Once, there was a boy. Feeling the ways of the ancient earth calling for him to explore her, he left his home and traveled. He found himself in a desert and found it pleasant and warm. Night came, and sleep beckoned his weary limbs. He fell into the sand and did not emerge for fifty years. During this time, the boy did not age beyond a few more hairs upon his chest. Knowing and seeing what was going on above the sand, the boy stayed and contemplated what the earth was asking of him. Why did she call him away from his home into this strange and wild world?

After the boy rose from the sand, he journeyed far and long into the dark, white snow. Obstacles plagued the boy, yet he rose like a titan into the dark sky once again every time. The snow wrapped her arms around him and whispered into his ear,

"Come to me. I am everything you have ever wanted and desired. I shall be your servant, your slave, your lover. Come to me, boy, and I will make you feel good."

Her breath rose in beautiful crystals above the boy's head and showered down in a gentle swirl. The boy could feel her burning cold words dancing across his skin, but did not respond.

"How can you know everything that I have ever wanted and desired? I do not want you to be my servant, my slave, my lover. I only want you to cool the beads of sweat that will collect on my face when I am hot. Do that, and I will come to you."

The beautiful snow obliged and followed him from a distance. The boy continued his trek, not knowing where he was going or why he was going there. His robes by now had faded from a bright and colorful red lovingly dyed by his sister to a dull and ripped gray. Still, he continued on. Whenever the hot sun burned his scalp, he had only to turn behind him and call the snow and she would gently cool his skin. The beautiful snow would wrap herself around him and whisper sweet nothings in his ear, hoping to get a reaction. However, he never pressed himself against her to feel the snow. Instead, he only gave a small smile and graciously thanked the snow and continued walking.

Eventually though, the snow complained.

"Boy, you say that all you want is for me to dry the beads of sweat that collect on your face when you are hot. But surely you want more; you are a man and men have desires that cannot only be fulfilled by a lowering of temperature. I want to please you, boy, because I am in love with you. Call me and I will come."

The boy looked at the beautiful snow, her wind caressing his face. The bright eyes closed, the snow wound her long hair around the boy's body and sighed. He slowly smiled and replied

"Beautiful snow, I may be a man, but I do not have desires for such mortal temptation. While sleeping in the sand I realized that God has put me on this earth for a reason. This reason is to walk the earth from which I was born and return to it when my flesh weakens and falls. My one desire in this life is to live and be in peace. Thank you snow, for bringing me comfort when I am pained. You have pleased me greatly; is that not what you wanted?"

The snow had no answer for the boy, and so reluctantly accepted that the boy would never love her in return. She placed the lightest of all kisses upon the boy's lips and did not follow him any more. The boy continued to walk upon the paths that nature set out for him, only stopping when his body could not take another step. Many years passed, and the boy became a man. The man grew old, and although his spirit was willing, his flesh was weak. At last, he could walk no longer and fell back into the sands upon which he had slept so long ago.

"Snow, I call you. I am dying and want to be comforted." he called out. The beautiful snow instantly appeared by his side and provided a thick blanket for the man to rest under. Although the blanket was made of snow and ice, the man was warm and comfortable.

"Boy, what has happened to you? In the time that we have spent apart, how nature has punished you. Your skin is broken and brown. Your eyes have gone blind and lost their spark. But you are still beautiful to me. You will always be my one love." the snow cried, upset that her love had diminished into such a sorry state.

He turned his face in the direction of the beautiful snow's sweet voice and said

"I thank you, beautiful snow. You have saved me many times but I cannot repay you in the way you wanted me to. I pray that you never fall in love with a man again and only appear as frozen forms of water with no sweet voice, no bright eyes, no long hair, and no soft caresses. May you never be hurt again." His tears of sympathy for the snow flowed slowly across his cracked skin and froze upon her touch.

"Boy, you can hurt me all you want, but I will never be upset with you because you do not intend to hurt. I will make your prayers come true and never take this form again. Rest in peace, boy. You have lived a long and good life." the snow whispered. The man smiled, and for an instant right before his life expired, appeared as the young boy the snow had fallen in love with. His breath stopped and his soul went on to join with God. The snow, still covering her love, gradually dissolved into snowflakes. Each snowflake was different for everyday that the beautiful snow spent with the boy. Each day was magnificent and different from the other one, and the snow was at peace with her memories.