《The Winter Ghost》 Part 1 As far as I¡¯m concerned there is no self-respecting negro who would want to be out in the middle of nowhere, close the the mountains in the dead of winter. So what does that say about me that I am? I blame Anika for this. I had to become friends with the one sista who actually liked winter sports. She¡¯s been begging me since last year to come to this resort with her. I refused then. I didn''t want to go trekking in the snow to get to work, what made her think I wanted to for fun? Anika dangled ice-skating on an actual pond surrounded by beautiful scenery as if that was supposed to do something. In her defense, I adored nature so while I did find the resort to be breathtakingly beautiful, I wish I was at home enjoying it from a postcard or a nature documentary. Even the large pond surrounded by nothing but trees would be a photo on the desktop of my computer. And yes, I like ice-skating...but at a bloody rink. In the dead of summer I could layer up my sweaters and feel some warmth while skating for hours. That was fun. This was not. Be that as it may,I reluctantly caved. But if I was going to be outside in the middle of winter I need to prepare. People, I went out and brought long-johns for this. I¡¯ve never owned one in my life and I was low-key upset I spent X dollars for something that would only be used for this week but at least I was moderately warm. Which leads me back to my original statement. I apparently have no cold gene whatsoever. I was wearing long johns under my pants, two sweaters under my winter coat, and thick gloves as my winter ensemble. The only reason I wore my one pair of socks instead of two was because I needed to get my feet into these ice skates. My boots had enough room for me to wear two pairs of socks, which I generally did. My wig, that I refuse to commit a name to and that I called a hairpiece, was a short mushroom framing my face. It doubled as fashion and a hat, not that I was trying to be cute right now. However that didn¡¯t negate the fact that I was wearing a hat on top of all that as well as a face mask with a scarf so that I breathed as less cold as possible. All this and I swore I was still cold. Watching Anika zip around the ice frozen pond, with the hair of her wig she named Alexandria, whipping behind her and sparkling dark eyes, did make me smile. I was glad she was having fun. I heard a ¡°Weeee¡± before I saw her. Anika whipped so fast by me that all I saw was her hair as I did for the umpeeth time that afternoon. It didn¡¯t even phase me even when she spoke, ¡°Vicki, go faster!!¡± I was barely able to yell before she was too far away again. It didn¡¯t help that my face was muffled by my face mask, ¡°Ain¡¯t you dizzy yet?¡± However she must have heard me because I heard a: ¡°Nope!!¡± I shook my head. I concentrated occasionally glancing at the ice below that passed me by. I suppose to those that didn¡¯t know that I could keep balance and skate would think that I was a newbie. However, it wasn¡¯t that, it was just I was lowkey worried that the pond would suddenly give out. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. The only comfort that I had was that the resort we were in, took safety seriously as they had several people patrolling around in the snow around the pond, keeping an eye on everything. I snorted. So they were like life-guards for the snow/ice rink. The resort wasn¡¯t that far from the pond, but if something happened it paid to have them around. Yet still, I watched and listened for anything out of the ordinary as long as I was out here. ¡°Vicki, you go faster than that at the rink¡±, Anika said as she whipped by me again. This time however she turned and stopped, taking a breather as she waited for me to skate up. ¡°The ice isn¡¯t going to break. Relax! You aren¡¯t this nervous at a ice-rink.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because this is a pond underneath.¡±, I grumbled. And the girl just had to tap her ice skates on top of it just to prove a point. I just glared at her, my eyes narrowing. She took a relaxed pose, cocking her head and raising both hands palm upward with an innocent shrug. The ball of her beanie cocked to one side as well. However she skated to my side and stopped. I took this moment to pause as well. I saw the impish grin on her face and knew she was getting ready to annoy me again. My eyes narrowed. Seriously I¡¯m still regretting wearing my contacts and not my glasses. The cold seemed to eat away at my eyes, as the wind whipped into them as we skated. But, I was paranoid that if I wore my glasses they would find a way to break. So I was glad to stop for a moment even knowing I¡¯m probably not going to like what comes out of Anika¡¯s mouth next. ¡°Soo, you aren¡¯t thinking about those freak accidents, are you?¡± she asked. I just raised an eyebrow and she elbowed me, yet I only felt the vibration of her pushing into my coat than her elbow itself. ¡°Ahh, you know. When they were building this place, the crew met up with two accidents that summer. Thankfully no one was hurt. And then just before this place opened, in December there were people here to put the finishing decorations on and a snowstorm just appeared out of nowhere they said. The weather didn¡¯t even say anything about a snow storm coming. It fell a tree that used to be close to the resort making it fall straight into the roof. Because of that, they had to open a little later in winter than normal.¡± I just stared at her as she wagged her eyes and produced a bit of a horror voice. After she finished I politely skated off. I could hear her giggle behind me before she caught up. ¡°A tree. Like that one¡­¡± she pointed out to a tall oak tree. ¡°I know what a tree is.¡± ¡°Or¡­.could it be about the accident involving the owner¡¯s brother?¡± she asked. When I said nothing she continued, ¡°The one that fell through the ice? Vicki, you shouldn¡¯t worry about that. It was the beginning of winter and the ice hadn¡¯t nearly hardened like it is now. It¡¯s the middle of February. It¡¯ll be fine!¡± She waved her hands elbowing me again, ¡°So it wouldn¡¯t have anything to do with any of that would it?¡± I stopped then and rolled my eyes, ¡°You know I don¡¯t believe in hauntings and whatnot, if that is what you are trying to imply.¡± ¡°Neither do I!¡± she waved her hands, ¡°But you have to admit. It¡¯s quite a bit much. Almost as if something doesn¡¯t want us here. Whatever it is.¡± ¡°I¡¯d be happy to oblige.¡± I stated with a shrug, ¡°Just let a sista know.¡± She grabbed my arm and shook her head, her curls shaking into her face, ¡°Noo-no. We good. Let¡¯s skate!! Let¡¯s skate.¡± she said, pulling me along, dropping the conversation quickly. I smirked. While I didn''t believe in haunting and such, part of me wondered if nature was trying to tell them something. Why plop a resort in the middle of this postcard world was beyond me but who was I to have an opinion about it now I guess. I was here. As Anika left me in the dust again, I skated past a tall oak tree. Reflectively, I looked up at it as I was skating towards it. Then I saw it. A white bird. Part 2 Haven¡¯t all birds migrated south by now, including doves? I would assume so but this wasn¡¯t a dove, that much I was sure of. It sat erect and proud, its white feathers more like glistening diamonds, even with the little sun that shined. On its head seemed like a ponytail of feathers arching backwards. It¡¯s long tail flowed down from the branch it was perched on. I don¡¯t know why I straightened as I saw it, memorized by its beauty. At that moment, all thoughts of the frozen pond beneath my feet vanished as I stared at it. Suddenly its great head turned and I saw that it¡¯s eyes looked like blue crystals, piercing and deep. My breath caught and I swore that it was staring straight at me, almost bearing into my soul. Almost as if this was one of the many dramas I had watched, the moment it turned and looked at me was the moment that snow began to gently fall down. It had been blessedly clear today, making my ice skating less hazardous in my opinion. I stopped to gaze up at the sky. Snow began to get in my eyes, so I titled my head back down to the white bird. A bird that was no longer sitting on the branch. I looked around, wondering if anyone else saw it. Everyone was skating, either by themselves, in pairs or in groups. Conversation flowed over the frozen pond, one which Anika found herself privacy to judging by her skating with some people. She looked up, either happenstance or feeling my gaze (Though she would tell me it¡¯s to check on me), and upon seeing me, she broke out into a grin, and began to maniacally wave. I lifted my hand once in acknowledgment. I see she was still happy as a clam on a frozen pond. Shaking my head, I thought that perhaps, it was just some trick of light or something. Maybe I¡¯m getting too cold. I should probably head in for a spell. Grab some hot chocolate or something. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. I thought to make one more round and flag Anika down. With this thought I began to skate forward again, only to be startled once more. Across the pond was another tree. But it wasn¡¯t the tree that caught my eye for I had seen it during my uncountable rounds around the frozen pond. It was the figure that was standing next to it. Even at a distance I knew that it was a male, tall and sturdy like the oak he was standing next to. He stood, back erect as if the cold didn¡¯t bother him. Even from the distance I swore could sense the crease between his brow. Although I didn¡¯t put any power into my skating I continued to slide forward towards the figure. The bird flew into my vision, landing on his shoulder. The man didn¡¯t seem to acknowledge it standing much like the tree next to him for a long moment. Then he slowly brought his hand to his mouth, palm up. His lips puckered and I saw him blowing something out of his palm. Blue and white that shimmered forth cascading forward and around. Was that snow? The snow began to pick up a bit more and I looked around. Everyone seemed more delighted than anything, chattering about the freshly fallen snow. But why did no one react to that man standing by the tree? It wasn¡¯t like you could miss him, although he seemed to blend into the snow behind him with skin the color of a blue diamond. His light purple robe seemed strangely unbothered by the wind of snow falling. Still I continued to slide towards him without any power. As I got closer I could see that he was barefooted and seemed to be standing directly on top of the snow, not sinking into it. He stopped blowing as he extended his arm. Blue and white still continued to fall from the center of his palm. I wasn¡¯t exactly sure where it was supposed to be going. He tilted his head back as if observing. But then I saw some pieces begin to attach itself to the frozen pond. It glittered more and more as they built on top of each other. I glanced back at the man and saw the corner of his stern mouth lift in what looked to be a smirk. And then I heard something. Something I had prayed I wouldn''t today. Something like a crack. I looked around and spotted that a jagged line was beginning to make its way towards me. My eyes widened and I began to skate off to the side, with something of a yell. Whether I was able to make a coherent warning I could not say given that it all happened in seconds. As I skated off, I looked up at the man whose eyes were wide as he seemed to be looking directly at me. And just before I ran into the snow bank, I saw him straightening, lowering his arm, eyes still wide. Part 3 Anika fussed around me, pulling up the blankets as we sat on a couch in the corner of the common room, closest to the fire place. People were milling about, many seated as we were while others were going to their rooms or outdoors for whatever fun awaits them. I, however, was beginning to feel human again as the warmth of the fire and the heat in the room began to thaw me out. I watched with amusement as Anika picked up my half filled cup of hot chocolate for the umpteenth time to run off to go fill it. When she returned, and after she set the cup down carefully, I slapped her hands away wanting to fuss about my blankets again. She pouted at the action and I rolled my eyes. ¡°Anika, I¡¯m fine. Really!¡± I said. Then I gave a strong sniff before rubbing my nose. Without missing a beat Anika pulled a Kleenex from the box and handed it to me. Amazingly, I heard her over blowing my nose, ¡°Maybe you were out there too long. We probably should have come in sooner, at least for a break.¡± ¡°Listen to me. I said I¡¯m fine. I thought I saw something and ended up running into the snow bank.¡± Anika wrinkled her nose, ¡°But a crack though? You said you thought you heard something cracking? That ice is so thick, it would take a heavy rock falling from a foot or so to put a dent in it.¡± ¡°Did they check it?¡± Anika nodded, ¡°Yeah, nothing is amiss.¡± She leaned over, her voice lowering. ¡°You said you thought you saw someone?¡± I glared at her and she waved her arms furiously. ¡°I¡¯m just asking. Just asking.¡± I didn¡¯t say anything else. What else could I say? That I saw some strange blue creature with a white bird with crystal blue eyes? Even I would have scoffed, perhaps not in the person''s face, for politeness¡¯ sake, but definitely inside. So I wouldn¡¯t even bother trying to justify it. If everyone determines that my fear of falling through the ice made me think I heard cracking sounds because I was exposed to the elements too long, then fine. There are worse things. I would live with it. I wouldn¡¯t even try to convince my best friend. ¡°Vicki?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± I looked at Anika who was staring steadily at me. I raised an eyebrow in response. ¡°I know you hate the cold. And I know you¡¯d probably rather be somewhere else, but I¡¯m glad that you came with me.¡± She glanced at her thumbs that she had begun twiddling, ¡°I didn¡¯t have anyone else to go with me.¡± I smiled, ¡°I know and you¡¯re welcome.¡± She comically, shut one eye tight and looked at me, ¡°Soooo, how much do you regret it so far?¡± I laughed, ¡°Not sure. Haven¡¯t done the calculation yet.¡± Anikia gave a relieved laugh before she habitually went to fuss about the blankets. ¡°Anikia¡­.¡± It must have been some major blanket fussing because she didn¡¯t even look up at me, ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you have something you need to be doing?¡± Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. She looked up at me, ¡°I¡¯m doing it.¡± ¡°Anikia?¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°Get somewhere.¡± She arched one shoulder up, ¡°That¡¯s not here?¡± I gave a strong nod. When she looked troubled I said, ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. Just let me sit here quietly, drink my hot chocolate, get warm. I¡¯m not dying, girl.¡± She seemed to think about this. ¡°I¡¯ll call you if I need you.¡± I said gesturing to my phone. Finally I got a slow nod, ¡°Only if you¡¯re okay.¡± ¡°I ran into a snowbank, not a block of ice. I¡¯m fine.¡± Anika stood up, grabbing her coat. ¡°I¡¯ll call you in half an hour. If you don¡¯t pick up I¡¯m coming back.¡± And then without preamble, she turned and walked off. I muttered to myself before letting it go and sinking back into the warmth of the couch. Ahh, now this was nice. A fireplace, hot chocolate and a nice view. I could see outside through the giant ceiling to floor windows across the room. The snow gently fell as I watched. Soft music played from somewhere. This was nice. But my thoughts went back to that blue-skinned man. Did I really see him? And that white bird? I thought about this. It seemed no one else saw him as far as I could tell. But I wasn¡¯t about to go around asking if they did. They would think I¡¯m insane if they didn¡¯t. Regardless, the important question was who was he and why could I see him and that bird? I picked up my phone and went to the internet. I absently searched for white birds trying to find one that remotely looked like the one that I saw. All I got were the usual. Doves, white owls, the likes. The closest that resembled the bird I saw as a cockatoo. But even then I could not find a pure white cockatoo with crystal blue eyes during my search. With a sigh, I finally dropped the phone in my lap. Maybe I shouldn¡¯t worry about it anymore. Maybe I really had been out in the cold too long. It sure didn¡¯t help my sinuses any. I sniffed and absently wiped my nose before picking up my empty cup. Maybe I¡¯ll see if they have any tea on hand. I tossed the blankets aside and walked to the beverage table. I got a new cup and filled it with hot water from the tank before choosing a black tea. As I was dunking the tea bag into the cup, when I caught sight of a group of photos. I hadn¡¯t the time to look at them but one of them caught my eyes before the others. It was a photo of a young boy who looked to be about 12-13 years old. He had large round eyes and a shorn head, with a wide smile that showed off his dimples. His bright countenance, that warmed his sepia skin, offsetting the blue-black suit he was wearing. Underneath his photo, a gold plaque was carved: Joshua M. Morgan, beloved brother and son. Gone too soon. April 23th 1984 - January 8th 1997. My eyes traveled to the family photo next to it, taking when Joshua might have been 8-10 years old. Even in that photo, his eyes shined as he sat on his mother¡¯s lap. I have seen photos of his parents as they were heir to the Morgan Company. They were big in our community. On par with the Obamas themselves. Well, even before the Obamas. However, I rarely saw them now as they have retired and left the company to their only remaining son. My eyes traveled from, mother to father and down to the young man who looked to be 14 years old or so. Unlike his brother in this photo, his countenance was stern even then. I thought perhaps he was trying to be like his father, but even I could see warmth in his father¡¯s eyes in this photo. Liam Morgan looked like his brother, but he was taller and skinnier in this photo. Must be that awkward adolescent stage. My eyes darted to the next photo of Liam Morgan now. That same stern countenance carried over from his youth. His eyes were narrower, pointed, even as he looked at the camera. He gave a slight crooked smile, as if he was trying to smile but didn¡¯t quite make it. His hair was neatly trimmed with waves as he wore a deep blue suit, with a tie. I had seen many photos of Liam Morgan in magazines. Although they say that he shelters his emotions, he has a kind heart. He had donated to charities and paid off student loans. He has expanded his family business, getting into real estate. Not only that, but he also has an MBA from Harvard. In fact, he built this resort in honor of his brother whom he lost that day. They say that he still grieved over the accident and this was a way to come to terms with it. He said that Joshua loved the snow and got excited when they came to their family cabin for the holidays. I don''t think that cabin existed anymore as he brought more land and turned it into a resort. I smiled and nodded my head as I went back into the common room. Part 4 Why am I here again? I asked this of myself as I stared down from the tall hill where people were sledding down from. ¡°Doesn¡¯t it look fun?¡± I slowly looked up unblinkingly at Anika who grinned. It was the next day and I was back outside with X dollar long johns, face mask and all. This time instead of a frozen pond, Anika had it in her head that we should be sledding down a hill. ¡°What if I smashed into a tree?¡± I finally asked when my stare didn¡¯t seem to faze her. She waved her gloved hands, ¡°Not a chance. There aren¡¯t trees close enough for you to hit and you¡¯ll run out of momentum long before you get over there. Relax! You¡¯ll be fine!¡± I really wasn¡¯t the kind of person that ran on adrenaline of any kind really but with Anika¡¯s help I finally decided I would slide down. She had offered to go first, but I wanted to instead. I needed her help to make sure I was situated. ¡°Ready?¡± she practically yelled. Although her voice was almost in my ear I didn¡¯t wince as I calmly answered, ¡°No, but you can push anyway.¡± I could feel her roll eye eyes before she pushed me down the hill. I held on for dear life, eyes wide as I cruised along. Once I got down the hill and stopped, I stood up. I didn¡¯t want to admit it, but that was low-key fun. I turned to wave at Anika only to find that the hill that everyone and everything was frozen. Not that kind of frozen, but legit paused. I looked at the few people down the hill with me. One was in an awkward position of getting up but half slipped and was frozen there like a sculpture. Two others had gotten into a light snowball fight and the snow was hanging in the air, half smashed into the person who was frozen with a laugh turning away. I swallowed. I could spot my friend, up top, hands in the air, paused in the middle of waving at me. What was going on? ¡°Um¡­.excuse me?¡± I called out. Honestly I don¡¯t know what I was going for but no one so much as blinked much less responded to me. Even the worker with a bright orange shirt over top of his winter garb, stood with a small smile. I finally remembered myself and lowered my hand. And suddenly, like a sharp pain, I felt a weight that seemed to begin to press down from all sides. Even my mask seemed restricting suddenly but I refused to take it off. It felt like the temperature dropped way below freezing. Suddenly every survival winter movie played through my head. I hated those kinds of movies. I had come to the conclusion long ago that I¡¯d rather be baked to death in the desert than frozen to death in the middle of nowhere. I have a low-key fear of freezing to death. Low-key because I would never put myself in a situation that would have such an outcome. Until now. Now, I had a high-key fear of freezing to death. I shivered as I turned around and almost jumped out of my long johns. In the cluster of trees, in the center someone sat cross-legged. He was only a few feet away from me and I recognized him instantly as the man who was at the pond the other day. His eyes were closed but I could feel a sense of murderous intent from him. His aura held my feet like ice blocks, making me freeze before him. I didn¡¯t move, didn¡¯t so much as breathe. Since I was closer to him now than yesterday I could see the crease between his eyebrows furrowed up as he moved his hands in a rhythmic manner. I sure didn¡¯t know what he was doing but the longer he did move, his lips moving in a silent incantation, something between his hands began to spark. I watched as blue lightning began to sizzle. I could hear it. It began to form, into a cloud, growing bigger and bigger. His dark blue shoulder-length hair that was stripped with white swayed gently as if the lightening was no more than a breeze to it. Eventually, he opened his mouth and white and blue glittering air exited mixing with the cloud. Eventually, it got so big it began to rise upwards into the sky. Its rumble reminded me of thunder. Only then did he tilt his head upwards before opening his eyes. When he finally lowered his head, his eyes caught sight of me. Much like the expression I saw yesterday, his jaw dropped and that murderous intent disappeared from sight as shock colored his expression. Finally, his shut his mouth clacked close and he cocked his head, eyes narrowing. ¡°Can...can you see me?¡± It took a moment for my voice box to work, ¡°Why shouldn¡¯t I see you? You¡¯re sitting in broad daylight.¡± The first response was enough. Why did I add extra stuff? There is no telling who I was talking to! I saw him exhaled shortly, his eyes going unfocused, lowering. He must have been in thought because he finally looked up at a nearby tree. ¡°How is this possible? No one has ever been able to see me before now? Did you do this?¡± I followed his line of sight and saw that white bird sitting on a branch. I hadn¡¯t noticed it before now. It was the same bird from the other day. I could not miss it¡¯s erect posture even before it turned it¡¯s head and looked straight at me. The blue skinned man turned his head and looked between the two of us curiously. ¡°Do you two know each other?¡± he asked. I couldn¡¯t help but to sputter. He talked as if we, a human and a bird would have an acquaintance. ¡°So you really did see me yesterday¡­..¡±, he said trailing off. I¡¯m not sure how but I blinked and had to jumped back once. I don¡¯t know when but he had risen and moved to stand before me. I didn¡¯t even hear any snow crunching. I instinctively looked down and blinked. It wasn¡¯t so much that he wasn''t wearing shoes. It was that too, but mostly because he was standing on top of the snow, no indention of his figure in it. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. I really couldn¡¯t help it. ¡°Aren¡¯t you cold?¡± I asked looking up at him. He was taller than me, towering over my 5¡¯7 frame. He took a long blink as if he had to process the meaning behind the word before his eyes lowered, pure white lashes covering them, ¡°Cold?¡± Before I could answer a scoff passed his lips, ¡°Cold? Cold-that has little meaning to me.¡± He raised his hand, palm upward. Snow began to dance in the center, ¡°Nothing is as cold as the loneliness in my heart.¡± I would be lying if I didn¡¯t say that his words didn¡¯t make my breath catch. He met my eyes and I had to swallow around the lump that formed in my throat. Why were his words so direct? I could see his almost translucent eyes almost like a blind person. But I knew that he wasn¡¯t blind as he gazed down at me. But within them, I felt I could see a turbulent wave that never seemed to stop. It seemed to pierce my heart over and over again. But why? I couldn¡¯t say. I just knew that this was different from the murderous intent I felt before. But then he blinked, breaking the spell. ¡°Who are you?¡± I blurted out. He blinked again. When he tilted his head once, ¡°Me?¡± His eyebrows creased as if he was again trying to process what that meant. He tilted his head the other way and I noticed the clack of his long earrings against his cheek. I realized that sounded abrupt and tried again, ¡°I mean¡­.what is your name?¡± His eyebrows shot up, ¡°My name?¡± He seemed to hum a moment before answering quietly, ¡°I have long since forgotten such a thing.¡± I turned over the clause in my head, ¡°You had one?¡± However before he could answer that question, I ducked instinctively as I heard a rumble of thunder. I turned and looked back. I could see that snow was beginning to kick up, on the mountain. It was surreal, as if it was snowing just over the top of the mountain where everyone was still frozen but not where we were. With wide eyes I whipped back to face him who had donned a cool and collected demeanor. ¡°What...what is that?¡± Last I remember, there was nothing like a snow storm set in the forecast. He gazed over my head at the mountain, ¡°It took me years to build up this much power. It has slowly grown over the years and now it¡¯s finally here.¡± A slow smirk began to form across his face and I shivered once more at that murderous intent that reappeared. I glanced back at the snowstorm. It seemed different from usual snowstorms. Angry and wild. I could hear the wind picking up and I worried about my friend and the resort. ¡°Why? Why are you doing this?¡± I asked, thinking about the other day. I whipped around to face him, ¡°That day, at the pond. What were you going to do? Did I really see a crack in the ice?¡± His eyes refocused back on mine, ¡°It seems you were the only one that saw it.¡± At his words, I thought of the implications and a shiver of fear ran down my spine, ¡°Were you going to break the pond? What about everyone who was skating? We could have all died.¡± ¡°So?¡± My mouth fell open behind my face mask at his answer. I sputtered, ¡°S-s-so? What do you mean, so?¡± He gave a ripple of his shoulders, ¡°What do I care about any of those mortals?¡± ¡°You could have killed me and my friend!¡± I snapped. Something flashed in his eyes, something that held him back. I stared up at him, nose wide as he looked down at me. He finally spoke softly, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect anyone to be able to see me.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s why you stopped, because I did?¡± I asked. He twisted his head once before shaking himself, ¡°No one cared when I died in that pond.¡± I¡¯m sure I looked like a slapped mackerel just then. ¡°Excuse me?¡± His eyes darkened as I heard the thunder from behind, ¡°I don¡¯t remember my name and don¡¯t remember anything except that frigid cold that dragged me under as I sunk in that pond. It felt as if I had been sinking for ages. The only flash I remember is a pair of cold eyes that watched but I don''t remember who it was. I sunk and no one cared. The next I remember was waking up in an ice cave looking like this and that bird.¡± He glanced over at the tree. ¡°You...drowned in that pond?¡± I asked absently, unable to believe my ears. Silence drifted except for the wind behind me. Finally I looked up at him, ¡°You know what it feels like and you are willing to put others through it?¡± He looked away, not answering my question. My eyes narrowed, ¡°How are you any better than that one that watched you drown?¡± He whipped his head towards me, his wide nose flaring and eyes pointed. I only lifted my chin. I didn''t want anyone to get hurt but my voice was soft and pleading, ¡°I can extrapolate that you are angry but there has to be a better way.¡± ¡°Such as?¡± He asked after a moment. I was pleasantly surprised and pleased that he asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡±, I admitted slowly but quickly continued, ¡°But we can figure it out.¡± He looked stunned as he blinked at me. What, what did I say? Finally, he waved a hand between us, ¡°We?¡± I nodded. ¡°Us, together?¡± Ahh, it just occurred to me. If he¡¯s been alone all this time, perhaps the idea of someone helping him or doing something with him was something had to be processed. Despite the cold, I reached up and pulled down my face mask to give him a smile. Then I nodded once more. I was rewarded with a quirk of his lips as he looked away almost in a bashful manner. At that moment, I shivered, quite hard, rattling my frame. I reached up and hugged myself absently. Why was it so cold? He gasped and darted to my side, ¡°Come with me! My friends say that inside is warmer.¡± He lifted his hand and pointed to a cluster of trees. It took me a moment before I realized there was a cave he was pointing to. Now I admit I hadn¡¯t looked that closely but I don¡¯t remember that being there. However, I had to think about it. He was a stranger after all. I pulled up my face mask as I glanced at him. He was looking at me so earnestly that I couldn¡¯t seem to grasp the defenses I should have. However, I couldn¡¯t help but to hesitate as I asked, ¡°How do I know you aren¡¯t going to kill me?¡± He looked genuinely surprised, ¡°Why would I kill the one person that can see me? That offered to help me. It¡¯s been so long¡­..¡± he trailed off looking down at his feet. I really couldn¡¯t say anything against that. I glanced at the snow that was falling quite heavily. ¡°If I go with you, will you stop it?¡± He looked over his shoulder and looked troubled at the request. I reached out with my gloved hand and grabbed his wrist. He looked at it as I said, ¡°Please. I don¡¯t want anyone to get hurt.¡± He looked up at me before slowly nodding, ¡°I guess I¡¯ll stop...for now.¡± I would take it. He turned and quickly moved his hands in a complicated manner before pointing like a gun towards the cloud. It took a few moments for the air to begin to disperse leaving clear air. ¡°Is that satisfactory?¡± I jumped at his voice and it took a moment to realize his question before I nodded and smiled behind my face mask. ¡°So, will you come with me?¡± I finally caved and nodded. He gave a wide grin and I swore I had deja vu, but I didn¡¯t quite remember where. Down to the little dimple that appeared. Strange. Part 5 ¡°Please¡­¡± He outstretched his hand once more before moving towards the cave. I followed him and caught him looking back at me as if to check that I was still there. We entered the cave and slowly walked down its long mouth. I couldn¡¯t help the sense of awe as the drab gray rocks of the cave began to turn a pale translucent blue that shimmered and shined. Eventually the rocks began to pulse creating the illusion of a wave on a sea. I couldn¡¯t help the small childish exclaim. He looked back at me with the same half dimpled smile and glittering eyes that for the life of me escaped me. But it didn''t make any sense because I knew that I hadn¡¯t met him before. To my delight we followed the blue pulsing until eventually we exited the tunnel into a cavern. It was a wide cave, with a light blue settee that seemed to be carved from the rock in the middle of it. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the white bird fly ahead and settle on a jutted out rock. I turned and looked where it settled down into a nest before hunkering down and shutting it¡¯s eyes. It was a bit warmer inside this cave so I pulled down my face mask. He beckoned me to follow him so I did, passing by the settee. I felt as if I walked into a wall of warmth because once we were behind the chair it was quite a bit warmer. Not in the middle of summer hot but like a nice spring breeze. I would take it. Spring cold is way better than winter cold. I smiled and pulled off my gloves, shoving them into my pocket. He beamed again at my actions. He must have been delighted. I was looking around the cavern, in the process of untying my scarf when I freaked out. I realized the caverns had a few holes that I assumed led to smaller caves. But that wasn¡¯t why I freaked. I saw a brown fuzzy snot and realized very quickly that it was a bear. Not just one, but it looked like a family of bears. Duh to the no, honey!! I would have been out of the door quicker than Road runner down the road but it seemed he proved to be faster. It was comical I¡¯m sure, the way I bounced backwards, into his chest for he had reached out and snatched my wrist before I could get very far. ¡°Don¡¯t be alarmed. My friends won¡¯t hurt you.¡± ¡°I know they won¡¯t because I won¡¯t be here¡±, I exclaimed before hissing over my shoulder at him, ¡°You failed to mention that your friends were bears!¡± ¡°Who else would I be able to make friends with?¡± I stilled at his words and he dropped my wrist. I turned to look over my shoulder at him. He clenched his fist, ¡°The only creatures I ever communicated with from the time I was here were the forest creatures. But as I¡¯m bound to winter, that depends on who is here during the season.¡± He sunk down onto the settee lost in his thoughts, ¡°The White Bird is the only one that has been with me since day one and never left. For that I am grateful¡­.¡± Silence drifted for a few moments: ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­.¡± I murmured not quite sure what I was apologizing for. He seemed to snap back to himself and looked up at me. He shook his head once with a small sad smile, ¡°You have nothing to be sorry about. Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t keep you here if it upsets you that much. It¡¯s a cruel fate to be tied here.¡± I¡¯m not sure why my feet moved and I found myself gingerly sitting next to him. He looked at me and I felt his surprise. I didn¡¯t look at him, ¡°It¡­.if I can ask¡­.how long have you been here?¡± He stretched out his hand and I followed his pointed finger to see some markings in the wall of the cave. They looked like a tally. ¡°This will be my 17th winter.¡± He dropped his arm, ¡°And this winter will be my last.¡± If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. My head snapped to him, eyes wide, ¡°What do you mean?¡± His shoulders rippled once, ¡°The only thing I remember is drowning in that pond. That¡¯s why the sight of such joy there fills me with a sense of rage. And that resort for some reason is unbearable for me to look at. Every winter I wake up, it mocks me. But I don¡¯t remember why. But it¡¯s that grievance that ties me here to this place. Now once this winter pass I will be frozen here forever.¡± I was quiet, as was he, for a long moment. Then finally he shook himself and looked at me with a smile, ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°For what?¡± ¡°You¡¯re the first one to ever see me since that day I woke up here. I don¡¯t know why that is but I¡¯m grateful for the moment. I have tried before to communicate to someone before but no one could see or hear me. No matter how loudly I screamed or how much I tried to get their attention, no one could see or hear me. Eventually I got used to it and stopped trying.¡± Looking into his translucent eyes, I shivered. Whether it was the cold or something else, I couldn¡¯t determine at the moment. ¡°Ahh, you¡¯re cold.¡± he stated unnecessarily. He stood quickly and pulled off his robe before throwing it over my shoulders, coat and all. He fixed at it so earnestly, I was trying not to laugh. His thin robe did nothing to make me any warmer but I did not tell him that. Instead after a moment, I stood, pulling it back and handing it to him. Before he could protest, I turned and walked slowly back to the wall of warmth, my eyes narrowed at the family of bears. ¡°You...don¡¯t have to if¡­..¡± I waved him off, ¡°It¡¯s fine but I¡¯m telling you if they try to attack me, my behind is gone! Understood!¡± He gave a small smile before putting his robe back on. For some reason watching him made me think of what he said before. He was obviously not dressed for winter but he didn¡¯t feel the cold around him. Only the one in his heart. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! None of the families will bother you.¡± I was on the way to sitting down when I paused. I¡¯m sure it looked comical as I looked up at him from my half seated position, ¡°Families¡­.as in more than one?¡± He gave a slow nod as I looked up at him and remarked quietly, ¡°It¡¯s a bit of a long story but they like being in this cave in winter because it gives them added warmth. Next thing I know several families have used this cave.¡± He pointed them out. Turns out there were four families up in this place and I was seriously reconsidering my life options but I ended up sitting anyway. I was almost settled when I saw a bear who was lazily eyeing us. Not seeing a threat it turned over and went back to sleep. However, the commotion must have awoken some younger bears as they made a sound as if greeting him. He walked over with a huge smile and scooped two up in his arms. Their parents didn¡¯t so much as open their eyes or twitch. They seriously trusted him that much that they weren''t ready to maul him for picking up their cubs? If I wasn¡¯t so scared, I¡¯d be impressed. Okay I was impressed but that wasn¡¯t enough to override my fear. They pawed all over him as if he was a long-lost uncle they hadn¡¯t seen in a long time. He only laughed and smiled. And again I was hit with a feeling of d¨¦j¨¤ vu in seeing his dimpled smile. ¡°You two should be asleep¡±, he cooed, bouncing them up and down like babies as he walked back over to me. He sat down in front of me and I tensed looking at the cubs. ¡°They seem excited to see you.¡± I managed to remark as two sets of brown eyes stared at me appraisingly. I must have passed the test because one began to wiggle again making him set the cub down. Then it began to crawl towards me. ¡°He wants you to pick him up¡±, he said. I just looked at him. He did not seriously expect me to pick up a cub? I looked back over at his parents who were snoring away. ¡°Pick him up. I promise it¡¯s fine.¡±, he encouraged. I froze when the little cub managed to stand up on two legs, the other two pawing my own leg. ¡°He¡¯s a very curious little cub¡±, he said fondly as if talking about his own kid. This was odd. This was odd. This was¡­. Why the devil did I pick this little cub up? I picked up the cub like a baby around the middle, holding him out in front of me. I was very aware if I dropped this cub I was sure it¡¯s parents would maul me. With a swallow, I brought him closer and closer to me. I noticed that the cub that he was holding was already snuggled against him sleeping. It¡¯s sibling that I held, opened its jaw and I swore it was grinning at me. ¡°Don¡¯t frighten, your sister¡±, he admonished, making the cub shut its jaws. I really wanted to tell him that I wasn¡¯t his sister. Eventually I held him like he held its sibling and in almost a flash, its eyes dropped and he fell asleep. Seriously? I just can¡¯t digest what is going on right now. Part 6 I looked up to see the grin on the blue skinned man¡¯s face. ¡°Seriously, I almost feel like I¡¯ve seen you somewhere but I know I haven¡¯t.¡± I started making him look at me curiously. ¡°I know you said¡­.all you remember was drowning in that accident?¡± He nodded once, ¡°All I remember was the sinking and the eyes that watched. I feel like I did remember at one time, but those memories faded and all I was left with was a rage.¡± I went deep in thought. Assuming that what accident happened was recorded, it seems to me we should have heard about it¡­. Accident¡­.. My head snapped up and I looked up at him, eyes wide. It couldn¡¯t be! The only accident that we ever heard about the pond was with the Morgan brothers, almost 17 years ago. I looked at his face. The face of boys turning into men tended to change but his smile.... Ah-ha!! His smile!! I had seen it in a photo before! ¡°Joshua M. Morgan?¡± He looked at me blankly before asking, ¡°Who is that?¡± ¡°I think¡­.that might be you.¡± He blinked, ¡°Me? What do you mean?¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go over what you know now. You drowned and you remember a pair of eyes watching you. And considering this is your 17th winter, that means it might have happened 17 years ago¡­.¡± He nodded. ¡°The only accident that I¡¯ve heard about with that pond, is the one with Liam and Joshua Morgan. They are the sons of the Morgans who had a cabin in this area years ago. The youngest loved the snow so the oldest took him out. They went ice skating. The pond was supposed to be completely frozen over at that time but apparently in some places it wasn¡¯t. It began cracking and the youngest drowned. The oldest tried to get his brother but was unable to and had to get off the ice himself. They couldn¡¯t rescue the youngest and strangely they never found his body.¡± While I was speaking I was watching his face closely. I couldn¡¯t discern any emotion or any sense of recollection on his face. But then his face began to darken, ¡°So¡­.it was my brother that killed me.¡± I shook my head, ¡°It was an accident. In fact two years ago when this resort construction became underway it was Liam Morgan who decided to build it. Then he dedicated it to his late brother. That''s why you look familiar. I saw your photos at the resort.¡± He shook his head violently, drilled a hole in front of him, ¡°That¡¯s isn¡¯t correct. He killed me. He let me die.¡± This was Liam Morgan they were talking about. I had a hard time believing that they would do something so cruel. Especially at such a young age but he seemed convinced of that fact. ¡°I remember those eyes. The cold, distant and calculating eyes that just watched. If it¡¯s what you say that I am this Joshua then it wasn''t an accident.¡± He looked up at me, ¡°It¡¯s a murder.¡± I swallowed. I would need proof that, that was so. I didn''t want to believe that Liam Morgan who was such an inspiration would harbor such a dark secret. However, I didn¡¯t say anything. Apparently I didn''t need to as it must have shown on my face. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°You don¡¯t believe me¡±, he murmured broodily. ¡°It¡¯s not that. It¡¯s just¡­..surely you realize that magnitude of what you are saying, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°It explains why every time I see that resort I get so angry, I just want to tear it down. It seems none of them heed my warnings.¡± ¡°What warnings?¡± I asked sharply. ¡°I tend to sleep until it¡¯s winter, however two years ago I was awoken in the dead of summer by a lot of noise. They were building that resort. With my limited power I was able to cause two accidents. Nothing major, unfortunately. However, just before this place opened, I was able to localize a snow storm and fell a tree. It delayed them but this blasted place still opened. It was disturbing to hear the so-called hauntings they talked about was his doing all along. He placed the young cub on the ground with a gentleness that belied the anger that flowed off of him in waves. Then he stood up and with his long strides was almost halfway across the cave to the door. I set the cub¡¯s sibling down on the ground next to the other before taking off. I quickly ran over and grabbed his wrist making him stop. ¡°What are you doing?¡± I asked. He just stared in front of him for a long moment before he snatched his wrist back, ¡°What do you think? What I should have done before.¡± ¡°Joshua!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t call me that!!¡± he snapped, turning to me, eyes blazing, ¡°I have no name, least of all that one.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯m sorry but we should think about this.¡± He cocked an eyebrow, ¡°We?¡± ¡°Yes, we! Can¡¯t we find out the truth together? Innocent people don¡¯t deserve to be hurt because you are angry like this.¡± He snorted and bared his teeth at me, ¡°I¡¯m so past the point of caring! No one, not one person even knew I existed like this. So why should I care!¡± ¡°Because I know you exist!¡± I cried. He paused, ¡°I know you exist now and I want to help you. No one should be like this¡­.¡± I waved my hand over the cave, ¡°If you really are the young brother and it was your older brother¡­..¡± Here my words stumbled, ¡°Then your older brother is the one deserving of your rage. No one else. Let me help you.¡± He was silent for a long while. Finally he asked, ¡°How?¡± I shrugged, ¡°Honestly, I haven¡¯t gotten that far yet. Fate brought us together like this. Maybe I¡¯m supposed to help you. And if it¡¯s to save others then I don''t mind. I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m going to do yet, but I don¡¯t mind. Besides¡­.¡± I looked him over before saying slowly, ¡°If you really are Joshua that died, I would wonder why are you still here. Are you stuck in a kind of limbo or something? If so, you don''t deserve that either. To hang around like some Winter Ghost.¡± He seemed thoughtful at this before slowly nodding, ¡°That you are willing to try is beyond my expectations.¡± Then he added after a beat, ¡°Very well. If you are willing to try to help me then the least I can do is not bury this place in 50 feet of snow¡­..¡± He turned around, his robe snapping behind him as he threw over his shoulder at me, ¡°....Yet.¡± I rolled my eyes. Hard. I thought I might have seen the corner of his lips lift as he turned away and walked towards where the white bird was currently sleeping. It hadn¡¯t so much as stirred since entering the cave. I trailed after him at a distance. I stopped when he stopped and then turned to me. ¡°Here, come pick something¡­.¡± I cocked my head, ¡°Pick what?¡± He gestured to the jutted out rock that was like a shelf. I eased closer to see what he was talking about. I gasped in delight as I saw a bunch of ice like figurines. ¡°Pick something you like. Consider it my thank you.¡± I waved my hand, ¡°You don¡¯t have to. There is nothing to thank me for.¡± He shook his head, ¡°There is much to thank you for. I will always be grateful that you could see me. Regardless of whether you can help me or not, whatever end awaits me, I am truly grateful. I know it¡¯s a small thing but it¡¯s the only thing I have.¡± I reached out gingerly and figured some of the figurines. They were mostly of animals. A few were of humans. Others seemed to be jewelry pieces. ¡°Did you make these yourselves?¡± He nodded, ¡°Hm.¡± ¡°They are beautiful.¡± ¡°Do you see something you like?¡± He asked as my eyes and fingers kept coming back to two identical pieces. In the back of my mind I was thinking they¡¯d make a nice earring set. They glimmered like ice. He reached and picked them up before offering them to me. I gazed at him a moment before I eventually accepted them. I was glad I did for I was rewarded with that dimple smile. Part 7 ¡°Vicki, Vicki!!¡± I heard my name being called and I snapped my eyes open to see Anika standing over me along with a bunch of people. She breathed a sigh of relief and sat back on her haunches. ¡°I¡¯m beginning to think that you are cursed when it comes to winter.¡± she muttered. I sat up realizing that I was laying on my back much to the charain of what looked to be a medical person. They told me to take it easy. I felt fine but I¡¯m nothing if not obedient, so I sat while the medical person checked me out. I was at the bottom of the hill. ¡°What happened?¡± I asked. ¡°You sledded down but somehow managed to flip over the sled and roll down the hill. I was so scared!¡± Anika cried. I reassured my friend, ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± The medical personnel agreed with me and after making sure I could stand and walk away they left. Anika insisted on hanging onto my arm as she guided me back up to the hill to catch the bus that would take us back to our rooms. ¡°Did you know that it started snowing so quickly everyone began to panic. Snow so thick we couldn¡¯t see. It took us a bit to get down the hill but by the time we got down there, it cleared up. No one knows what happened. There was no snow, much less a blizzard in the forecast. I swear this place is haunted.¡± So meeting the Winter Ghost, as I called him now, wasn¡¯t just my imagination. After agreeing to help him he said he would send me home. I¡¯m not sure what he did but he consulted with the white bird before moving his hands and then I felt sleepy and the next thing I knew was waking up here. So I said, ¡°Don¡¯t be silly. Nature does what she does and has her own mind.¡± Anika nodded accepting it.
We only have three more days before me and Anika left this resort and since meeting the Winter Ghost yesterday I¡¯m not any closer to finding a solution today. I sipped my hot chocolate as I stared up at the photos of the Morgan family. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. Anika is convinced that winter is a curse to me and insisted on me just mosing around the resort and sipping hot chocolate. ¡°Enjoy the postcard but don¡¯t be in it¡±, she advised. I guess she¡¯s given up on getting me into winter sports. But I hope I haven¡¯t ruined her good time. I didn''t want to do that. Before I could follow that train of thought I heard someone let out a squeal. When I turned around I had a smartphone inches from my face. I growled and snatched it up revealing Anika who looked ecstatic as I ever saw her. I hissed at her to simmer down. She was disturbing the other patrons. She waved my words away before snatching her phone and holding it up. ¡°Read, read, read!!¡± she spoke 50X faster than normal. ¡°If you shut up¡­.¡±, I hissed pushing her hand back so I could see the screen without my eyes getting crossed. When I read it my eyes bulged. ¡°Exactly!¡± she exclaimed. My mouth fell open and I looked up at Anika, ¡°Liam Morgan is coming here? Here? Tomorrow?¡± She nodded before lowering the phone, ¡°Liam Morgan is coming here! Him!¡± she pointed to the photo of the older brother behind me. I looked back at the photo as Anika said, ¡°I can¡¯t believe we get to see Liam Morgan. The Liam Morgan!¡± She did a dance once before running out the room. If I knew her, she would have to figure out which wig she wanted to wear. I only brought one. Liam Morgan would be coming here? I absently sipped my hot chocolate. Before meeting the Winter Ghost, I would have been quite excited at this turn of events, however now I couldn''t help but to be uneasy. What if that accident really wasn¡¯t an accident? I shuddered to think. But I had said that I would try to help the Winter Ghost. Now that I knew that Liam Morgan was coming, that still didn¡¯t get me any closer to a plan but I hope that things would work out and would know what to do when the time came. I turned away from the photos and the window caught my eye. Not the window per se but the familiar white bird that sat looking directly at me. I stared a moment before walking to the window. The white bird gracefully pushed off the ledge before gliding away disappearing into the sky. I watched as it disappeared before my eyes reflexively glanced down. I could see the Winter Ghost standing next to a tree looking up at me. I¡¯m sure my surprise colored my face but then I lifted my hand in greeting. This in turn made him gave his famous smile. My hand lowered as he inclined his head before walking away disappearing in the treeline. My eyes lingered where he finally passed beyond my sight. Did he know that his brother was coming? What would he do when he realizes that his brother is here? I didn¡¯t have any more answers than when I asked the questions. I could only hope that at the end of this spring would bloom. Fin. Part 7 ¡°Vicki, Vicki!!¡± I heard my name being called and I snapped my eyes open to see Anika standing over me along with a bunch of people. She breathed a sigh of relief and sat back on her haunches. ¡°I¡¯m beginning to think that you are cursed when it comes to winter.¡± she muttered. I sat up realizing that I was laying on my back much to the charain of what looked to be a medical person. They told me to take it easy. I felt fine but I¡¯m nothing if not obedient, so I sat while the medical person checked me out. I was at the bottom of the hill. ¡°What happened?¡± I asked. ¡°You sledded down but somehow managed to flip over the sled and roll down the hill. I was so scared!¡± Anika cried. I reassured my friend, ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± The medical personnel agreed with me and after making sure I could stand and walk away they left. Anika insisted on hanging onto my arm as she guided me back up to the hill to catch the bus that would take us back to our rooms. ¡°Did you know that it started snowing so quickly everyone began to panic. Snow so thick we couldn¡¯t see. It took us a bit to get down the hill but by the time we got down there, it cleared up. No one knows what happened. There was no snow, much less a blizzard in the forecast. I swear this place is haunted.¡± So meeting the Winter Ghost, as I called him now, wasn¡¯t just my imagination. After agreeing to help him he said he would send me home. I¡¯m not sure what he did but he consulted with the white bird before moving his hands and then I felt sleepy and the next thing I knew was waking up here. So I said, ¡°Don¡¯t be silly. Nature does what she does and has her own mind.¡± Anika nodded accepting it.
We only have three more days before me and Anika left this resort and since meeting the Winter Ghost yesterday I¡¯m not any closer to finding a solution today. I sipped my hot chocolate as I stared up at the photos of the Morgan family. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Anika is convinced that winter is a curse to me and insisted on me just mosing around the resort and sipping hot chocolate. ¡°Enjoy the postcard but don¡¯t be in it¡±, she advised. I guess she¡¯s given up on getting me into winter sports. But I hope I haven¡¯t ruined her good time. I didn''t want to do that. Before I could follow that train of thought I heard someone let out a squeal. When I turned around I had a smartphone inches from my face. I growled and snatched it up revealing Anika who looked ecstatic as I ever saw her. I hissed at her to simmer down. She was disturbing the other patrons. She waved my words away before snatching her phone and holding it up. ¡°Read, read, read!!¡± she spoke 50X faster than normal. ¡°If you shut up¡­.¡±, I hissed pushing her hand back so I could see the screen without my eyes getting crossed. When I read it my eyes bulged. ¡°Exactly!¡± she exclaimed. My mouth fell open and I looked up at Anika, ¡°Liam Morgan is coming here? Here? Tomorrow?¡± She nodded before lowering the phone, ¡°Liam Morgan is coming here! Him!¡± she pointed to the photo of the older brother behind me. I looked back at the photo as Anika said, ¡°I can¡¯t believe we get to see Liam Morgan. The Liam Morgan!¡± She did a dance once before running out the room. If I knew her, she would have to figure out which wig she wanted to wear. I only brought one. Liam Morgan would be coming here? I absently sipped my hot chocolate. Before meeting the Winter Ghost, I would have been quite excited at this turn of events, however now I couldn''t help but to be uneasy. What if that accident really wasn¡¯t an accident? I shuddered to think. But I had said that I would try to help the Winter Ghost. Now that I knew that Liam Morgan was coming, that still didn¡¯t get me any closer to a plan but I hope that things would work out and would know what to do when the time came. I turned away from the photos and the window caught my eye. Not the window per se but the familiar white bird that sat looking directly at me. I stared a moment before walking to the window. The white bird gracefully pushed off the ledge before gliding away disappearing into the sky. I watched as it disappeared before my eyes reflexively glanced down. I could see the Winter Ghost standing next to a tree looking up at me. I¡¯m sure my surprise colored my face but then I lifted my hand in greeting. This in turn made him gave his famous smile. My hand lowered as he inclined his head before walking away disappearing in the treeline. My eyes lingered where he finally passed beyond my sight. Did he know that his brother was coming? What would he do when he realizes that his brother is here? I didn¡¯t have any more answers than when I asked the questions. I could only hope that at the end of this spring would bloom. Fin.