December 15th, 2024

“BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!” My alarm goes off. I toss my body to face the left side of my bed. While clicking the much-needed snooze button, my brother barges into my room.
“Shut the door!” I yell before he gets a word out.
“Just so you know, there is no school today.” He says. Huh? I search my brain for reasons why he could be lying. Like a light bulb turning on, my cold body realizes what has happened. It’s a snow day! I jump out of my bed and tear open my floral curtains. Snow. The only thing I can see. It covers every inch of the trees, and blades of grass, like a white blanket. I walk to my closet and throw on snow clothes. I see two small, snow-covered figures outside my window.
Cold air sweeps into my lungs as I step outside, and before I know it, I am at the ledge. The ledge is a steep hill, a walking distance from my house. My only sibling, my brother, and my dog, always go there on the first snow of the winter.
“Come help me make this giant snowball, I have been working on it since this morning,” My four-year-old brother, Will says, proudly motioning to his brown ball, covered in leaves and dirt. He wears an old pair of sweatpants and a blue coat.
“Ok,” I reply, walking over to help him roll it. Pushing it over, I see my dog jumping in a pile of snow. He has patches of snow attached to his overgrown, black fur. I continue rolling it, paying too much attention to my cold fingers. I begin making another snow ball to put on top of the other.
“Hey, stop!” Will says.
“What?” I replied. Will turns his head.
“Hailey! Will!” My dad screams from a distance. Just then, I see my dog, Rocky running towards the street at full speed. My heart rate instantly increases. With every small step, he gets closer and closer. A tingle runs from my toes up to my head. My body freezes, literally. I see my brother running towards the street as well. It takes my brain at least ten seconds to process what is happening, while my legs have already been directed to move.
One foot in front of the other.
One foot in front of the other.
Just then, I force my eyes straight ahead and see a boy running behind a house, carrying the same snowballs my little brother had made earlier. My dog was barking at him, as he continued sprinting. A confusing feeling fills my chest.

I see a white car speeding down the street.
My legs are moving as fast as I can.
My dog is running towards the street.
My ears are ringing with barks and screams from my brother.
“Woosh!” The car drives. Its tires slip on the icy road. A sharp pain aches in my chest. Tears run down my eyes. A silent panic fills the air for a few, long seconds. I see my mom scramble for her phone that is deep inside her purse, as my dad runs to Rocky. A man gets out of the white car. He throws his hands to his head. I stare at the situation, feeling numb.
“WEE-OOO WEE-OOO” A white truck painted with red stripes and paw prints turns the corner a minute or so later. I follow my dad by running up to see Rocky. Tire marks are patterned on his fur. Blood seeps on my sweatpants. I stand up horrified.
Seconds later, two men hurry out of the back of the truck, carrying a retractable bed. They lift a soulless version of Rocky onto it and quickly carry him inside the vehicle. While they drive away, my family and I get in our car following it to the animal hospital.

“Will he be okay?” I hear a muffled voice from behind the white hospital door.
“There’s no way to know for sure, but the chances aren’t looking too high at the moment.” A vet replies. “I’m sorry.” I hear the disappointment in my moms voice through the door as she sighs.
“There is nothing we can do but wait and see what happens,” The vet says in a more positive tone. My mom opens the door and motions my dad, brother, and I to come inside the pale room. I stand up from the uncomfortable chair and make my way forward. With every step, my feet feel heavier. My dad looks up at the lady, and gives her a “So?” expression.
“I am so sorry that you must hear this, but the chances of Rocky surviving aren’t looking very high at the moment.” Even though I already heard this, it still pierces my heart to know. My dog is laying on an elevated mat, covered in wounds, dying, and there is nothing I can do about it.
Doing nothing. May seem easy for some, impossible for others.
The heart rate monitor beeps in my ear, then holds a long, steady noise. The nurse runs over to Rocky in a panic. Nothing she can do. Nothing anyone can. We have lost him.

January 29th, 2024

“BEEP! BEEP!” One of my tired eyes opens. I turn off my alarm, and open my curtains, expecting to see a gray sky with brown trees, as always. But this it’s different. It’s white. Again. I look down. The snow is piled high. It’s a snow day. Once again. Part of me feels happy. The other wants to disappear.
I take a step outside still wearing pajamas. Large snowflakes melt into my hair. This time, no brother to help roll snowballs, no dog to see jumping in the pow. The sun appears from behind the many clouds, and shines on my face like a warm hug. Although I feel something is missing, I find a sense of peace in the brief moment. It’s a snow day. Again.