Gone Girl

She opened her eyes and looked around. It was dark—the kind of dark that wrapped around her and held her legs in place. Behind her something moved in the darkness but she was too afraid to turn around. A stench of rotten eggs and milk penetrated her nose. She held a hand to her mouth and ran forward.

Her legs were heavy. Her knees hurt. It didn't feel like she was going anywhere. The stench grew stronger. Something behind her breathed with difficulty and crept closer and closer. She looked around to find someone, anyone, but no one was there. She opened her mouth to scream but no sound came.

It hissed behind her. She ran but too slow. Was she moving at all? What followed her? Why couldn't she scream for help? Her feet felt like they were stuck in the mud and she couldn't get loose. Grabbing her ankles she tried to pull them up. Below her a dark substance bubbled. The stench was more horrible than anything she had smelled before.

She took a step forward but the mud was too thick. She fell forward and caught herself with her hands. The mud was warm and felt like liquid. She opened her eyes. A sickly pale face with hollow eyes stared back at her.

She screamed with no sound and struggled backwards. Bony fingers cropped up from the mud, reaching to grab her; to pull her down with them. She pushed herself up. Her arms were red. Her eyes darted around for an escape. Bony hands with bony arms followed behind her. There's no way to run. The swamp surrounded her.

The stench grew even stronger. She tried to run. A thick mist with shadows moving in it was her only escape. She ran forward. Her lungs hurt. She wanted to scream but couldn't find her voice.

She ran into a shadow and it evaporated before her eyes. It appeared behind her and screamed at her. Screamed at her with her voice. She stared at it and staggered backwards. Something in the dark grabbed her ankles and she tripped.

She fell. Shadows float around her. She fell. Below her the monster snarled. The arms were blades melting into the rest of the mangled body. It had no eyes. A large mouth with sharp teeth covered the face. She fell and knew it would take her at the bottom.

She screamed.

///**///**///

A loud vibrating phone woke Lucy up with a startle. Her eyelids were heavy and she couldn't open them. Reaching her phone was impossible. Her limbs were heavy and wouldn't obey. The duvet that covered her face felt too hot; a fight between them began and she rocked to the sides to free herself from it.

Her back had no support and she fell down. She hit the floor before she knew what happened. It didn't hurt because her bed wasn't high but the fall frightened her.

Blond hair strands fell over her eyes—evidence her braid had come undone—and blocked her view. She closed her eyes and tapped her hand on the floor in search of her phone. A normal person (normal in this instance meaning one of those who got up in the morning and got ready and went to school without pressing snooze until the alarm gave up) put their alarm on the nightstand. Her phone vibrated under her bed because then when it rang she had to get up to turn it off. By then she'd be awake enough to get up and get ready and go to school.

That had been the plan anyway.

This vibration wasn't an alarm. Someone was calling and she was unsure for how long they had tried to reach her. Her fingers touched the phone and she grabbed it. It vibrated in her hand when she pulled it out from under her bed. Without seeing who the caller was she opened it and put it to her ear.

"Hello?" Her voice was quiet. It felt late but she knew it wasn't a classmate calling to see if she was coming. She hadn’t gone to school regularly for a long time and they had stopped reaching out to her.

"Good morning sleeping beauty," mom greeted her.

Her eyes fluttered open. She was on the floor but her legs were still in the bed. "What time is it?" She spun around to check the clock on the wall which showed it was past eleven. "I overslept!" The realization hit her hard. Not again, she thought, not again! Her legs fell on the floor and she muttered at her feet that were intertwined with the duvet.

"Sweetie, calm down," mom tried to calm her but it didn't help.

"No! I'm so late, and we have a group project this week!" She struggled to stand up. It was brighter in the room than a moment ago. How could she sleep for so long? Whoever gave her the idea of putting her phone under her bed was stupid. It didn't work.

"I'll call—sweetie remember deep breaths—I'll call the school and talk with them and ask them to email you the assignment," mom tried again to calm her with a solution.

"But my attendance is so low." She bit her lower lip and sat down on her bed. "I won't be assigned in a group and my class will do this without me." Her throat tightened. A twist in her stomach grew into a boulder and she couldn't say more. They had already forgotten her. No one texted her when she wasn't there. No one cared.

"Lucy, listen to me," mom said, "I'll call the school and sort this out, we'll meet with your counselor and see what we can do."

She shook her head, gripping stands of hair itching her ear. "I can't catch up," she whispered. Tears crippled at the corner of her eyes and she shut them tight to keep them in. It was pathetic to cry over a situation she put herself in.

"Then you'll find something else," mom promised in her chirpy voice. "You've never been good at adapting but you follow your dreams and right now you don't remember what they are, but when you do I know you'll make them come true."

It felt like lies to make her feel better. She couldn't remember ever having a dream about what she had wanted to be when she grew up that was realistic.

Her body fought her decision not to cry.

"I'll call the school, don't worry," mom promised, "but honey, please get up and eat something."

Lucy nodded and rubbed her nose. "Sure mom," she agreed. These days she didn't crave food the way she used to but she knew she had to eat. Food was essential to her survival. It sucked and she wished she ate because it tasted good but all food tasted the same to her. Bland.

"I've got a great idea, why don't you go to the store and buy some sweets for tonight? You can watch a movie with Tyler."

Her little brother would be home in a few hours and he loved animated films. Maybe it'd be nice to relax on the cough eating sweets-. "Yeah, sure, sounds good," she agreed, "I'll call when I get home." The store had just passed the football field and over the road. Since she wasn't hungry she could just take a shower and go out. She might be home before Tyler even.

"Okay, I love you honey," mom said goodbye.

"Love you too mom." Lucy shut her phone. The stone in her stomach had shrunken during their call and she felt better. Hopping into the shower, putting on her face, getting dressed, and walking out didn't seem too terrible.

The bathroom was next to her room, so an easy walk to make.. Her messed-up braid was the first thing she saw in the mirror. Somehow the hair tie had removed itself and the braid was half done.

Gray eyes stared back at her. They questioned why she looked like she had just rolled out of bed when it was lunch time. She ignored the judging eyes, grabbed her towel from the rack, and walked over to her corner of the sink. The corner where her makeup, hair products, and face products were kept neatly awaiting her.

She picked a new hair tie and a comb. It took time to undo the braid, comb through her hair, and redo the braid and stick it in place, but it took less time than ironing it straight again would do after a shower.

The house was quiet when she got ready. She didn't talk with herself, nor did she sing in the shower. Sometimes she wondered why the silence bothered her. Was there a time she wasn't quiet? Her mum spoke nothing of how she used to be. Nico, her partner, would point out that they used to hang out more often. Lately she had intently ignored their calls. They didn't understand how tired she was. No one understood.

She stepped out of the shower and grabbed her towel, drying herself off carefully not to tear her skin, repeating the process with her face towel. In the mirror she saw dark eyebags that complimented her gray eyes.

Time to make those pair of gray eyes go away for the day, she decided and grabbed her lens-case. It took no time for her to put her lenses on after years of constantly repeating the same routine.

She looked at the mirror image. Brown eyes looked back at her. The colored lenses made her look more alive immediately. She nodded approvingly at the image and walked out. It was time to get dressed and leave the house.

Clothes went on without a hassle. Hood and leggings were all she needed. Well, maybe a coat too.

A gray world greeted her. Whatever sun had peeked through when mom had called was long gone.. She buttoned her collar and stuck her hands in her pockets. The cold bore into her spine.

This weather loomed over the city for days. It felt as if nothing would brighten Lucy's days—not even when her partner insisted on meeting. Eventually she obliged, more out of duty than will, and dragged herself to the café so far away from home. The weather wasn't better there.

Cold and dark when it wasn't even dinner time yet. Lately, the dark had brought nightmares to Lucy and she couldn't sleep through the nights. To hope for snow so soon was foolish but she still did. A thick blanket of snow to cover the gray world was her wish. A childish dream, but a dream still.

///**///**///

She raised her cup to her mouth and drank a sip. A hot mocha latte was just what she needed on a cold day. That it was Belgian Chocolate was a huge bonus. She let out a sigh at the taste and lowered her cup.

Opposite of her sat Nico enjoying a hot Belgian Chocolate with no coffee in it. She didn't understand how they managed without coffee but regretted asking. Nico had countered her once by asking how she couldn't survive without coffee and she had no response.

Because of her lack of sleep, she couldn't muster up enough energy to even brush her teeth without it. "I just don't know what to do anymore," she said, and pulled a hand through her hair. She looked down on it and saw a long, blond hair strand stuck to her fingers. She shook her hand to make it fall to the floor.

"You're stressing way too much about it," Nico said, and leaned back in the armchair.

Her nose wrinkled in a pout. If she didn't think about it, she wouldn't come up with a solution and she'd be kicked out of school. Maybe not directly kicked out but the school would suggest it'd be best for her to quit. To give up. She was good at that.

"Says the one with perfect grades." She picked at the Bean logo on the cup with her nails. Her nail polish had chipped so much only spots remained. How lazy not to redo them. They were a hideous sight.

"My grades aren't perfect," Nico corrected her, and put a hand on the table.

Her eyebrows pulled together as her eyes narrowed. "At least you have grades," she snapped at them, "I didn't even complete my first year! How am I supposed to catch up? I can't, I'm not smart enough." Her hands released the cup. She intertwined her finger in an attempt to stop fidgeting. Restlessness took over her body. Something had to be done so her life would get back on track. This something had to be done by her, but she didn't know what it was.

"Don't say that, you're smart," Nico disagreed with her. They reached their hand out and touched hers.

She pulled back. Silence fell over the table. The quiet music around them felt loud. Not many people were at the café, so in the corner by the window it was only them and a tall plant.

With a deep breath, Lucy calmed herself. She pulled a hand through her hair and looked at Nico' hands. It had been rude to pull away, but it felt like they didn't get how hard it was. Her classmates were in classes she couldn't join, worked in groups and grew closer without her, and she saw them work to graduation while she fell behind.

"That's the thing," she said and reached a hand out, "I'm not smart enough or I wouldn't be failing." Her hand rested on top of Nico's. She wasn't the typically ghostly pale Swedish person, but next to them she could be. They stood out at festivals as a couple because of it, amongst other reasons.

Nico had dark blue braids longer than her hair. She often played with their hair. Their clothes were more colorful than Lucy's and varied in style. She stuck to leggings and tunics even when it was minus degrees.

"You're not failing because you're not smart," Nico told her and smiled. "Have you thought about maybe switching schools and studying something else?" They turned their hand around so their palm was up and they could hold her hand.

"I don't know." She shrugged and her free hand reached up to brush her bangs behind her ear. It didn't reach of course and fell back to cover her forehead. "I mean sure, yeah I've thought about it but then I'd have to start over, and why would that work if this doesn't?" she asked, and sighed.

Sure, there were choices but she wasn't sure any of them were good options. What if she swapped school, switched courses, and started over from grade one, but she didn't change? The problem wasn't the school or the classes. She was the problem. She needed to change.

"If you study something you really want to study it'll be easier," Nico said.

She rested her chin in her free hand and looked out the window. No white snow decorated the buildings or the ground. Powerful wind tore at fallen leaves and people's clothes. A huge German Shepherd trotted into view. It didn't appear to be leashed, which was odd because it was against the law to not leash your dog.

"Odd," she mumbled, and tilted her head to the side in hopes of an owner walk after. No one came. The Shepard imitated her behavior and tilted its head. None of the people outside paid attention to it.

"What?" Nico wondered.

She looked at them and pointed outside.

They turned their heads to look out. "What?" they repeated their question.

She looked out. The Shepherd was gone. "There was a dog... It doesn't matter, it's gone now." She waved her hand in the air and grabbed her cup. It was warm in her cold hand.

"We got a lot of dogs here, they go to the big park on the other side of the bus terminal," Nico explained, and gestured with a hand beyond the café. It was possible the owner of the Shepherd hadn't cared about the rules for some reason.

"We haven't been there," she said, and drank her latte. It was tastier the more she drank. "We should go." After a hot drink and some chill time, she felt better. It worried her that she couldn't remember the last time she had wanted to make plans.

"Next year we must see the Cherry Blossoms in Kingsgarden," Nico decided there and then, and she laughed at their determination.

Her laughter wasn't loud and didn't last for long, but it felt good for the short moment it lasted. "Whatever you say," she agreed, looking into their brown eyes. "Next year," she promised.

Again ,she was reminded she hadn't looked forward to anything in a while. Blaming the dark weather wouldn't be right. For over a year she'd been staggering and now she felt like she was falling. Not from a height though. It felt as if she fell into a void of darkness.

So, she wished for a white winter and an even whiter Christmas; it would be like when she had been a child picking flowers for Midsummer to dream about her true love and when she had dressed as a witch for Easter, back when magic had existed.

The date lifted up her mood. She even managed to be present at school for a few days. Her classmates ignored her mostly and her English teacher had forgotten her. She had even asked what class Lucy belonged to.

Her motivation to go anywhere sank after that.

///**///**///

Cooking wasn’t Lucy’s favorite activity, but Tyler needed proper dinner. They cooked together every dinner Annika worked and planned every meal. She had promised to buy ingredients for lasagna. What more, she needed to buy snacks for movie night with Sara.

Wandering around the aisles with a mission, her visit to the food shop was over quick. Before, she often got distracted in the store by sweets and books, but she found herself caring little for either lately.

She looked up at the sky and smiled because she had waited long for this. Snow lightened up the gray world she lived in. Now it would be fun to walk around and she could take out the sleighs from storage!

She checked the plastic bag she carried to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything and headed home. There weren't any cars on the road so she walked over and aimed for the football field. A tall fence went around it but she could walk diagonally through it and come faster home.

In elementary school, the teacher had said they weren't allowed to cross the field but she didn't remember why.

By the entrance, to the left, sat a dog still like a statue. Wild dogs didn't exist but owners would walk their dogs and let them loose. This one was a German Shepard and was larger than any Lucy had seen before. No collar adorned its neck so she didn't know if she dared walk past it.

"Hi doggy," she greeted it. Was it protecting the field, and if so, would it let her pass or chase her away, barking and biting at her?

One ear turned to where she stood. It knew she was there but remained still and looked forward onto the road.

She inhaled deeply and held it in. Beyond the field was her house, obscured by the other houses. She could walk back to the main road around the football field but that would take longer.

Suddenly, the dog stood up. It tilted its head and sniffed the air.

Lucy looked at the field and decided to greet the dog again. "Hi." She reached a hand out. It was so big it could chop her hand off with one bite.

The dog stood up and took a step closer to sniff her fingers.

The warm nose tickled her hand. "Aren't you just the cutest dog?" She smiled, but didn't move her hand to pet it.

The warm nose moved to sniff the plastic bag she had her food in.

"Nono," she told it off, and moved it behind her back out of reach. "These are for me, not you," she explained as if it could understand her. It seemed to be friendly at least.

Comforted by the fact that the dog hadn't growled, she walked past it into the field. Behind her, the dog followed, sniffing the air.

"Are you following me?" Of course, the dog couldn't respond but it felt rude to not acknowledge it.

They were halfway over the field with snowflakes falling down only to melt when it landed on them. She stuck her tongue out to catch a snowflake. They had grown bigger but would still land on her cheek and not her tongue.

The dog made a sound, as if whining, and tilted its head while watching her.

She felt a need to defend herself. "It's fun!" Again she tried, but to avail. No snowflake would land on her tongue.

Next to her, the dog mimicked her motion and stuck its tongue out to catch snowflakes.

She couldn't hold in her giggle. "You're adorable." Daring to reach a hand out, she patted the dog's side. It was so warm. How wonderful, she thought, to have protective fur.

They had crossed the field when the dog sat down on the wet grass, apparently pleased to have accompanied her all the way.

"It was nice walking with you, take care now," she said, scratching the dog behind its ear.

She had to hurry home not to catch a cold from the surprise snowfall. Nice as it was it was still cold and she wore no gloves nor beanie to keep warm.

Unpacking groceries and prep dinner was her first task when she got home. Tyler helped by stirring the tomato sauce so it wouldn't spoil. Held be alone for two hours until their mum came home; not that he'd be sad playing video he's until then.

When that was done she packed for staying the night at Sara's. The snow had renewed her spirit. No longer was it gray and dull. The snowflakes grew in size and speed rapidly. Winter wonderland had arrived. If it stayed she could build a snowperson the very next day—even use her sleigh.

She rolled her pajamas to pack it rather than folding in a hurry. Toothbrush wasn't needed cause she had one at Sara's, neither was a pillow or towel.

"Don't forget to check the sauce," Lucy told Tyler in the doorway. She put on her scarf, beanie, winter jacket, and headed out. She got all the way to the mailbox before she realized she had forgotten the snacks. Tyler found that hilarious when she returned, already white from top to toe because of the snow.

It took a bit to walk on the unplowed road but she reached Sara's home, resembling a snowperson herself.

Sara practically ran to open the door and greet her. When she saw her friend covered in snow she restrained from hugging her. "Girl, shake yourself off. I made warm chocolate."

And so, Lucy stepped inside with a bag full of snacks.

The girls wasted no time to unpack it all and prepped their movie night. They put on a movie and settled on the sofa until they heard pops in the kitchen. Quickly they hurried to check on the popcorn.

They both leaned forward to see into the microwave while they waited. Lucy glanced at her friend who looked back. A smile grew on Sara's face and Lucy couldn't hold her laughter in.

"We ran like idiots." Sara laughed and shook her head. The popcorn had just sounded and they couldn't wait one second.

"The power of the popcorn compels us." Lucy looked at the microwave, reached her hand out and touched the glass.

This time Sara couldn't contain her laugh, and she pushed Lucy lightly with her hand to make her stop. She wheezed out a comment but a loud voice from the living room overshadowed her. "Shit, forgot to pause the movie." She hurried to do just that before they missed it.

The popcorn had almost stopped popping so Lucy opened the microwave. She grabbed the deep bowl next to her and tore the bag open to not get burnt. "Popcorn is done!" she announced, and turned around.

Sara stood behind her, massaging her ears after Lucy's sudden yell.

"Sorry." Lucy whispered in her softest voice, smiling sheepishly and walked around her to the living room.

"I think I've gone permanently deaf, what did you say?" Sara called after Lucy who was quick enough to vanish into the living room with a stifled cackle.

She ignored Sara and put the bowl on the table. They had pillows, a duvet, and snacks. "Soda!" she called out so Sara won't come back without it. Not that it's far to the kitchen but it'd be nice to sit on the sofa and chill.

"Got it!" Sara walked into the living room with soda and two glasses with colorful straws. She also had Marabou chocolate and Lucy grabbed it immediately. "We got another 200 gram with hazelnuts." Sara put the glasses on the table.

Lucy poured up soda for them and sat down.

"Wait," Sara went to the wall and switched off the light. Everything was dark but the light from the TV screen. She sat down next to Lucy and pulled a duvet over their lap. Now they could cozy up on the sofa.

"This is perfect." Lucy stuffed a handful of popcorn in her mouth. One dropped down on her lap.

Sara snatched it and put it in her mouth. "How are you? With school I mean, is it working out?" while asking she grabbed the bowl and took a handful herself to stuff in her mouth. She looked at Lucy with her mouth full of popcorn. They're different in the school topic.

Unlike Nico, Sara wasn't doing well in school because she wasn't studying at all. She refused to apply for college and keep studying so instead, her parents found her a job. It was only part time but she assured Lucy it was much better than school and she had never been happier. No homework to stress her out, no teacher to nag about her performance, and a larger paycheck.

"No," Lucy sighs and shrugs. "I don't know what to do, you know how bad it was last year, like in spring? Now it's even worse." It's not fun to talk about but it feels nice to get it off her chest. No one she talks with seems to understand that she doesn't see the point in studying.

"Maybe you should quit," Sara suggested.

It was simple and would solve her studying issue but not what she'd do instead. "Then what? I don't think I can have a job because I can't even keep up my grades so like, it wouldn't work," she leaned back on the sofa.

Sara reached forward and grabbed their glasses. She handed one to Lucy who smiled as thanks. "Well look, you like reading right? What if you became a librarian," Sara gestured to the bookcases in the room. "Not a school one but at the one in the city maybe."

An idea but it didn't solve everything. Lucy sighed. "I'd still have to study." She leaned on Sara's shoulder. "How can we move away together into the city if I can't pay rent?"

Sara put their glasses down and pulled up the duvet to their necks. She fed popcorn to Lucy. "I was thinking about that." She grabbed a handful for herself. "I think I wanna move to, like, Italy, or Scotland," she mused.

Lucy stifled her laughter and Sara shot a popcorn at her forehead. "Italy or Scotland? Aren't those, like, very different countries?" she laughed.

Sara shot another popcorn at her, which she caught and ate. "How about Atlantis?" Sara suggested.

Lucy approved with a nod. "Much better, if only we could breathe underwater," she sighed wistfully. Ever since she was little she'd loved water. Her family once went to Malta and she fell in love with the clear water. It's what made her and Sara connect. Their love for water.

"What if we were mermaids, you think we'd have to go to school?" Sara asked and laughed. "I mean it's stupid to think about but still, like, what if we became mermaids?" They both giggled.

"Guess I'd have to break up with Nico," Lucy said.

Sara's mouth gape open. "Oh my god," she pushed Lucy playfully. "Don't even joke about that, m'kay? You're perfect together, maybe you can both be mermaids?" she suggested. Her brow furrowed and she pouted.

"What?" Lucy asked, "what? What?" she repeated when there was no answer.

"Mer…" Sara mumbled, "mer what? Just mer? They can't be a mermaid and not a merman." She looked up to the side and considered the options.

Lucy groaned. "Give up!" She reached for her glass.

Sara looked at her with a serious expression on her face. She raised her hand and pointed a finger in the air.

Lucy held her breath in anticipation.

"Mermer."

Lucy wheezed so hard she couldn't breathe.

///**///**///

Sara threw snow at Lucy and grinned with her tongue between her teeth. She smiled like that when she was truly happy. This snowfall made them both joyful and they refused to sit inside and let it go to waste.

They got their sleighs in hand and walked up the football field. The hill was great for sledding and because it was so early no one else had claimed it yet. After waiting a whole year to sledge down their favorite hill they couldn't wait another day. Even though it was early and the sun wasn't up, the white snow lit up the world around them.

"Race you up!" Sara challenged Lucy and raced up the hill.

Lucy ran after her. With ski pants and winter jackets none of them were fast but they'd beat the other up still.

"Whoa!" Sara yelled out when she slipped down a few steps. "It's more slippery than I thought," she remarked, and turned to look at Lucy. They were both at the top of the hill now. Behind them the forest began with the tall trees towering up towards the sky. Below them, the hill awaited.

"Race you down?" Lucy suggested with a smile.

A wide grin grew on Sara's face and she nodded.

"I'm so excited," she squeaked and Sara nodded eagerly. Their first snow sleigh this winter. They put their sleighs down and sat down. There was no time to waste because the sleighs slid down before they were prepared.

"Go!" They screamed in unison and down they went. Fast down the hill; wide grins on their faces. Sara was down before Lucy, but Lucy went further. This gave Sara the opportunity to run up the hill before her.

"Cheat!" Lucy called out and rolled out from her sleigh. She grabbed the cord and ran after.

Sara laughed loudly and hurried. She slipped again and fell. "No!" she pleaded, as she slid down the hill on her stomach.

Lucy caught her arm to stop her and Sara pulled her down. They laughed in the snow and moved their arms and legs to make snow angels. The sun glinted over the treetops when winter morning arrived. "C'mon!" Lucy pulled her arm and stood up.

Sara followed her and they walked up the hill together. They slipped a few times, but together they could support each other and stay on their feet.

"Real race this time," Sara said, and put the sleigh down. She hacked a heel into the snow to not slide down again.

Lucy did as she did but felt it slide under her.

"3… 2… 1!" Off they went down the hill. In the corner of her eyes, Lucy saw something move in the woods beside them. She turned her head to see what it was. The bump on the hill went unnoticed and knocked her down. She fell on her side and rolled down the hill.

Sara called out for her and jumped off her sleigh. "What happened?" she asked, and hurried to Lucy's side.

Lucy shook her head to get snow off her face and looked up at her. "I missed that bump," she excused herself. She couldn't say she saw something in the trees. There wasn't anything there but more trees.

"Your sleigh disappeared into the forest, I couldn't stop it," Sara pointed, and Lucy followed her finger. The trail vanished amongst the trees.

It wasn't her sleigh but Tyler's. He'd be sad if she just left it in the forest. "I'll go and get it." She dusted off the snow from herself and went to search for it. It was weird how her sleigh avoided the trees and went into the forest. It must have been at full speed.

She looked around when she reached the edge of the forest. White snow covered the ground and trees but she couldn't see her sleigh. She stepped past the first tree line. There, further in, she saw the tip of the red sleigh that stuck out from beneath a tree. She walked over in the untouched snow, which felt deeper than outside the forest. The white snow grabbed hold of her boots as she sank down with each step. She hurried to grab the sleigh and pulled.

It didn't budge.

Grabbing it with both her hands for her second attempt she pulled again. It refused to budge. She bit the inside of her cheek and thought about what to do. The snow under her creaked as she sank down. She tried to lift her foot to get a step closer. The snow held onto her and wouldn't let go.

She bent down to shovel away the snow around her feet with her hands. The odor of rotten eggs stuck in her nose. She stood up straight and looked around wide-eyed. Far away her eye caught a branch move. Another one moved closer to her.

She bent down again, shoveling the snow away from her feet frantically.

Deep in the forest the snow creaked as something walked towards her. It felt like something has a grip around her feet but she couldn't see what. Giving up on her feet she shoveled snow away from the sleigh. Twisting and turning to get it out she snapped it in half. With her new tool she hacked the snow around wildly. The stench of rotten eggs grew stronger now and diluted with the stench of milk that's been out too long in the sun.

She pulled up a foot and stumbled backwards. Trees buckled to the sides to give way for what came for her.

She threw the tool in her hands and ran. Behind her it picked up and ran after. In front of her she saw the hill and heard Sara call her name. She opened her mouth to reply but no words came out. A branch tripped her. She fell forward.

"Lucy!" Sara yelled her name, jogging in her coveralls to catch her.

She slid down the hill fast and didn't look up. She didn't want to know if that thing from the forest was after her. Her eyes were shut tight and she wouldn't open them until she was down the hill.

Not until Sara caught her did she dare to open her eyes. That awful stench was stuck in her nose like tiny needles and made her eyes tear up. Sara's lips moved but she couldn't hear her. All she heard was the thud of her heart stuck in her throat.

"What?" she asked, and sat up. When she saw the pole behind her she realized Sara saved her. What would have happened if her head hit the pole? She’d rather not think about it.

"Are you okay? You're shaking," Sara grabbed her arms and pulls her up. "Where's the sleigh? Why are you crying?" she wondered, turning back to the forest.

A monster took it sounded insane to Lucy even in her own head. They shouldn’t search for it, but how could she get them to leave? "Someone in the forest took it," she croaked out between sniffles.

Sara turned to look at her. A crease formed on her forehead. "Let's go then, I'm freezing," she decided and let Lucy pull her away from the hill. Neither of them turned back to look up.

///**///**///

Winter was Lucy’s favorite season. Layers, snow, cold, hot chocolate, and a sudden energy to participate in life had struck her. No one had told her to, but she took a walk early in the morning. Tyler slept in late and she planned to surprise him with newly baked bread from the shop. If she went early the tasty ones wouldn’t be sold out.

Up to the football field the snow was untouched. With a smile, she stepped to the side on the sparkling surface. It let out with a crackle under her boots as she sank down and vanished. No one but her was out to enjoy the crackle of untouched snow up to the football field.

Weird sounds in the forest wouldn't stop her from enjoying snow.

A big snow pile from plowing the road had been dumped on the side of the field as usual. It was dirty with gravel. She could still hear her teacher’s warning them all to not throw snowballs from the piles because of the stones in them.

Nearly as tall as her, she almost missed the person standing at the bottom of the hill leading to the forest. She wasn’t all alone, after all. Bummer.

They faced the forest and had their back turned against her. Clad a black coat so long it touched the snow and a gray hood pulled up over their head, they wore what most people wore in winter.

Snow crunched behind Lucy. She turned her head to see the cause. An all too familiar German Shepard trotted past her, tail high up and wagging. However, it ignored her this time and walked up to sit in front of the person who had disrupted her her loneliness.

“Where have you been?” the person asked, a masculine tone to their voice. He pulled down his hood to reveal a mess of black hair. “Let’s see if I can make it work this time.” Looking into the woods, he inhaled shakily, as if unsure of himself.

Carefully, stepping in old footprints, Lucy walked closer and hid behind the snow pile. She watched the stranger walk up the hill to the woods. How could anyone dare to? Should she warn him?

The man turned and she could barely make out his profile. He was pale; sickly so, almost white as bone. In his palm, a small orb emitted an orange light that stung her eyes. He turned his head to look around.

She dove behind the pile, covering her mouth with her hand to not make a sound. How would she explain herself if he saw her and came over to ask what she was doing spying on him? Even she wasn’t sure what she was doing.

Waiting to hear his footsteps in the snow so she knew he’d left, she stayed hidden. It felt like an eternity past. Deciding a peek wouldn’t hurt, she dared popping her head to the side of the tall snow pile to see what he was up to.

No one was there. Confident he didn’t pass her, she had to question both her eyesight and sanity when no footsteps lead uphill to the forest. Had she begun to make people up too?

It felt insane to think about but she had forgotten more and more lately. Sara had asked the other day what had happened that day in the woods Lucy lost her sleigh. A deep fear had taken root in her since; she hadn’t gone sleighing since. Yet she couldn't remember why she was so frightened.

She walked home, confused as to why she was out at all. It wasn't a weekday so school wasn't in session, and she wanted breakfast. Had she gone to grab the newspaper for mum and walked too far?

At home the family had woken up. Annika set the table for breakfast and Tyler helped. He wanted cereal—the ones with the colorful spoon hidden in the box—and had set a bowl for only him because he didn't want to share.

Feeling tired, she skipped breakfast in favor of taking a nap.