November was frostbitten, and the snow drizzled down slowly like a feather falling from the sky. Winter was the best of times for me because as a youngster I played in the snow as if I were a king. I created jolly snowmen, which filled my body full of warmth and happiness. These feelings would explode out of my body as I smiled with excitement, always glad of what I had created. However, on one of these November days I passed through a thick, cloudy forest, with extreme difficulty in seeing the ground and trees in front of me. Nevertheless, as I continued, I saw the most gorgeous girl that I had ever seen. I noticed that her eyes twinkled bright as a star, and her smile filled the cold air. Her figure was a perfect ten and her hair flowed as if it was in water. As I approached this beautiful girl, my heart began to race--almost thumping out of my chest. I began to sweat, thinking of the perfect words to say, and then it came to me as fast as I approached her. I said, "Hi, my name is Johnny," and she replied, in a sweet and soft voice, "Hello, my name is Stacey." The way that the words rolled off her tongue excited me, and evoked in me a need to talk further with her. We continued talking and with my crafty words, I managed to get a date with her.

With each meeting, I found a way to keep the love between us exciting. The dates were better than playing in the snow as I did when I was a child. The child king had now found a new enjoyment, a new vision of love, which was my beloved Stacey.

As the days turned into weeks and then into months, I noticed that Stacy and I grew apart just as two ships setting sail in different directions. I decided that I was going to rekindle the flame in our relationship by surprising my dear Stacey. Then the shocking moment of betrayal occurred. I only wished that I was dreaming, but the truth was in plain sight for all to view: I gazed upon Stacey with another guy. The thorns of the scarlet rose I had in my hand pierced my palm causing blood to drip slowly from the wound. I did not know who this other fellow was, but he had his arm around my girl as if they were going out. They did not see me, but I saw them and it was as if a knife was thrown into my heart. The air reeked like a morgue when I turned and went home, not thinking of my cut hand, not thinking of the ground that we had walked over together. How could I gain revenge on this foolish boy? There was only one thing that I could do and that was to confront my lover.

As I approached her, her eyes no longer twinkled. Her hair no longer flowed, but was twisted and her smile was phony and contrived. I decided if she did not love me then she would be better off with the other guy, her newest toy. I told her it was finished between us. My stomach ached and burned like fire. She began to cry and I turned my back to her and said, "Have fun with that other guy." I then walked away through the same forest in which we had met and strolled many times together. The fog was thick that day and I could not see too clearly, and I pondered the mistake I made in allowing a girl to ruin the only fun that I enjoyed in life. Playing in the snow was innocent fun for a little boy; playing with Stacey as a young man had ruined that youthful innocence.

I do not know how I can love again, for I thought I knew what love was. The betrayal shattered my illusion sending a thousand splinters flying into my heart, cutting it into tiny, bloody shreds of nothing. How can I love anything that betrays me? Must I stay on prowl like a tiger in the middle of winter searching for food? I no longer have a vision of pure love, just a haunting memory of betrayal and an allowance of unforgiving distrust.