The sky was black as night and the wind howled as it wove through to endless sea of evergreens. In an alcove hidden among the endless sea sat a man huddled closely to a dwindling fire. The night was ominous and everything seemed to be at a standstill. He had just managed to get a small fire burning when the wind began to batter his camp again. Snow started falling from the cloudless sky as the winter storm started to move in. The wind was relentless as it angrily trampled through the trees causing them to bow down at its strength. Cold bit at the man’s face and limbs.

The flames of the small fire danced frantically in the wind as they struggled to stay animate. In an attempt to keep the fire burning, the man added twigs and leaves to the slowly dying flames. The fire screamed as the damp leaves were thrown into its midst. As the flames grew, the wind blew stronger in an attempt to extinguish the fire. The trees surrounding the clearing moaned in protest to the rushes of snow the blizzard had brought upon them.

As the night wore on, so did the battle between the elements. The man had managed to keep the fire lit, but the snow and wind were restless. He dared not leave the fire unattended in fear of his only source of light and heat going out. He was utterly helpless in the face of his assailants. The hours went by agonizingly slow. Snow and ice coated everything as far as the eye could see. By the time the sun started to show its face above the trees, the forest itself seemed completely frozen. Rays of light burst through the trees illuminating everything in a brilliant intensity that even a diamond would envy. Birds and other creatures of the forest were awaking from their slumber to find their world transformed into a vista of white. The relentless winds had given up and the snow had moved on to find it’s next empty canvas to paint with lustrous coats of snowflakes.