clouds covered the sky. Snow was falling everywhere and the world was a pale white. The dead trees, with their black, bare branches contrasted sharply against the fallen snow. The pine tree's branches were weighed down with snow and bent downwards towards the cool earth. Though the sun set many hours ago, he could still see the world in a pale, shadowy light.
Hesten shifted his coat around to keep him warm and he dug one of his hands in his pockets. With the other, he carried his sled that he knew since he was a child along. The wooden sled showed signs that time was catching up to it. The wooden edges were worn and some were dully splintered. The once brightly colored paint was now dull and peeling away. The screws that held the boards together were rusted but they still held firm.
Fwomp
Fwomp
He trampled through the snow.
Fwomp
Fwomp
He took his steps
His feet were still warm, though for how much longer he did not know, for now, he will just enjoy the scenery.
The quietness of the scenery made him feel lonely. He longed for a special someone to keep him company, he longed for someone to walk arm in arm with to keep warm. He longed someone to talk to.
He sighed and his breath came out like a billowing cloud. It then disappeared into the snowy air.
Fwomp
Fwomp
He was walking his way towards his favorite hill. He had been going to this hill ever since he was a little kid. He had many happy memories on this hill.
He soon became lost in thought as he recalled memories from a distant past.
"I'm going to win!"
"No, you're not! I will!"
"Push me off, dad! Push me off!"
"Haha! Let's build a ramp here so we can go flying off it!"
"Lucy! It's snowing out! Let's go sledding!"
"Haha, okay Hesten! Wait…wait! Let me at least finish getting dressed before you start kissing me!"
Hesten frowned and shook his head. That last memory he didn't want to recall. It brought up…her…
He sighed again and began to feel the slope of the hill. At first, it was barely an inclined, but soon, it grew steeper and in no time, he was huffing and puffing as he climbed his way to the top of the hill. He got to the top and looked out.
The view was stunning. In the distance, he can see his home town twinkling in the night light. The world was bathed in the snow-filled light and almost made it look black and white. Somewhere in the distance, something barked. Then, he could hear his home town's bell tower tolling its large bells. The bells rang mournfully throughout the land.
He dropped his sled to the ground. The sled sank a little on the freshly covered ground and Hesten adjusted it a bit with his feet. Taking a deep breath, he lie down on the sled and pushed himself off. The sled picked up speed quickly, and soon, he was racing down the hillside. He gathered speed and the wind blew at him so furiously that tears formed in his eyes. The tears only rolled down so far before they were nearly frozen in place by the cold wind.
Hesten felt the snowflakes pelt his face but he didn't really notice. He enjoyed the exhilarating speed that his sled was giving him. His heart was racing. His fingers were clenched. His legs were flexed. His body was bracing for impact in case he happened to hit a bump along the way.
The sled ran over something and he lost control. The sled tilted to the side and he flew off of it. He tumbled down the hill side and felt the softened impact of the ground as he rolled along.
When he stopped, he slowly flipped over to his side and looked up at the falling snow. He breathed heavily as he felt some of his joints ache from the impact. Some snow got into his pant which instantly turned into cold water and made him feel slightly miserable. His gasps of air shot up like steams of geysers, while snow fell softly upon his face, instantly turning into water and rolling off of it.
He lie there for awhile, thinking.
He sat up.
He looked for his sled and found it farther down the hill side. It had kept going without its owner and finished the rest of the journey down. Hesten slowly got up, brushed off some snow, and walked to his comrade to pick it up.
When he was about to pick it up, he saw the local pond nearby. It appeared to have frozen over, but Hesten didn't trust that lake. A few years ago, a kid fell through that lake and nearly died because of it. Ever since, parents have been warning their kids not to sled towards the pond or else they too might fall in.
"Be careful not to fall in the lake, Lucy!"
"I know, I know! What, do you honestly think I'm that stupid?"
"No…I just love you, that's why!"
Hesten closed his eyes and buried his face into his hands. He had to stop thinking about her…
A burst of wind came by and uplifted the fresh snow. Hesten almost stumbled from the gust of wind and was surprised that it came by so suddenly. After stabilizing himself, he bent over and picked up the sled.
He turned around and saw a Froslass there.
He gave out a surprised gasp and took a step back in. He didn't hear the Froslass, when did it sneak up on him.
The Froslass showed no reaction to his surprise. She just looked at him with large, curious eyes. She hovered above the ground and her arms hung limply from her frail body.
"Oh…" he said stupidly, "Uh…hello there…"
The Froslass looked at him.
Hesten looked around; he didn't see anyone in sight so this Froslass must be wild.
"Um…pleasant night isn't?"
Again, the Froslass said nothing.
For the longest time, the two just stared at each other. Hesten was fascinated by it. He never saw a Froslass up close before. His village always warned him of deadly creatures of this land such as Sneasels and such, but never a Froslass. He wished he had something to give to the Froslass but he felt nothing in his pockets.
"Um…I don't have anything to offer, but, would you like to sled with me?"
The Froslass tilted her head to the side.
Hesten gave a questioning look at it and slowly turned around and began walking up the hill. At first, the Froslass didn't follow. But soon, she began to float after him and was then floating side by side with him.
Though she wasn't human, Hesten didn't feel as lonely. Though this Froslass didn't seem very talkative, at least she was company. As he was walking, he noticed that the snow seemed to stir whenever she was floating above them. It made her look magical.
The two got to the top and Hesten rested again. He then said, "I used to come up here a lot when I was a kid. My father and I came here once and we made this awesome snowman here. It had sunglasses on it and fedora on it. We gave it a suit jacket along with a cigar and we made him into a gangster. That was a long time ago though…"
The Froslass looked at him and with a wave of her hand the snow began to stir. Soon, the snow began to whirl about in the air and began to pack into one another. The snowflakes became snowballs which eventually became very large. The snowballs came together and formed the snowman as Hesten exactly remembered it, complete with suit jacket and all.
He was dumbfounded. After looking at it, he said, "Yeah…that's it! That's how it was! I remembered my dad took a photo of me with it and I barely reached its head. Now…"
He walked up to it and stared down at the snowman, "…I'm a good several inches taller than it…"
He turned to the Froslass and said, "this is very beautiful…thank you…"
The Froslass said nothing except now she seemed to lazily move her arms from side to side.
Hesten looked back at the open country and said, "I also remember that my best friend and I would race each other. He would boast that he would beat me but my trusty pal here…" at this he held up his sled, "…has never let me down once! Those were good, innocent times…"
The Froslass waved her hand again and this time, two, faint silhouettes appeared. Hesten instantly recognized one of the silhouettes as himself and the other as his best friend. The ghostly figures paid no attention to him and the two figures were arguing with one another. Finally, the two got onto their sleds and pushed off from the hillside. Hesten leaned over and saw his younger self pull ahead of his friend and was able to reach the bottom first. Slowly, the silhouettes disappeared into the air.
Hesten turned back to the Froslass.
"Do you have any friends?"
At this point, the Froslass floated towards him and seemed to stand side by side with him. She looked up at him with sorrow-filled eyes.
Hesten wasn't quite prepared for this reaction but he stood his ground anyways. He then said, "Don't worry…I'll be your friend if you don't have any."
Those eyes…
Hesten kissed Lucy deeply and looked at her with compassion. "I love you," he said matter of factly.
"And I love you too," she said in the same tone.
Hesten grabbed her hand and the two squeezed onto his sled. The two barely fit but they managed.
"Ready?"
"Yes!"
"Go!"
He pushed off…
Hesten's stomach lurched and he felt sad again.
He must forget…
He can't deal with this pain…
He shook his head…
The Froslass looked at him curiously. She then waved her hand and Hesten saw him along with Lucy on the same sled and pushing off the hill. He looked at it in shock as he saw the past him and Lucy having fun. It reminded him of when his life was wonderful.
"No! Take it away, take it away!" he cried, waving his hand to the Froslass and covering his eyes with the other.
"I can't…"
He fell to his knees and bent over himself. His back arching, his head down, his nose barely an inch away from the snow.
His heart was full of loneliness and suffering. How can he live without her?
How…
Soft the touch of her skin…
Warm her embrace was
Soothing her words were
Happy she was
Cold was her Icy breath…
Ice?
Hesten blinked and realized he was back on the sled and was now sliding down the hill at a fast pace. He shook his head, when did he get back on the sled?
Stars were in his eyes.
Did he hit his head?
His fingers felt numb.
Were his gloves off?
The sled was picking up speed and he felt his grip loosen.
He felt extreme fear and joy at the same time.
Where…
The sled ran over a blanketed rock but it kept going.
He was scared.
But he felt comfort.
He dimly was aware that he had let go of the sled.
He saw it with half closed eyes as it flew away from him.
It was flying and he was falling.
The world was coming down on him.
He felt cold.
He couldn't breathe.
He waved his hand in front of him and he felt a wall separating him from the next world.
Breathe.
Breathe the free air now.
Something grabbed his hand and he was pulled out of the darkness.
Where…?
He gasped.
The world suddenly sharpened and he came to his senses once more. He felt wet and as he looked down, he realized that he was wet and his clothes were dripping with water. He looked around and saw he was near the icy pond. He must have taken a wrong turn and sled right into it. He almost drowned.
He coughed and wondered who pulled him out of the pond.
He looked up and saw the Froslass floating there with, as far as he could tell, a content look upon her face.
"You…" he said, gasping for the air, "It was you who pulled me out, wasn't it?"
The Froslass just merrily flayed her arms about and made a sound that sounded like an old song.
Hesten looked back at the pond and said, "I would have been dead if you didn't pull me out…thank you…"
He took a moment to take it all in. The snowflakes were still falling slowly, and the wind still did not stir the night.
He looked back out into the lake, "I suppose my sled is now gone…"
Just then, his sled slide in front of him. It came to a slow stop and sat there, waiting for its master to take it on another ride. He looked at it with a surprise look upon his face and he looked back up at the Froslass.
"I suppose it was you that also brought back my sled, wasn't it?"
If the Froslass heard him, she showed no sign of it for she continued to do her dance.
Hesten shrugged and picked up his sled, upon closer examination he said, "Hey! It looks brand new!"
Indeed it did. The boards were stiff and strong, the paint was bright and readable, and the screws were shiny and dependable. He laughed to himself and enjoyed the look of it.
"Hey, you even fixed up my sled too! Thank you!"
The Froslass continued on with her song.
Hesten waved the Froslass on and said, "Come on! Let's sled a few more times!"
The night went slowly by, and Hesten enjoyed every minute of it.
When Hesten thought it was time to go back he said, "Thank you for making this night memorable for me. But I'm afraid I have to go now."
The Froslass looked at him with curious eyes. Then, without another word, it turned around and floated towards a conifer forest. She then stopped, look over her shoulder and eyed him with wisdom.
Hesten felt like she wanted him to follow her. Hesten didn't know what she wanted to show him but he obliged her nonetheless. Hoisting his sled over his shoulder, he began to follow her.
They walked for a long time in the snow without saying anything.
Fwomp.
Fwomp.
Hesten walked with her and suddenly realized that he was feeling content about his life right now. He didn't know why…he just did.
The two stopped in front of the forest. The Froslass motioned him to look up. Hesten did and was surprised to see a Drifloon there. The Drifloon floated in the air in perfect equilibrium, never going up or down.
Hesten looked at it with confusion.
But then, he knew why it was there.
The Drifloon sensed his revelation and raised one of its limp hands towards him to grab. Hesten hesitated, and then, he slowly, carefully, gripped his fingers around the small paw. Hesten turned to his Froslass friend and said, "Are you coming too?"
The Froslass hummed another tune that sounded beautiful to him. Hesten smiled and said, "Well…I'm relieved…"
He shifted the weight of the sled and said, "I'm ready."
With that the Drifloon led Hesten forward into the darkness of the conifer forest. Hesten didn't know where he was going, but he did know that wherever it was, he would be happy.
He disappeared into the forest.
And in the distance, the bell tower of Hesten's hometown chimed its large, ancient bells, three times.