Conditional Reality

The snowstorm settled over our town and would not move on for days. The snow accumulated steadily. In less than a week we had depths exceeding eight feet everywhere. People were trapped in their houses. Some neighborhoods were nothing but chimneys dotting a white expanse. Smoke chugged out of the chimneys, telling us there was life still in the houses. Then the storm passed, the sun came out, and the snow started melting. Great clouds of fog rose up and away. People crawled out from their houses. They looked shocked and empty, like something vital had been taken from them.