Snow Monkey: The Present
The night is deep and dark, and I am the only visitor at the outdoor onsen on the hotel’s roof top. Fortunately, there is no wind, and my body still retains the heat from my previous cleansing. Nevertheless, a tiny towel is the only thing to guard against the winter’s chill, and I welcome the intense heat as I lower myself into the pool’s clear liquid embrace. The steaming water envelops my body except for my head and face, and the too hot – too cold sensations merge together and are almost indistinguishable. As I look out at the night sky, I see fireworks exploding in the distance. Snowflakes fall lightly on my upturned face.
Snow Monkey: The Past
The night was deep and dark, and I was the only visitor at the outdoor onsen on the hotel’s roof top. Fortunately, there was no wind, and my body still retained the heat from my previous cleansing. Nevertheless, a tiny towel was the only thing to guard against the winter’s chill, and I welcomed the intense heat as I lowered myself into the pool’s clear liquid embrace. The steaming water enveloped my body except for my head and face, and the too hot – too cold sensations merged together and were almost indistinguishable. As I looked out at the night sky, I saw fireworks exploding in the distance. Snowflakes fell lightly on my upturned face.
Prompt: April 2023 Year of the Rabbit Bamboo Shoots Writing Contest Prompts