The girl pressed her face closer to the window to watch the pure white flakes float down to the earth. Her mother had said she'd seen the snowflakes fall last year, but she didn't remember it quite like this. It seemed almost magical to her, everything was being blanketed by this white powder making it seem as if she was inside a snow globe. How badly the girl wanted to go outside, but she knew her mother would never allow it, the snow had already laid claim to her older sister Claire.  But she was older now, and stronger than she’d been last year. Surely her mother wouldn't object if she only went out for a little bit. She peeled her face away from the window and ran into the kitchen. The girl stopped dead in her tracks when she saw that her mother was staring out a window, also taken by the sight of the snow.
"Momma," the girl let the word fall out like a question. Her mother always got more solitary in the winter and she’d learned to leave her alone. Slowly the girl’s mother turned her head from the falling snow to the child that stood before her. She looked down at her five year old daughter and envied how easy it seemed for her to forget about her sister. How she wished to be that innocent.
But the girl’s mother allowed a small smile, because for all the envy she had, she had at least kept one daughter. “Yes my dear?”
“Can I go out and play in the snow? All the other kids at school tell me it’s really fun.”
“Sweetie you know you can’t go outside by yourself, maybe your father will take you when he comes home.”
“But Daddy won’t be home until late, can’t you take me?” The girl pleaded but knew the answer was going to be the same as last year.
“Darling, I love you very much, but” the mother knelt down and held her daughter “I don’t want to lose you like I lost your sister. You remember what happened, there’s something unnatural about those woods.” Her mother’s eyes began to glaze over.
“Momma, I-I” the girl couldn’t seem to form the right words.
“I don’t know why the other kids are allowed to go outside, but your sister got lost in a storm like this, and I don’t want to lose you either.” The girl turned her face away.
“But Momma it’s not fair! All the other kids are mean about it. They laugh at me for not going out during recess, they treat me like I’m some alien freak!” The girl’s mother knew she was doing the right thing for her child as she wiped away the girl’s tears.
“Why don’t you go get ready for bed. Take a nice hot bath and get some warm pj’s on. I’ll be up when you’re done to tuck you in ok?” The girl’s mother let go of her and turned back to the window to watch as the last of the light fell over the white ground.
The girl went down the hall and started to get ready for bed. What her mother didn’t know was the plan that had started to form in her daughter’s head. The thought of sneaking out, just to get a taste of what the kids at school talked about, was beginning to form in her mind. She knew that she had time until her father got home, and her mother wouldn’t bother her when she left her room.
Once she was all tucked in and her mother had gone back down the hall the girl crept out of her bed, pulled on her winter boots, grabbed her flashlight from under her bed, and slid her window open. The icy air hit her face and the white flakes began to float into the girl’s room. The snow banks were thankfully growing high enough that the jump from the window wasn’t too far for the her short legs. What would the kids at school say when they heard about this! The girl looked back to her house, all the lights were off except for one in the kitchen. She knew her mother and father would be disappointed, but only if they found out.
The girl slid down the white bank and hurried to conceal herself in the shadows of the woods. Once she was sure she had gone far enough into the woods the girl turned on her flashlight and began to wander. She didn’t come across much, but a feeling of freedom and fear began to wash over her as the night crept on.
The girl kept walking, knowing not what to look for, only basking in the sight of the snow covered woods. As the girl walked she began to wonder how long she had been there, for it seemed too long, but how lovely the woods were in the snowy night. Once or twice the girl stopped and thought about returning to her bed, but she always pushed forward, as if a force were driving her towards something. That’s when the girl noticed footprints by her feet, and not footprints that she had made. They were small, like her own, but the prints were barefoot not like  her boots. A strong wind blew and flakes from the snow on the trees began to fall around her. The scene must’ve looked magical, but the girl’s light flickered out and a voice called to her.
“Sister, I’ve been waiting to play again,” the soft voice whispered.
“Claire!” The girl cried out, for how could her sister still be alive?
“Don’t worry sister,” the girl’s light flickered on again to reveal Claire standing before her. “We’ll stay safe, we can play and be together again,” Claire gave the girl an eerie smile as she held her sister’s hand.
“But Momma and Papa, how will they know we’re alright?” The girl asked.
“I go and visit them, you can come too! Then we can be all together again!” Claire tugged on her sister’s white arm.
“Isn’t home the other way?”
“Sister don’t be frightened, please don’t be scared. I’ve been so lonely all these years, oh please stay and play, sister.” The ghostly girl begged her sister, “The snow’s perfect for playing in tonight, maybe we can even build a fort like we used with Dad and Mom?”
How the girl wished it was easy to resist, but she had missed her sister so much, and Claire was so convincing. How fun it would be to play again. So the girl stayed; she stayed until the first rays of dawn to play with Claire.
When all the playing was done, the girl sat down in the fort that she and her sister had built. Her fingers and toes were nearly frozen, her hair was strewn with snow, and she had lost the energy to keep chasing Claire during their game of tag. As the girl’s eyes began to close she saw Claire enter the fort and sit by her. Claire held her hand and began to comfort her.
“It’s going to be alright sister, we’ll go visit Mom and Dad when they wake up. I promise that we’ll stay together from now on.”