She Lays Down [h.s.]

Three*

Snow falls gently from the sky and sticks to the ever-growing blanket of white. It coats the ground and the trees, smothering everything in sight. Ember is bursting with energy and running around the house while Mary and her mother clean the dishes. Claire is sitting on a chair in the living room reading a book and their dad is in his study doing a crossword puzzle.

Everything seems fine, except for the fact that Claire has been acting as if Mary doesn't exist all week. She plays with Ember and chats happily with everyone else, but she refuses to acknowledge Mary.

Mary tries to ignore the sinking feeling she gets when Claire does this, but it doesn't want to go away and instead it's settled into her soul. She doesn't understand why Claire is being so rude. It isn't her marriage and she's her sister. She's supposed to be helping and not pushing her away. Sure, she probably isn't making the most rational decision, but she doesn't want to measure her love in loss if there's something she can do to renew what was once there. People aren't always lost.

The dishes are done and Mary decides that it will be good to get Ember outside. The cold will slow her down a little bit and her energy will fade as she runs around in the thick snow. Ember loves the fluffy white product of nature and it's a good way to spend time with her daughter without boring her.

Ember's currently finishing another lap around the house. Mary decides to duck down by the couch in the living room and wait for her. Ember doesn't notice her mommy by the couch and screams as Mary catches her in her arms.

"Got you!"

Ember giggles loudly and writhes in her mother's arms, "Mommy!"

Mary slightly loosens her grip and presses a sloppy kiss to Ember's cheek, "Emmy!"

Ember hugs her the moment she lets her go. "What are you doing mommy!?"

"Kidnapping you so we can play in the snow!"

"Yay!"

Ember runs down the hall to grab her coat and Mary follows her at a slightly faster than normal pace. She's happy to get outside and do something with her mommy instead of sitting around coloring and playing with her grandparents' puppy. Playing in the snow is one of her favorite things to do, but her mommy hasn't let her go out in a couple of days because she had a bit of a runny nose.

She's so excited that she puts her coat on the wrong way and her mommy has to help her. Mary helps Ember put on her warm clothes as quickly as she can before donning her own and racing her to the door.

Mary lets Ember win, but her parent's doorknob is too high and she can't reach it. Ember ends up waiting longer than she wants to before she barrels outside and into the snow like an excited puppy.

The fluffy white ice isn't falling anymore. Ember doesn't mind because there is plenty of it for her to play with all over the ground. It's still cold even though she's wearing about four layers of clothing, but she hardly pays any attention to the chill as she plops down in the snow and waves her arms and legs to make a snow angel.

Mary closes the door and plops down next to her daughter, the snow dramatically adds to the cold air and chills her bones instantly. She doesn't mind the feeling as much as she's grown accustomed to hating the things that remind her of the ice that's halted her marriage.

As they stand up and admire their masterpieces, snow clings to their hair and embeds itself in their clothing. Ember's proud of her creation and she's got an idea, but she has to move while her Mommy is distracted or it won't work out the way that she wants it to.

She sneaks off so that she's far enough away to throw and not miss or hit her Mommy too hard with the snowball. Ember quickly scoops up a handful of snow and pats it into a ball before calling her mother.