Opening by Zaid El-Fanek

Just another cloudless, cold, winter night. The moon was shining brightly from behind me, shedding its light on the creatures of the night. I watched them as they cowered in fear of its radiance. Snowflakes gently floated in the air, moving like puppets in the gusts of wind. They floated downwards, towards the shimmering lights of the city. A snowdrop landed on a branch of a nearby tree, my favorite tree. The snowflake melted, then slightly dampened the rugged wood. The tree stood alone on a steep hill, peering down at the city, separated from the forest behind it. It withstood the constant gusts as they pushed and grazed its trunk, while the leaves rustled and scraped against each other, like an orchestra conducted by the wind. My vision shifted to a leaf as it broke free of the tree and spiraled away. I opened my hand, but my invitation was rejected as the leaf landed on the ground. I watched the leaves move for several minutes, and slowly the leaves, making their gentle music, lulled me to sleep.

[From a work in progress]