The night seemed to be made of silver. Snow covered the ground, sparkling under the stars burning above. Ice coated the limbs of every tree. The full moon hung high in the velvety black sky, shedding enough light to read a book by.

Jack Frost had forgotten how to read. It had been centuries since he had even seen a book. It didn’t bother him; he had much more important things to do than read. He went through the forest, just as he did every night, adding more snow, more ice, until the forest practically glowed in the silvery light of the moon.

The temperature plummeted, but Jack didn’t mind. He couldn’t remember what it was like to feel the warmth of the sun. Jack had not seen a summer in a long time. He couldn’t remember what the colors of grass and flowers were, in fact, he could barely remember any color besides the silver of snow and the black of a winter sky.

Normally, Jack didn’t mind. He couldn’t miss what he did not remember. He had wanted immortality, and he had been granted it. Normally he saw what he lost as only a small price to pay for unending life, and a myriad of abilities that humans only dreamed of. He was happy in his isolation, creating a silver kingdom all his own.

In the silver of the forest, Jack wandered as he always did. But something was amiss. Through the trees, he saw something that he did not recognize, for it was not snow, or moonlight, or an ice covered tree. For a long moment, he struggled to find a word for it. The only word he had was red. And underneath the red, there was brown. Jack did not understand what he was seeing.

He slipped between the trees, closer to the colorful anomaly. It was a girl, as old as he had been when he left humanity behind, maybe a bit older. He took her in, the white coat, the black pants, and the gray eyes. All variations of the colors he was accustomed to. But on her head was a hat like bright red blood, with wispy brown hair escaping from under it. 

The girl sat quietly in the forest. She did not move at all. Jack crept a bit closer to the tree she leaned upon, careful to stay out of her sight. Her breath made small clouds as they left her lips. She shivered, and the red hat trembled with her.

With a start, Jack realized she was freezing to death. For a moment, he was annoyed. What was a girl doing out here, alone? She had no business in his forest, shattering the isolation he so enjoyed. He thought of leaving her, of covering her infernal red hat and brown hair with snow and forgetting her. But something tugged at him, something long dormant.

He cast another look at the girl who stared straight ahead, her breath coming even slower now. The red hat screamed loudly at him. He sighed. His breath left no cloud in the cold night air.
When he stepped in front of the girl, her gray eyes widened at the sight of him, but she did not move. When he bent over and took her into his arms, she gasped, but still did not struggle. As he moved quietly through his kingdom, she sat complacently in his arms. She did not shiver any more, and her breath barely passed her lips.

As he carried her, he wondered at what she thought of him. He had not seen his own face in so long, and he had not cared about what he looked like in even longer. He wondered now though, of what the girl thought of his appearance. Jack chided himself for caring what a single human girl thought, especially one who had caused problems and extra work for him. Wondering was dangerous, he told himself, for it led to wishing. But he could not help himself.

At the edge of his forest Jack saw a city. He could not remember the purpose of a city, but he knew it was a good place to leave the girl. He carried her to a house, which emitted warmth unlike any he had felt in centuries. For a moment he stood, marveling at the sensation. Finally, Jack set her against the door of the house. The girl tugged at his shoulders, pulling him towards her.

When he stooped down, she planted a frozen kiss on his cheek before he pulled away, too shocked to speak. Her lips, though cold, were the warmest thing he had felt in a very long time. Jack stared at her, unsure of what to do. The girl’s gray eyes were steady and clear, and Jack knew she would survive. He lingered a bit longer, before he remembered that he did not belong there. Jack rang the bell of the house, then turned and ran, leaving the girl sitting on the front stoop.

He ran to his forest and he did not turn back until he knew the girl and her red hat were out of sight. Only then did he stop and place a hand against his face. A single tear escaped from his eye, and slid down his cheek, where his frigid winter air froze it in place.