Light Fades

Snow. Such a beautiful thing, the way it falls delicately onto the world unheard but sometimes there was something so lonely about it. Perhaps it was the silence that came with or the fact that you could hear your breath. Jamie knew one thing for sure and that was snow made things peaceful.

He stared outside the hospital window watching as the ugly walls became coated in the finest white. All could be heard was the steady beep of the machine plugged into his arm and his breaths. How long he had been stuck in the hospital, he didn't know. Days seemed to have melded into each other, it could have been weeks or months.

Jamie shifted in the hospital bed, his head lying against the pillow and he stared at the ceiling. He was bored but couldn't move or his limbs would hurt. He had gotten old so very quickly, he hadn't even seen it coming and now here he was; stuck in a boring hospital bed.

Suddenly, the door opened but Jamie didn't look at his new visitor. His family had been lucky enough to get a private room and he kept getting visitors. His memories were so muddled that he just accepted whoever visited him.

"Beautiful snowfall, isn't it?" Jamie said, still staring at the ceiling and heard the person sit down in the chair next to his bed.

"Yes it is, if I do say myself." A deep voice replied happily. The voice was young and sounded familiar but he couldn't quite place it.

"You sound a little cocky, it's not as if you created it." Jamie laughed.

"Boy, Jamie that hurts!" The deep voice laughed and Jamie decided to look at the visitor.

When he turned his head, his eyes widened as he realised who it was. White hair that looked like a hedgehog and reminded Jamie of icicles stood up in all directions. Skin that seemed to match the very snow that he created. Blue eyes that were like an clear ocean. It was Jack Frost. Jamie's childhood best friend.

"Jack?" Jamie yelled in surprise and noticed that Jack still favoured the blue sweatshirt and tattered brown pants covered in frost. Jack's staff lay at his feet.

"Hello, Jamie." Jack said with a wink and leant back, folding his hands behind his head.

"Why are you here? I haven't seen you for years!"

"Thought I would visit an old friend, see how they were doing." Jack replied and leant forward. "Glad to see that you still believe after all these years."

"Of course I would still believe, you used to always visit me and then you stopped when I went to college. Why did you stop, Jack?" Jamie asked and the bottled up anger he felt came boiling to the surface.

Jack looked sad and stared at the floor. "You need to live your life, Jamie. I was still always there, I watched you from a distance. I was even at your wedding with Pippa."

Jamie felt the anger subside a bit. "The least you could have said was hi." He mumbled.

"You didn't need me, besides you grew up nicely." Jack said with a wistful smile.

"And you look as young as ever, to be honest, I'm a little jealous. Getting old, sucks."

"I'm still older than you and don't have that attitude. Sometimes I wish I could have gotten old."

"You? Really?"

"Okay, maybe not but who cares age is just a number!"

Jamie nodded and stared at the snow falling outside again. He felt happy, Jack had visited him again after all these years. The two sat in comfortable silence but Jamie knew something was wrong as his heart beat began to slow. His time was coming to an end.

"Jack." Jamie said weakly, his hand reaching out for Jack's. Jack took it quickly and Jamie tightened his grip around the cold hands.

"Thank you, for everything. For being my friend, for restoring my belief. If it wasn't for you…"

"Jamie? Jamie, what do you mean? You can't die on me!" Jack cried, standing up, letting go off his hand and hugging the older man.

"Thank you." Jamie whispered and closed his eyes.

Jack began to feel tears pricking his eyes as he watched his best friend's eyes close. "No! No! You can't die now! No! No!"

And a man's, who was once the last believer, light finally went out.