Freezing

You know that saying, “When hell freezes over”? People should stop saying it. Hell is probably freezing to begin with. Much like Calgary.

Calgary is the kind of cold that makes you forget you were ever warm. It’s the kind of cold that burns cities, as evidenced by the steam that seems to rise off of everything and everyone. It freezes your nose past the point of pain, it requires you look when you wiggle your toes to make sure they’re actually moving. This is the cold that crawls down your throat so that every inhale becomes a choke. It creeps all the way down until you feel it in every breath, every step, every beat.

Until you can’t feel it anymore. All at once, it’s both there and gone, along with your worries. You reach a point of peace. Complete contentment. It’s beautiful. And that’s when you know you need to get warm, because that’s when you’re about to die.