Perceptions: Icy kiss

Dark clouds were boiling up from the horizon as I picked my way up the stairs of the abandoned lookout, looking nervously at the rotten boards.

I had spotted the old lookout from the road and parked the car to take a short hike through the snow. That was over an hour ago. The sun was setting and it was getting cold. The wind was picking up.

Finally, I mounted the top step and threw back my hood to take in the view. Snow covered peaks spread beneath my feet in every direction. Fiery red beams shot out from the setting sun, making the mountaintops pulsate and dance.

I instinctively lifted my arms to embrace the glory. What I got in return was a cruel blast of wind that nearly knocked me to my knees.

That's how it is with her. She lures me in with her good looks, then slaps me in the face. Why do I surrender so easily to such a frigid lover?

I can't help it. I am smitten. I hang her pictures everywhere. I jam my computer full of her pixellated images. I am like a teenage boy obsessed with a girl he fears. I sneak glances every chance I get. I sit in my living room and stare out the window at her. She does not care.

I made it back just as the light faded completely from the sky. The car door closed with a reassuring "thunk" and the engine roared to life. Warm air emerged from the vents.

Driving home, I listened thoughtfully to the sound of my tires crunching the snow beneath them. My headlights poked two tiny holes in the immense darkness.