(a fictional Story - with real Background - names changed) It was 23 December and her last day of work before the Christmas holidays. Aria had worked a little extra time the last days so that she could finish work a little earlier that day. There were not many people left in the office, because most of them had taken a few days off to have more time to prepare for Christmas or to go on a skiing holiday before the big hype on the streets started. She waved to the few who were still there from a distance and wished everyone a happy holiday and a happy new year, muffled by the face mask. Since this pandemic, any small, personal gestures like a strong handshake or a warm hug have been lost. She left the office and decided to take a little diversions along the small lake. It feels good and helps to clear the head. There had been a touch of snow during the night and the air was cold and cutting and every breath visibly exhaled a small cloud of steam. She walked like that for a while, listening to the soft crunching of the snow under her boots while going over the past year in her mind. Again, it was a "shitty year" characterized by sanitary masks, regulations, keeping one's distance and renunciation. The all-encompassing topic in the media was still this damn virus and everywhere one was shouted at by bold lettered Headlines announcing the latest virus variant, proclaiming hospitalizations and death figures. "Is there no end to it? This is the second year in this state of emergency and it doesn't look like any improvement at the moment," she thought to herself. Then all the events of the past year came back to her. There was this work colleague, Jeremy. He had to go to hospital to have a heart surgery. He was still joking when he left the office and then went to the hospital the following day. Then the surgery took place and everything went well and as planned. She was still in touch with him by phone after the operation and he sounded good and upbeat and was already joking again. Then the last night before he was allowed to leave the hospital the other day, something had happened. He was rushed to the operating theatre, emergency surgery, complications - cardiac arrest - end of story! Torn out of life at 35. He left behind a wife and 2 children. His post has now been taken by another employee and his witty and upbeat manner is missing. Then there was the other co-worker, Li-Yong. She never had much to do with her, since she worked in another department, but knew her by sight and exchanged a few words with her every now and then. Suddenly the news that she was in hospital because of this damn virus. Then she gradually got worse and was transferred to the intensive care unit and then was intubated. Later, one day the flat and emotionless email from HR saying they "...regret to inform everybody that our highly esteemed colleague passed away last weekend...!". Oh yes, and then there was the cold and rainy summer, which didn't deserve its name because it was a long, wet spring followed by an early autumn - leaving out the summer at all, while a few hundred kilometers further south heat, drought and unquenchable wildfires raged. Those areas would have been so happy to have had even a part of our constant rain to master the fires. Then, in autumn, the sudden death of her cat Simba. Yes, she was already old and had been blind since a year, but this death still hit her very hard, because Simba had shared a large part of her life with her and now she was suddenly no longer there. A small pile of freshly dug earth and a little headstone in her garden was all that was left of Simba. Then one day the letter from her friend Jacleena, in which she wrote that her father had died suddenly and totally unexpectedly. Aria felt her helplessness and grief at not really being able to help Jacleena, because she lived far away from her. Later, her music band in which she played the Bass, which was now disbanding and the whole year was spiced up with many smaller bad news and annoyances in between those events. Yes, it was another really rotten year. In her brooding, a shadow suddenly fell upon her face. She was standing in front of the old way cross at the top of the path that leads around the lake. She paused and looked up into the stony, suffering face of the crucified. How often had she sat on the bench next to him and told him her joys and sorrows, always hoping he would hear and do something or say something, but he always remained silent - even in her heart. She felt herself being filled with anger. "How can you let all this happen?" she hissed at the cross. "I thought you came into the world to save them? Where is your great grace and love and your salvation? If only You would finally do something - or at least say something, but You remain silent and let us all perish in pandemic, plague and suffering! People lose loved ones, children, fathers, mothers, friends, spouses and you squat in your heaven and don't move - not even a bit!!!" It was silent as usual, and only the wind blew through her dark Hair! Disappointed, she turned away and walked down to the lake shore. The lake was frozen and lay under a thin blanket of snow. She looked out at the lake and towards the sun which, despite the clear sky, could do nothing against the icy cold and the cutting wind. She felt as if her soul was also lying under a cold layer of ice and covered with snow. Somehow everything was slowly getting on top of her. Then suddenly her eyes filled with tears. "If only he would at least say something...!" She gazed out at the lake for a while longer and a few tears ran ice-cold down her cheeks. "Say something, anything, I'm giving up on you...!" She closed her eyes and sobbed silently so that the people passing by on the path above would not notice. She didn't know how long she had been standing there when clouds slowly moved in front of the sun and took the last bit of warmth the sun emitted on her body and she began to shiver. She wiped her cheeks with her jacket sleeve and climbed back up the board. At the cross she shortly stopped again, lowered her head and whispered softly: "Say something...." and then without looking up or expecting anything to happen at all, she went home towards another weird Christmas. ----------------------------------------- The older I get the more I get the impression, that years rush by in an incredible pace. Didn't I just recently post an image for Christmas? And yet it is already Christmas coming and an end of a year approaching. And again it was not a year I remember well. Too many souls I knew have gone to "the other side", too many People or Families I know, whose Christmas will be unexpectedly different than the previous ones, too many moments I felt helpless and small and things went over my head. And yes, a cold, rainy and grey Summer didn't really help either to lift my mood and give at least a little sun and warmth from the outside. Although there where as well some beautiful and bright moments, they are much too short and appear much too less in my opinion. Now again we face a Christmas time, where we will have no big coming together in the families, but rather be cautious and celebrate Christmas in smaller groups with all the necessary precautions and safety measures. I really, really hope, that 2022 will be the year, where we beat this pandemic to a degree, where a somewhat normal life will be possible again - it won't be the same as before the pandemic anyway. With these hopes I wish everyone out there a peaceful Christmas and a hopefully better new year. Thank you for being here. Credits: Aria by Exart3D @ Renderhub Cathy Hair and OOT Hairblending 2.0 by Outoftouch @ DAZ3d dForce Winter Trendy Outfit for Genesis 8 Female(s) by Hypertaf @ DAZ3d As usual: Pure IRAY-Render, without any postwork, except for the Logo in the lower right corner It is highly recommended to open the full image view (Image is 6000 pixels wide) Thank you for the peek and all the comments on my Last images