Page 22 (1/2)

Diotten perception as blurred as the substance itself, Jonas recalled what the whiteness was

"It's called snow, Gabe," Jonas whispered "Snowflakes They fall down from the sky, and they're very beautiful"

There was no response from the child who had once been so curious and alert Jonas looked down through the dusk at the little head against his chest Gabriel's curly hair was matted and filthy, and there were tearstains outlined in dirt on his pale cheeks His eyes were closed As Jonas watched, a snowflake drifted down and was caught briefly for aeyelashes

Wearily he remounted the bicycle A steep hill loomed ahead In the best of conditions, the hill would have been a difficult, de snow obscured the narrow road and made the ride impossible His front wheel moved forward imperceptibly as he pushed on the pedals with his nus But the bicycle stopped It would not ot off and let it drop sideways into the snow For a ht how easy it would be to drop beside it himself, to let himself and Gabriel slide into the softness of snow, the darkness of night, the warm comfort of sleep

But he had coo on

Thefrom his protection to return to the people of his community Were there any left at all? Could he hold onto a last bit of warth to Give? Could Gabriel still Receive?

He pressed his hands into Gabriel's back and tried to re caone Then it flickered suddenly, and he felt tiny tongues of heat begin to creep across and into his frozen feet and legs He felt his face begin to glow and the tense, cold skin of his ar second he felt that he wanted to keep it for hiht, unburdened by anything or anyone else

But the e, a need, a passionate yearning to share the war from the effort, he forced thebody in his arms

Gabriel stirred For a th as they stood hugging each other in the blinding snow

Jonas began to walk up the hill

The ed no one and they were cold again

But hishination and restored his will to survive He began to walk faster on feet that he could no longer feel But the hill was treacherously steep; he was ith He didn't make it very far before he stumbled and fell forward

On his knees, unable to rise, Jonas tried a second tirasped at a wisp of another ware it, and pass it into Gabriel His spirits and strength lifted with the ainst hian to cli him colder than before