Rhiam_

When I was young, I was a wayward child. And a deep-rooted curiosity intact to me.

I wanted to know more about the world, about these warm beings called humans. But I was told that I'd be shattered if ever I touched them. I was warned to keep my distance. But curiosity got the better out of me and I ended up walking to the nearest village with stark white snow beds behind my trail.

I started mingling with the children of the village. We played all day and it was all fun and games. But at the end of the day, I was still a snow sprite.

And eventually they realized that I was different. And hence, they started fearing me.

~*********~

Perfectly premed raven locks hanging by the side of her petite fair frame, and her cheeks, tainted red due to the chilly air that hung around her. Her lips, slightly blue and chapped from frostbite. She just stood in front of the great oak tree, staring at it with vacant grey eyes.

She had been staring at the tree or maybe into space for quite a while now. Enough for her to get frostbitten. She had a very heart wrenching expression on as she stared at the snow-covered tree in the nearly empty park. It is said by humans that old habits die hard and I guess they were right. I was very curious as to why she had such an expression on her. I knew humans went through pain, grave and trivial. It was a phase of their lifespan. To experience pain was to be human, I was told. So I was told to put off all human feelings as I would be vulnerable if disobeyed, hence I did. And eventually all my hurt and pain and loneliness and anger, washed away leaving nothing but the same innate curiosity for the human race. I didn't feel any remorse for my sister or held any grudges against their kind. But I had learned to stay away from them. And thus, I was a frosty winter sprite.

But there was something different about this girl. She gave off an aura of pure white limpidness. And it was this humongous curiosity which led me to walk upto her.

When I was just a few feats away from her, I realized. She couldn't see me. No one could. A strange pang roused up inside me, and I almost seemed disappointed that she couldn't see me. Oh well, there's no use musing over possibilities that were impossible and probable fantasies. With that thought in mind, I stood there, staring at her, while she kept staring at the tree, a bit misty eyed. She had a petite figure, and for some reason, I couldn't take my eyes off her. The way she gnawed her inner cheeks from now and then. And how she wet her cold blue lips to keep them moist. It was very...fascinating.

At a point, I couldn't help but state. Even though I knew she couldn't hear me, something prodded me to say it out loud. "You'll get frostbitten if you keep standing there any longer."

Suddenly her head whipped around to look towards my direction. And she gave me a wide-eyed baffled look. Her eyes, profound and recognition somehow shone in them. I in turn, kept staring at her in the face. She looked even more fascinating from up front. And a little pale maybe.

"Leeve!" She abruptly muttered and I scowled at her. And after a minute, when she still seemed to be waiting for an answer I turned around to look behind me to check if she was talking to someone else. And then I looked at her with wide shocked eyes.

"I'm sorry. I think I got the wrong person." She apologized. "Were you talking to me?"

"Y-You...can see me?" I asked, astonished.

"Ermm...Yeah!" She looked at me like I had gone bonkers. I was too shocked to even respond for a second. How in Heaven's name was she able to see me? "How can you see me?" I frowned, confused with all the confusion.

Now she was eyeing me like I was a runaway from some mental asylum. "Errr...with eyes!"

Okay! That didn't go very well.

"No, I mean you were not supposed to see me. How can you see me when no one else can?" I said.

"What do you mean? Are you a ghost or an invisible man?" She asked, pure sarcasm dripping from the words. I gave her a mocking look and said, "Neither! Do I look like one?"

"I suppose not." She pondered to herself. "Do you believe in ghosts?" I, in turn asked. "Because people nowadays do not seem to believe in such things." She looked at me, slightly crossed with my remark and snorted in annoyance, "Of course I don't believe in ghosts and such. I was just being sarcastic. Don't take it literally, whoever you are."

"My name is Rhiam. And you really will catch a cold if you keep standing under the snow-covered tree." I stated grimly. She looked at me in a bizarre manner and slowly walked away from under the oak and sat down on an empty bench by the frozen lake. I eyed her cautiously and stood a few feet away from her, while still staring wide-eyed at the miracle that occurred to me. It felt strange to talk to someone other than myself after such a long time. I wasn't exactly happy with the development. We were forbidden to talk to humans. I was vigilant, frightened to be near her in the fear of being destroyed. But I couldn't say that I was sad either.

"Why are you standing there by yourself? Now you will get frostbitten if you keep standing there in the bitter cold, not to mention the light...weird clothes that you are in." She eyed me in concern and I consequently looked down at myself. "Is there something odd about the way I dress? I seem to be quite comfortable in them." I shrugged.

"Do you know how odd you actually sound? You're dressed like a freaking nineteenth century geezer. A silky light full-sleeved vest which seem to show off your chest...quite a bit now, with what, pirate trousers? And oh!Oh My goodness. You're bare-footed. Rhiam whatever, Are you insane?" She gave me a horrified stare and then looked back to my feet which were buried to the ankle in snow.

"My name is not Rhiam whatever, it is Rhiam. Just, Rhiam. And do not fret, please. I don't feel cold like the humans. I feel perfectly comfortable at the moment." I tried to convince her. "No you're not. Look at you; do you peg yourself to be superman by trying to show off your chest and feet? Even superman wears underwear and boots. What were you thinking?" She chided and put on her bright red muffler around my neck. "At least it will protect you even if a little."

"Miss, you don't understand. I'm not a mortal." I tried again. "I don't feel this thing called cold." She just sighed at my stubbornness and stated sarcastically, "So what are you, a ghost? Oh wait, I know. A winter spirit."

"Yes! Something like that." I quirked my lips a bit. Really! Just an involuntary action. And this time she stared at me. "Erm...is there something on my face?" I raised my eyebrows warily, and she shook her head in denial. "No! it's just that...you look very handsome when you smile." I frowned at her in confusion as she suddenly looked very fidgety and her already red cheeks turned a deeper shade of bright scorching red. "Eh! I... I mean, you-you are good-looking to begin with but with all the dimples and stuff, you look better; Oh God! What am I blabbering about." She put both her palms over her face and did her best to hide her, now scarlet face. "I'm sorry. Is something wrong?" I scowled at her weird behavior. And she popped an eye out of her mostly hidden face and said, "No! There's nothing wrong. I mean, there's nothing wrong with you. What I mean is, I'm creepy...Aren't I?" She sounded unsure, as if looking for some kind of approval.

"I don't think you're creepy. Because I'm not scared of you. I think a person is called creepy when he or she is feared by others. Or if they scare people away. No?" I said eloquently, and to my contrary beliefs, she burst out into a wild erupt of laughter. It was rich, and honey-toned. Tingling the cold feral atmosphere around her.

"Y-You...If this was your weird way of cheering me up, then I'm not cheered up. Instead you succeeded in being utterly funny. Enough for me to drop to the floor and laugh like a mad woman." She giggled between her talks.

"I'm sorry if I sounded hilarious, but I honestly wasn't trying to be comical. I just wanted you to know that you're not what you dowel yourself to be. Creepy that is." She chuckled again and asked, "Really, what are you? You're in the twenty first century and yet you talk like a guy from the feudal era. Not to mention those clothes. No offense but, are you from some nearby circus or theater maybe?"

"No! I told you. I'm not a human. So it scarcely matter to how I talk or look to humans. To speak the truth, they can't even see me." And she raised her brows, I think amused, with my choice of words. "Why yes, with an exception." I hinted at her. "So there was never a need for me to talk or even try to mingle up with your bunch."

"Okaayy! So, you're not a human. Then what are you really?" She asked, smiling fervently.

"I'm a winter sprite; old folks also call me as a shiver whisperer. Or, as you earlier were relating, a winter spirit to be precise." She chuckled yet again and said in a voice beaming with sheer amusement, "Oh? So you're saying that no one other than me can see you?"

"Yes! But from the way you are retaliating, I presume you do not believe me." I said, deadpanned. She shook her head, giggling a little and then said, "No offense again but, do you even hear yourself? I might've believed you if you'd said that you're Clark Cent in disguise but seriously! Winter sprite? That went a bit overboard don't you think?" I kept on the same straight face I had on before thinking about who this Clark Cent person was while she sighed and said, "Okay then, let's test your theory. See that couple walking down the street? I'll try and go along with your act if they say that they can't see you. Deal?"

"You talk as if this is a business transaction." I stated and she just rolled her eyes and dragged me to the man and woman walking hand in hand along the dreary lone road by the park.

"Excuse me!" She addressed the duo politely, "Can you see the handsome boy beside me in a red muffler?"

The couple frowned and then slowly nodded. "Yes dear, is there some kind of problem?" The lady asked, prying. She just politely shook her head and said, "No there isn't ma'am. My friend here was just trying to pull a magic trick, saying that he could turn invisible and no one could see him. So you see, this was just a little experiment, which failed miserably by the way." The lady and her husband smiled in amusement and she took me by the hand and walked away from the couple after offering them a polite smile. When we reached the cold bench once again, she slowly looked at me, and smirked. And I in turn, was shell-shocked by the realization that my glamour had just vanished.

But how?

Mist, my sister once said that humans were fragile beings, both in mind and body. They feared things that were foreign to them. They detested them, and finally attempted to destroy the things that pose even the slightest threat to them.

I was naive into thinking that my sister was over-reacting to things.

The village people dawned me to be an omen, someone who would bring misfortune to their village and thus I was tried to be burned alive.

However, Mist got to me and when she tried to protect me, they captured her. And in the blink of an eye, my whole world crumbled to the snowy ground as I watched my sister burn to a crisp in front of me eyes.

It's been very long since then.

Time flew off like rays through window panes and I remained invisible to the human eyes, like I was supposed to be. A snow sprite wrapped up in frosty solitude.

Every winter, I walk through this earth with flakes of snow looming over my head. And I look at the world that goes by me, silently. Frowning to myself, how could such frail beautiful beings be so cruel?