The moment your memories start playing out into long, thoughtful days instead of quick snippets, is the day time starts to become a factor in your life.

Sitting by the fireplace snuggled in my mother's lap as she told a tale as farfetched as one could imagine, that is when time started for me. But it wasn't a bitter thing, it simply added enjoyment to the short amount of time I had been living.

My mother's tender touch and her gentle voice were nearly enough to drown out the raging storm outside.

"Why does the sky have to be scary sometimes?" I asked her after a deafening clap of thunder shook the room.

"I don't see it that way." She replied thoughtfully. "To me, the sky seems powerful. Look at the way just one strike of lightning can do a massive tree, or how thunder can shake the entire earth."

I curled in closer to her. "But why does it have to be so dark?"

"Well just because it's dark and scary out there, doesn't mean it has to be that way in here."

I peered up at her, an eager look in my eye.

"How are you gonna make it snow in here?"

She simply smiled as she sat up. "Who said it could only snow outside?"

With just a wave of her hand, a flurry of glistening snow softly fell from the high ceiling of my room. It was so calm and beautiful, I would stare at the fluffy flakes in awe, memorized by the magical side to it. After the spell of its beauty would wear off, excitement would flood through me as I'd jump in the piles of building snow.

"It's snowing!" Happiness would always overtake me at the sight.

It was not unusual for mother to create winter wherever she wanted to. She has been doing it ever since I could remember. Beautiful things came from my mother's hands. Things that couldn't be made by regular hands. Her powers were so graceful, so charming that I could see no con to possessing it.

"Is this much better than the lightning and thunder outside?" She asked me.

"Yes." I ran over to her, hugging her legs, since I was only so tall, and sighed."I wanna make it snow like you can."

"What do mean?"

I pulled back and smiled at her. "Make winter like you can. When can I do all this?"

She gave a faint chuckle and sits me on her lap.

"I don't know. Maybe controlling winter isn't your power."

I frowned at her. "But I wanna be like you. I wanna do what you can do, I wanna look like you."

It was no secret I didn't get my appearance from my mother. Everything about her was a stark difference to me. Her silky icy blond hair matched nothing with my jet black hair. Likewise, her paler skin tone didn't have the warmer tone that I had. The only similarity you could make between us was the light color of our eyes. My mother's steel blue eyes were slightly dimmer than my unnaturally, bright blue eyes. Still, we were more different than alike in appearances.

She stroked my hair, wiping off the flakes that clung.

"You don't have to look like me, Xalale. You don't even have to do everything like me. You're who you are for a reason. You're your mother's pride. Even if you can't control winter like me, you will never disappoint me."

Those words replayed through my head as I watched the final snowflakes fall to the floor. My eyes felt tired and my body worn. My mother's warm hands held me against her; so close I could hear every breath that left her lungs.

I was already drifting off into a light sleep as my mother carried me over to my bed. I was vaguely aware of her tucking me in and kissing my cheek.

"Goodnight." She whispered. "I love you."

Sleep had already claimed me, so I never replied. I could hear her leaving and when I peeked my eyes open one last time, I could see all the snow piled on the floor was gone.

I dreamed of the outlandish story she told me before bed and I dreamt of the snow falling in my room.