It was after the Video Game Orchestra at the Berklee Performance Centre that I stepped out into it. Nothing had prepared me for it. If you could believe it, not even the weather forecast foretold the coming of the chilly phenomenon that stirred outside.

Snow! More specifically, falling snow! And torrents of falling snow, with the ground already icing over from the falling precipitation. There were people around me cursing and swearing at the new wet obstacle they faced, some people were going 'Merry Christmas!', and some others shrugged and started off on their way home. I moved to the curb and watched the cars on the road for a minute, as they drove on through the spots of ice that surrounded them. I relished the sight of the falling snow, the snow-covered curbs, the carpeted sedentary cars and people huddling as they moved through the snow.

And I didn't even feel cold. Yet.

Cursing myself for not bringing my camera, I started trudging through the snow. I thought, for a minute, that the person who said that snow was light and fluffy didn't say it'd turn heavy and solid upon collecting in the ground (That was until I learnt that there was fluffy snow and wet snow, and Massachusetts had wet snow.), and tried to make my way to the traffic light with my now-damp sneakers.

The snow kept falling as I walked back, and my mind was thinking of tons of things while looking at the white wonderland around me. It's snow! It's really snowing! I must relish this! I must savour it all! I need to throw some snowballs, make snow angels, drink hot tea while watching snow fall, take tons of pictures, wear thick coats, furry jackets and gloves!

Then the cold hit me.

I had (unexpecting any weather like this) worn just a short-sleeved shirt and a thin jacket with 'BOSTON' blazed across it, and the usual jeans and sneakers - but I had gloves. This was definitely not enough to keep the cold out and I started to feel the ice melting and wetting my clothes. My jeans were getting soggy, and I felt drops drip off my cheeks and hair.

So I tried to hurry. I tried. I was still enraptured by the snow, and I was trying my best not to slip. Doing this funny yo-yo of balancing and looking up into the sky, I managed to find my way to the lane of my dorm. People were greeting each other with 'Merry Christmas!' 'The snow's finally here!' 'D***, I forgot to bring my coat!' 'My son's absolutely thrilled about the snow', as I trudged down Newbury Street. The homeless were nowhere to be seen - maybe they foretold the snow and went to hide before it fell. The stores were still open, with some employees looking out from the display window, watching the spectacle from the comfort of their store.

When I turned to Commonwealth Avenue, the people were gone. The cars didn't pass by as frequently. And the snow had really started to settle in for the long haul, covering the whole park that ran through Commonwealth Avenue and its bronze statues of important people. I took the chance and scooped up a handful of snow from a stationary car. My first snowball! I tried to make it round with damp gloves and managed to get it to something like a ball. With that, I tossed it in the air and caught it, pitting my hand-eye coordination to a little game until I grew bored and even colder, letting the snowball fall to the ground behind me. And that did not count as littering.

When I got to the alien-green lights of my dorm, there were raucous boys playing in the falling snow. They grabbed lumps of snow from the ground and pelted each other, laughing and shouting, great clouds of mist raising from their hollers. I tried to dodge them, then I felt something cold hit me square on the back.

Holding back my tongue, I looked over to see who still had his hand outstretched. Grabbing a bit of snow myself, I pelted it at his direction, and hit him square on the cheek. Bullseye!

His friends pointed and laughed, while I quickly entered the warmth of the building and watched the falling snow from the comfort of my dorm room.

(Badly-written. Nyehnyehdeh.)

-<dd>