A Cold Winter Morning

Family History Writing Challenge - Day 6

I’m taking a bit of a break from writing creative non-fiction tonight and sharing something I wrote in 2011. As I sit in my little house in Central Maine, surrounded by 8’ snow banks I thought it only apropos to share this. Picture the two story cape, with three dormer windows facing the ocean on a cold winter morning, following a night of stormy winter weather.

As Mason’s eyes slowly opened she could see her breath above the blankets.  Like steam on the water she laid in bed mesmerized by the mist she caused.  She slowly turned her head toward the window over looking the bay, moving slow purposely so as not to disturb the cat lying next to her.  The sky was the color of the ocean this morning, slate gray.  She knew it was time to rise, shortly she must leave for school; walking with her little brother to the two story, multi-grade schoolhouse.  Two floors, two teachers, two rooms, eight grades, four grades per room, four students per grade, but first she had to get out of bed!  She stirred a bit more and wiggled out from under the covers, careful to not disturb the cat.  She looked at her dresser, snow; there was snow on the dresser!  The gale that blew last night had rattled the windows such as to let in snow through the cracks.  She gazed further and saw small piles of white beneath the windows themselves, oh how she wanted to crawl back beneath the blankets and wait for spring!

Mason hurriedly ran downstairs in her pajamas to put her clothes for the day on the stove to warm.  Her mother had been up for a while, stoking the fire and drawing water from the well outside after breaking the ice on the top.  Breakfast was ready, and lunches were packed as Mason slid into her chair at the kitchen table, Wells was already eating.  Mom had made dough floggers for breakfast; Mason loved dough floggers.  Little pieces of yeast dough flattened and fried with butter, sugar and cinnamon, what a delight.