Trapped
By nature. A short story
Your mind, as frozen as your body, can’t make sense of this. There is nothing to see but blinding darkness. The only sound, your chattering teeth.
You try to wriggle your arms free, but they barely move. Are you restrained? It’s difficult to breathe. Your nostrils are full of… snow? Is that snow?
Panic sets in with the realization of truth. The kids! Where are the kids?
“DEVON!” You try to call your son’s name, but nothing comes out. He was beside you, and Amanda was in front.
The kids had been asking for days to go skiing. It was a beautiful morning - not too cold, sparse clouds covering the late winter sun. It was the perfect day. Everything was going magically, until you heard the rumble above, and the roar that followed.
You have to get out of here, to find your way back to the kids. You try rolling on your side but can barely move. It’s hard. It’s painful, but the kids need you.
It’s impossible. It’s hard to tell which way is up. Exhausted and finding it more difficult to breathe with each passing moment, you don’t how long you’ve been here or how much longer you can hang on.
Tears freeze onto your cheeks, as you think of Donna and the children. You fear you may never see them again. And then, the sound of voices in the distance; or maybe it’s just the echo of your own heartbeat.
About the Creator
Cathy holmes
Canadian family girl with a recently discovered love for writing. Other loves include animals and sports.
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Swan
“During the Metal Age, humans took photographs of everything beautiful, which was everything, yet machines did not even wear shoes. The Fauxna thought of a better way. They colored all of the light rose, for a corrupted source cannot be verified.” - Origin Parable, 011
By Nicky Frankly2 days ago in Fiction
I Had Already Given Up… But Then Something Unexpected Happened
From the outside, nothing looked too bad. I had a roof over my head, a few people around me, and dreams that once gave me purpose. But inside… it was a completely different story. I was tired. Not physically, but mentally and emotionally exhausted. I had tried so many times to improve my life. I made plans, set goals, and promised myself that “this time will be different.” But every time I tried, something went wrong. Either I failed, or things didn’t go as expected. Slowly, those failures started building a wall inside me—a wall made of doubt, fear, and disappointment. At first, I kept fighting. I told myself that failure is part of success. I watched motivational videos, read quotes, and forced myself to stay positive. But the truth is… there is a limit to how much a person can pretend to be strong. And one day, I reached that limit. I stopped trying. I stopped setting goals. I stopped dreaming. I stopped believing that anything good could happen to me. Days became empty. I would wake up without purpose and go to sleep without hope. Life felt like a routine I was forced to follow, not something I wanted to live. One night, I remember sitting alone in my room. The lights were off, and the silence felt heavy. I kept staring at the ceiling, lost in my thoughts. A question kept repeating in my mind: “What’s the point of trying if I’m just going to fail again?” For the first time, I didn’t have an answer. That night, I silently gave up—not just on my goals, but on myself. The next morning, I woke up late. I had no plans, no motivation, and no reason to get out of bed. I picked up my phone just to pass time, scrolling mindlessly. And then, I saw something unexpected. A message. It was from an old friend I hadn’t talked to in months. The message was simple: “Hey… I don’t know why, but I just felt like telling you this. I believe in you. Don’t give up.” That was it. No long speech. No deep advice. Just a few words. At first, I didn’t think much of it. I even smiled a little, thinking it was random. But as I kept staring at those words, something inside me shifted. “I believe in you.” It had been a long time since I heard that. And even longer since I said that to myself. For months, I had been my own biggest critic. I kept reminding myself of my failures, my mistakes, and everything that went wrong. But I never once reminded myself of my efforts… or my potential. That small message didn’t magically fix my life. My problems were still there. My situation hadn’t changed overnight. But something else changed. My perspective. For the first time in a long time, I thought… “What if I try again? Just one more time?” Not perfectly. Not confidently. Just… honestly. So I started small. The next day, I woke up a little earlier. Not 5 AM like those perfect routines—but earlier than usual. I did one small productive task. It wasn’t much, but it was something. The day after that, I did a little more. Some days were still hard. Some days I felt the same heaviness, the same doubt creeping back in. There were moments when I wanted to quit again. But this time, I didn’t. Because now, I had a different mindset. I wasn’t trying to be perfect. I was just trying to not give up. Weeks passed, and slowly, things began to change. Not dramatically—but noticeably. I became more focused. My thoughts became clearer. I started feeling a little more in control of my life. Opportunities didn’t suddenly fall into my lap, but I started noticing them again. And one day, while reflecting on my journey, I realized something powerful: I wasn’t stuck because I failed. I was stuck because I stopped trying. Failure didn’t destroy me. Giving up did. That one message from my friend didn’t change my life directly. But it reminded me of something I had forgotten—that even in the darkest moments, there is always a small chance to start again. And sometimes, that’s all you need. A small reminder. A small step. A small decision to try again.
By Tawseef Aziza day ago in Fiction
Comments (55)
BEAUTIFUL STORY .. AND REALLY VERY EASY TO UNDERSTAND..
Top story great job congratulations
Wow! Beautifully written!
FANTABULOUS storytelling! BRAVO Cathy!!! 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
Powerful story! Congratulations on Top story!🎉🎉🎉
Wow, Cathy! This is intense and terrifying! Great work! Congratulations on Top Story!
Great story!!!!
Nice story
This felt real! I love the way you ended it. Congrats on the TS!
Chilling cold. I don't know why but when I thought of an avalanche I thought that this was continued from the unicorn story about the unicorn that sneezed, melted the snow that caused an avalanche on the town below, and was like "Meh, close enough." Like, I can see this being a legitimate continuation of that story. Also, I like that last line, cause it makes You wonder if the kids have also passed away as well and You're only hearing their voices as You start to cross the veil from life into death. Fantastic story, Cathy. I enjoyed how You made the reader the focal point of the story as well. Also, now when I read the name Donna I think of Donna from "That 70's Show" and also Donna Fox on Vocal, and I'm chuckling lightly to myself because, "Hehehe, Donna Fox says that she doesn't want to have children." At least that's what I remember from our comments.
The way you ended the story with mystery was both horrifying and genius! Congratulations Cathy!!! I really enjoyed reading this! ❤️
Brilliantly frightening, my friend! I was holding my breath. Congratulations on a very worthy Top Story!
Ooooh scary. Really took me there, buried under the snow with you. So well written. Congratulations on the TS which I have linked to Vocal+ Assist
Congrats on Top Story!🥳
Hauntingly beautiful and tragic. Congratulations on Top Story!
Fantastic!! I could feel the cold, the urgency, the pain. I was on the verge of freaking out!! I think you're secretly trying to get back at me for some of my snow micros or something, lol. Congrats on top story, Empress!!
stunning. absolutely stunning, Buddy. Was like a punch gut to my ...well...guts and heart. And like Rachel directly beneath me said...you managed to describe the MC's surroundings perfectly without saying much. Congrats on Top Story!
This is devastating, Cathy. Beautifully written. I love how you get a vivid understanding of the landscape thiugh you barely speak of it. Could just be how I read it, but there appears to be one word missing "or how much longer you can..."
Thumbs up for your effort! Keep the outstanding work—congrats!
💝Well done, Cathy! Congrats on top story!! Very well-deserved! 💝
Yayyyyy his death brought you a Top Story! Congratulations! Heheheheheheh
Cathy this was devastating and dark and just such a great micro by you!! I love the impending sense of doom and the helplessness the main character as they begin to accept their fate. I think this is my favourite entry to the micro challenge!! Beautiful work my friend and congrats on Top Story!!
I really liked this. Congrats on top story!
congratulations on TS. this really makes you think. and wow, what endings you can conjure up. awesome.
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