WHOOSH!
The frigid winds of the Northern Territory cut across the land like blades, kicking up a blizzard that swept away the last vestiges of warmth from the world.
Snowflakes battered Old Allen's face, but he simply reached out a leisurely hand to catch a few, watching them slowly melt in his palm.
In years past, the cold would have driven him scurrying back indoors long ago. Now, however, he was enjoying the refreshing chill.
The reason was simple: it was far too hot inside his house.
The charcoal fire was burning so fiercely that an old man like him had no choice but to step outside for a breath of fresh air.
How old was he this year, anyway?
Sixty, or seventy?
The traces of time were like the melting snowflakes in his hand, one after another, and he had long since lost count.
