Winter Stained Red

In the year 1999, the coldest winter was making its way to the town of Silver Cove. A beautiful, secluded village near the cliffs just three miles away from Blue Goddess beach. The winter storms lasted two months, putting an estimate of four hundred people in danger. One particular family will have to conquer the terrifying blizzard and protect their newborn baby from illness and the elements. Will they make it through the storms unscathed?

"Joshua!" Amy yelled, "Can you please go into town and purchase some light bulbs and a pack of batteries?" Joshua sipped the rest of his coffee, set the cup in the sink, and grabbed his keys. "Yes, my dear! Anything else?" he yelled back, waiting by the door leading out to the garage. A moment of silence, he could hear Amy fumbling through a closet upstairs. "Uhm... How about some more toilet paper and maybe one of those chocolate bars you brought me last time?" He noted everything in his phone and headed out to the car.

Josh turned the ignition and buckled up, then pressed a button on his phone to open up the garage door. He drove down the winding road out to the town just a few miles away. Although their house is set apart from everyone else's, they still live close enough to town to make a quick trip to the store. He stopped at a locally owned mart called Jim's General. He greeted Jim when he walked in and went straight for all the items off of his list. Before checking out, Jim coughs and attempts to make conversation. "So," Jim pauses, "I hear Amy is near due! Are you anticipating when it'll happen?" Josh glances at the total and pulls out his card. "I haven't thought about it much, but Amy seems prepared. We're considering we'll do a home birth." Jim scoffs but smirks before replying. He takes Joshua's card and swipes it through the POS system. "Did Amy give you any choice in the matter?" Joshua begins to feel a bit tense. Taking a deep breath, he grabs the bag of items and his card. "I believe what she wants is fine." He slipped away to his car and headed back home.

Upon arriving, Amy called Joshua as soon as he parked in the garage. He answered anyway. "Joshua, the news says a terrible storm is coming our way." Amy paused to catch her breath, "Do you think we'll be fine having the baby here?" Joshua held the phone between his neck and shoulder, then grabbed the bag of stuff from his back seat. "Amy, I think we'll be fine, but if you change your mind, I will call the doctor and tell them to meet us at the clinic. I'm on my way into the house. We can discuss this further once I'm inside. I love you." Amy continued to breathe heavily. Josh could hear that she was sitting in the rocking chair in the nursery room. "Okay, I love you, too." They both hang up. Then Joshua climbs out of his car and opens the garage door leading to the hallway.

Amy gets out of the rocking chair, holding her stomach. The baby was quite active today, and it made her feel uncomfortable. She worried about urinating on herself again, so she limped to the bathroom. She could hear Joshua putting a bag down and hanging up his keys and coat. He knocks on the bathroom door as she's washing up. "Hello dear, how are you feeling?" Amy turns to dry her hands and sighs in exhaustion. "The baby is wearing me out again, but I'm doing just fine. Did you find everything alright?" Josh leaned against the door frame and lovingly gazed at his wife, then cusped her cheek. "Yes, I got everything! I also managed to get you two chocolate bars this time!" Amy seemed to lighten up immediately upon hearing that. "Thank you, you're so thoughtful" Josh could tell her emotions were fragile today as she began to tear up and pulled him in for a hug. He wrapped his arms around her and grinned, they could hug a million times, and it'd still be the best feeling in the world. They pull apart after a few minutes, and he kisses her forehead. "Why don't you rest, and I'll make us some hot cocoa?" Josh helps her to the bed then heads downstairs to prepare the kettle. Amy props herself up and sighs. She then grabs a book she'd been reading for a while. The title read, "The owl That Soared" It was a novel about perseverance and reaching your goals through hardship. The message of the story was; despite the difficulties you may face, any amount of distance traveled will take you further than the start.

Josh heads back upstairs with two mugs full of hot cocoa and Amy's chocolate bars. He sat on the edge of their bed and set Amy's cup on her coaster along with her chocolate. She was already engrossed in a chapter of her novel. He patiently waited until she noticed him glancing at her. After a few moments of silence, she looked up and saw him smirking at her. Amy giggles and shuts her book then set it on her nightstand. Josh sips the hot beverage. "Amy, you mentioned the weather over the phone; are you worried it might affect the baby?" Amy sipped her hot cocoa as well, then recalled their previous conversation. She took a moment before replying, "I think you should see the forecast...I'm very concerned because I've never seen anything like it. They're predicting a record high of 14 inches of snow, and the storms won't pass for weeks." Joshua pulls out his phone and looks up the weather on the app. Just as Amy had warned, there was a prediction of record-breaking low temperatures and high winds. It was nothing like what he's seen before. Josh stared at his phone for a minute then put it away. "If you for any reason want to go to the clinic, I will call the doctor, and we will deliver the baby there." He reassured her. That night Amy tossed and turned in her sleep worrying about the baby.

The weather continued to worsen over the next few days. The snowfall was far more threatening than the news had anticipated, so the mayor commenced a state-of-emergency. Many of the town's main roads were block-aided to the point where the plows could not keep up with clearing the heaps of snow from them. The temperatures dropped well below freezing, and the wind had made it so unbearably cold that being exposed for just a few minutes would put you in imminent danger.

Amy was cooking a beef roast as Joshua prepared to step outside to grab more logs for the fireplace. The temperature hadn't dropped for a few hours, and it was mid-day, so the sun was at its highest. Josh decided that it was best to go out now, withstanding the cold well enough to endure it. He slipped on his snowshoes and stepped outside, and rushed to the barn from the back door. As soon as Josh stepped out, icicles began to form around his eyebrows and the hood of his winter coat. As he treads through the two feet of snow, he could hear a faint cooing in the near distance. Joshua looked in the direction from where the sound had come. Nestled beneath a pine tree was an owlet surrounded by stained red snow. Josh knelt next to the owl and immediately realized that it was fighting for its life. Carefully he took his scarf and wrapped it around the bird, then slipped the scarf over his head so he could carry it close to his chest. He then rushed over to the barn entrance and grabbed a couple of logs.

Josh made his way back inside in time to beat the cold and avoid fatal injury. He quickly slipped off his boots and called to Amy as he lifted the wrapped up owl over his head. Amy curiously shuffled out of the kitchen to the back entrance. "Oh my!" She gasped, "What is that?" Pointing at the bundled animal. "It's an owlet. It was lying beneath a tree. I couldn't ignore its cry for help." Amy wiped her hands on her apron pulled a layer of the scarf away from the owlet's face. It was barely breathing, and its right-wing looked cut through the middle. She hurriedly grabbed the ow from Josh's hands and took it over to the half bathroom, where she kept a small medkit. She had some experience treating animals when she lived on her grandparent's chicken farm. Although she's never treated an owl before, she felt it would be worth a try. Amy laid the bird on the counter and unwrapped it. The first thing she wanted to do was assess the injury and decide how to treat the wound. Then once she properly handled the bird's cut, she will warm it up and hydrate it.

Joshua was out in the living room tending to the fire, the temperature inside began to climb, and the room started to feel a lot cozier. Amy came over and sat in the recliner. She was holding a small bottle to the owl's beak. The owl began to breathe a little more steadily since Amy gave it antibiotics and warmed it up. She rocked in the chair for what seemed to be a few hours. The roast had finally finished cooking. Amy laid the owl in a wicker basket in the living room and served Josh and herself at the dining table. After dinner, she brought the basket up to their room to make sure she could watch the bird closely. She decided to name the owl Piper after her first chicken. The owl began to get better over the next few days. However, the storms did not let up. Amy was having a more difficult time walking around on her own as the baby's due date was just around the corner. She worried about the birthing process because the doctor surely wouldn't make it to their home in such bad weather. Josh had piled the logs they had left over near the fireplace to avoid going out in the dangerous cold. He was worried about the baby's arrival, too but already made the tough decision that he would deliver the baby if the storms didn't clear before then. Amy was reading her book in bed to the owl lying on a blanket beside her. Piper was breathing normally again and had redeemed her consciousness, she still didn't move around much, but Amy was thankful for it. That way, she wouldn't have to go far to keep an eye on the bird. The barn owl was suspected to be a little older than an owlet, and Josh believed it already knew how to fly considering the length of its wingspan.

Joshua watched over the owl whenever Amy needed rest. He would sing to it as he worked on small projects or did chores. One night while Josh was cooking some chili, the owl chirped. Piper continued to do so for a few minutes as it looked around with curiosity in its eyes. Josh stood there, glancing at the bird in amazement. The little barn owl had healed so well in the last couple of weeks, and now she was beginning to warm up to them. He turned off the pot of chili, then snuck up into the bedroom to share the news with his wife. Amy was lying on her side toward the bedroom door, caressing her stomach. She seemed to look as if she were in pain. The couple looked at each other with concern for a moment before they both realized what was happening. "Josh!" Amy winced in pain, "The baby is coming!" Josh rushed over to her and helped her up. "To the tub?" He gasped. "Yes to the tub!" She screamed once more. He set the bird down on the bed, and it began to screech louder. He ignored the owl's concerning caws and took Amy to the bathroom down the hall. Once he helped her disrobe and comfortably sit in the tub, he turned on the water and grabbed the kit Amy prepared for this occasion. "Josh, you need to phone the doctor!" Josh scrambled all over the place, trying not to panic. He ran his hand through his hair as he called the clinic.

Amy and the owl were screaming in unison as the phone continued to ring. Finally, a receptionist answered. "Hello, this is Dicken's office!" As she said that, she paused mid-way and seemed to change her tone " Oh my! I suspect a lot is going on for you! Is this an emergency?" "Yes! My wife she's having our child, and I need to speak with Dr. Dickens!" "Alright, I will page him right away, dear!" There was silence on the phone for what seemed to be an hour, but it had only been a few minutes. Joshua held Amy's hand as she continued to do her breathing exercises. It felt as if the circulation of his hand was slowing down. The doctor finally answered the phone and walked him through the steps. Josh put the doctor on speaker as he performed each task. There was one minor complication the baby girl was born with a cleft lip. The couple overlooked that because they loved her and knew she would fit right in with their family.

After the delivery, Josh let Amy and the baby sleep in their room. He slept in the guest room with the owl downstairs. The owl spent the whole night chirping and attempting to fly. "What's gotten into you?" Josh whispered with concern. Piper flapped her wings and stuck out her neck as she continued to screech. He held out his hand in front of her, and she grasped his fingers with her claws. Josh walked over and sat down in the chair by the window. While he gazed at the sparkling white landscape, he breathed a sigh of relief. The delivery went much better than he had anticipated. They had decided to name their newborn baby Celestia Rose. He felt happy with the name choice and felt his life couldn't get any better. If only the storms would pass before they ran out of wood to burn. The owl seemed to calm down a lot, and Joshua managed to get a few hours of rest.

Amy didn't sleep much after tending to the baby all night, so Josh helped in any way that he could. Josh served her some chicken broth, and he ate some leftover chili from the night before. Then he changed Celestia's diapers whenever Amy wanted a break. They took turns rocking the baby throughout the day. Josh finished setting up the baby's room and even painted an owl perched on a branch on the wall that represented Piper. He wanted Celestia to look at it as a reminder that you can always persevere through any hardship you face. Regardless of what may physically set you apart from others. Amy finally got Celestia to sleep, and Josh put in the bassinet nearby their bed. Amy asked him to sleep in their room that night since the owl had been calm and quiet.

The storms began to subside after the last few weeks. It had been nearly a month since the blizzards had begun. Plowers started clearing the roads again as the snowfall slowed to a minimum. The mayor lifted the emergency order. Many shops and important buildings were back to their regular operating hours. Josh was still on leave and could care for Amy and the baby for a while longer before going back to work. Piper, the owl, healed well but was incapable of flying again. They made her a nest and put it in the barn behind the house. They often checked on her and made sure she had a source of water and plenty of food to eat. Most days, they let Piper stay with them inside. Celestia was doing well and had a few doctor visits for her cleft lip. Joshua and Amy only wanted the best for her but didn't want to put her in harm's way if they could avoid it. They weren't too worried about waiting for her to get a little older before wanting to go through with the surgery. For the time being, they did everything they could to make sure Celestia would grow up happy and loved.

After the storms had finally passed and the snow began to melt, they took Celestia outside along with Piper. Piper perched on Josh's shoulders, cooing ever so softly. She was always a curious bird who had to investigate new things. A few weeks after Celestia was born, she had slept on the rail of Celestia's crib. Amy was worried about the bird's intentions, but Josh kept an eye on the baby and the owl throughout the day. Today they wanted it to be a memorable occasion because they've had Piper for three months and Celestia for almost two. To celebrate, they nailed a plaque on one of the barn doors. Two black silhouettes represent Celestia and Piper facing toward each other. The background was a painted snowy night sky with various shades of whites and blues. Josh finished hammering and sighed. "Here's to our growing family." He chuckled and wrapped his arm around Amy. Piper cooed with excitement and flapped her wings. Josh let go of his embrace with Amy and walked the owl over to a nearby tree. She stepped onto a lower branch and nestled herself comfortably before dozing off. Usually, this was when she slept, so they knew she was ready to turn in for the day. Amy and Joshua headed back inside, humming a lullaby to their baby girl. The worst of the winter was behind them, and their daughter was happy and healthy. Everything was at peace once more.