This entry is for @julietswildchild #3 short story prompt!
Hope you enjoy!

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Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

The constant sound of Verity's shoes interrupted the silent stillness of the winter air.

Where was she? Verity thought. It was getting late, and the temperature was dropping far too quickly for it to be safe. Verity had been searching for her older sister, Celeste, in attempt to have hot cocoa for the night.

The only problem was that Verity couldn't seem to find her anywhere.

"Celeste!" Verity called repeatedly as she pulled her winter coat closer to keep warm. The storm had stopped hours ago, but the snow had become an endless blanket that covered the entire town.

Verity somehow found herself wandering in the direction of the local park, which wasn't too far away from home.

She couldn't help but notice the dead branches of the trees in the pathway standing perfectly still, as if they were statues, or simply photos of what could only be described as a winter wonderland.

WHOOSH!

A fluttering of branches startled Verity out of her stupor.

She froze, slowly turning in the direction of the disturbing sound, only to be met by stillness.

Then, the snow moved.

No, Verity thought, it can't be. What is it? She stayed perfectly still, squinting her eyes to try to make sense of the odd situation. Finally, she caught a glimpse of wings, then claws, then eyes lined by black.

A snowy owl.

Verity gasped in slight shock. It was a rare occasion to see a snowy owl flying by, much less sitting on a branch doing...

Wait, what was it doing?

Verity watched in confusion as the owl bopped it's head up and down, closing its eyes for seconds out of time while swaying from side to side.

It probably listening to something, Verity joked, imagining a cartoonish version of an owl with earbuds in while listening to classical music. She closed her eyes, giggling at her thoughts.

Then she heard it.

A faint, metallic twang of strings could be heard in a distance.

A melody.

A gentle, Spanish finger-style that echoed and bounced off the frozen tree branches of the trail. Verity watched again in shock as the snowy owl sat on the branch ahead of her, swaying to the calm, warm melody that contrasted deeply with the environment around them.

Wow.

Verity sighed in disbelief as she stared at the white owl.

Wait, who is that? After minutes of watching the bird, Verity began to realize that the music was oddly familiar, yet she could only remember hearing it behind the walls of her room. The trees and stillness of the air amplified the music endlessly. It was as if nature itself was having its own concert.

Verity began to move herself in the direction of the composition, confident that she's find the person she has been looking for.

The pathway of the park gradually led to the vacant playground ahead.

Verity saw that on the benches near the slide sat Celeste  playing the classical Spanish tune. She was wearing her dark grey puff coat and...

"Why are you wearing those?" Verity asked as she approached the older girl.

Celeste looked up in slight surprise to her the younger girl.

"What?"

"Those." Verity pointed at her sister shoes. They were the fancy flats that their mom had bought her for their Thanksgiving pictures. "You know mom doesn't want to see them dirty; why do you have them out in the snow?"

Celeste sighed. "My snow boots were in the washing machine; I couldn't just walk out in the cold with wet boots."

"Why are you out here in the first place?" Verity inquired, she was genuinely curious why Celeste had decided to bring her guitar all the way to the park to play.

Celeste grinned mischievously. "Listen to this!" She readjusted the guitar in her lap, and began to play a jazzier tune. Verity noticed how certain pitches naturally rang louder in the crisp air, making the music carry and bounce through the entire park.

It was amazing.

All Verity could do was bask in the soft melodies that Celeste played.

"Woah." Verity gasped as the song came to an end. "What song was that?"

"It doesn't have a name yet." Celeste sheepishly ran a hand through her hair.

"I know! I know!" The seven-year-old girl grinned from ear to ear.

"What is it?"

"Winter Blues!" Verity jumped up and down in excitement. "You know, because it's winter and blues is my favorite color!"

Celeste opened her mouth, about to shoot the idea down, but seeing the excited look on her younger sister's face made her simply  smile. "That's perfect."

"You're so good at the guitar!" Verity squealed. "Even the Mr. Owl was dancing to your music!"

Celeste raises an eyebrow. "Who?" She then snorted at the accidental pun she had created.

"The Snowy owl down the path!" Verity clarifies. "He was dancing and bobbing like this!" She suddenly broke out into a whimsical bird dance. She folded her arms like wings and swung from side to side and up and down. Celeste burst into a fit of laughter as she watched her sister run around looking like a chicken.

"That's one interesting dance you got there." Celeste chuckled as she began to rise from her seat. "Come on, it's getting cold out; I don't want to mess up my guitar's wood."

After Celeste set her instrument back into it's case, they were off, the constant crunching sound of their shoes echoed through the vacant play place as they made their way home.

Once they entered the small family house, a wave of heat flushed against their faces, making the sisters' cheeks turn redder than they already were.

The walls were lined with pictures and decor fit for the time of year.

Colors ranging from red to deep brown, and hints of gold decorated the small home. A Christmas Tree shone from beside the fireplace, wrapped in buffalo check and yellow lights that basked the home with even more warmth. Celeste could feel the heat slowly thaw her rigid fingers as she set her guitar case beside the couches.

"Who's that?" Their mother called from the kitchen.

"Its just us!" Celeste calls as they made their towards the heart of the house.

The kitchen was also quite warm. The oven was on, and baked croissants and hot cocoa sat upon the kitchen counter. Verity's taste buds began to water from the wonderful aroma that now basked around them.

"What are you wearing?!" Their mother gasped in panic.

Celeste and Verity jolted from their blissful stupor. Celeste noticed their mother staring in horrification at her feet.

Oh, She thought. Celeste nearly forgot about the dress shoes she had acquired on her little trip.

They all looked at the now mud splattered shoes. The rhinestones that had once lined the flats were now hanging off; some were even missing.

"Celeste." The simple calling of her name sent chills down her spine. "I told you not to use those shoes."

I'm gonna get it. She thought pitifully.

"Sorry?" Celeste knew it wasn't much, but it was the least she could say after ruining such expensive shoes. "My boots were in the washer and—"

Mother sighed and wiped her hands off with a dish rag.

"That's quite alright." She gave her a half-smile. "We'll have to hand wash them and glue more stones on them." The girls nodded furiously.

"In the meantime." Mother handed them each a croissant and a cup of hot chocolate. "Let's enjoy the fire; Dad should be home soon."

At the fireplace, Verity animatedly explained the melodic sequence Celeste was playing in the local park as the older sister dipped her cocoa. "—nd she started playing, and Mr.Owl was dancing to it!"

Mother chuckled at her daughter's antics, as crazy as it sounded, she still nodded her head in understanding. "That's amazing Verity! Now—"

Click.

All three girls whipped their heads towards the front door. There stood a man with a weary yet content stature.

"Dad!" Both girls ran into their father's warm embrace. He smiled and squeezed his daughters in greeting.

"There's cocoa and croissants on the kitchen counter." Celeste informed him. "We're sitting by the fire."

"That sounds relaxing." The corners of his eyes crinkled as he smiled. "I'll be there in a second."

Minutes afterwards, Father walked into the small, cozy living room where the rest of the family sat.

Soon enough, each of them basked in each other's embrace as Celeste played on her guitar. The sweet melodies ran along the walls, swimming and swirling into the center of the room.

They couldn't help but sway to the song now called Winter Blues.

The End

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It's not perfect, but I hoped you enjoyed:)

Thank you reading!

-KaileeWatson