When I was a child, I would often go to the grocery store with my mom. I remember her feeding me snacks to keep me busy. Sure, it was semi-distracting to munch on some crackers or pretzels or whatever, but nothing could fully prepare me from what was coming.
I sat in the giant metal grocery cart as we approached a stark white aisle. I closed my eyes, because I was afraid of what was going to happen next. All at once a gust of wind blew in my direction. I kept my eyes closed and I crossed my arms, holding my body to protect myself from sudden temperature drop. I wasn’t prepared for this. I was only wearing a short sleeved tee-shirt.
My teeth began to chatter and I was certain that if I opened my eyes, I would be surrounded by snow. The cold intensified and I had no choice but to put my arms inside of my shirt to preserve body heat. If I open my eyes, I’m sure there will be a penguin standing in front of me. I must be on an ice cap. I thought.
With my eyes still closed I felt around for a box of graham crackers and some bread to hide under to preserve my body heat. They helped a little, but not much.
Were we still in the grocery store?
There’s an igloo here, I just know it.
The cart stopped moving and my body shook with fear and cold.
Then, abruptly, there was another gust of wind. I heard a door shutting and it stopped. There was no more cold. I opened my eyes and I saw this:
I knew it was over.
“Can we get Oreos mom?” I asked
“Sure, honey.” She responded.
What?! So I’m not the only child who dreaded the frozen food section? When I was old enough to wander alone, I would actually avoid it. I didn’t like how cold it got.