The blistering wind howled through the trees, surrounding the tiny cabin. Bess sunk into her sofa as she snuggled under the woolly afghan she had made that summer. It was always freezing this time of the year. Actually, it was freezing most of the year, but it grew nearly unbearable in December. "Thank God for fireplaces and wood," she thought as she took a sip from her mug. "And hot chocolate." she whispered with a slight smile.
A loud thump at the door startled her to her feet and from out of her warm haven she had created. "Probably a branch" she thought as she peeked out the window, though there wasn't anything to be seen. "Odd." she said then shrugged her shoulders and curled up on her couch once more.
THUNK! A loud crash had startled her again, but this time she stayed where she was.
CRASH! Standing to her feet and slipping her coat on, she bravely opened the door, knowing that the cold wind would enter her home and over-ride the comfort she had been saving. As the winter slipped past her into the den, she saw nothing unusual outside. She glanced from one corner of her porch to the other and saw no sign of anything out of its place. As she fought the wind to close the door, she heard the noise again. Only this time, it came from inside. Slamming the door and turning abruptly, she peered into the room she had set up camp in. "Hello?" she called hesitantly. Listening for a few seconds, she shook her head. "This is crazy." she thought. "There wasn't anything or anyone outside." "Get a grip, Bess." she spoke softly to herself. Breathing slightly heavier than she had before, she made her way to the sofa and the blanket, but before she could fully situate herself, she heard the voice whisper "Hello?" It sounded like her voice as in a delayed echo. Twisting her body around to the direction of the voice, she saw nothing out of the ordinary. Taking notes as to everything behind her "end table, bookcase, mirror, desk, photos." Everything was there that should have been and nothing that shouldn't have.
“Maybe a raccoon or squirrel, but they don’t talk.” she thought. Slowly, Bess made her way to the far side of the den, looking in every shadow. “Here kitty, kitty.” She felt like an idiot getting worked up over a few noises and an echo. After a few minutes of just her own voice calling out, she decided to lie down and take a nap.
“Sleep is what I need. A nice rest will do me some good.” so she snuggled again onto the couch and pulled the covers up to her chin.
She had just started to doze off when she felt the house begin to tremble. Earthquakes were rare in her area, but not unheard of. She jumped to her feet and ran toward the doorway. “I think this what I’m supposed to be doing.” After a few minutes, her home became still again and Bess took inventory of her surroundings. Other than a broken mug that once had hot cocoa, everything seemed to be fine. Then she smiled and laughed at herself a bit. “This is what caused the noises. Must’ve happened earlier but I didn’t feel it right away. Bess, you are paranoid” She breathed a sigh of relief and cleaned up the spill and ceramic on the hardwood floor.
Thud, thud, thud! At her wits end she exclaimed “Oh my God! Stop with the noises already!” She curled up in a ball on the floor, sobbing. “Please,” she pleaded. “I can't anymore.” And with those words, it stopped. Looking around her tiny den, she whispered “thank you.”
Thunk, thunk, thunk! The little girl laid tapping her finger on the glass. “Why won't it work, Mommy?” she said as she shook the air-filled snowglobe.
“Oh, sweetie don't shake it.” The mom said as she took it from her daughter and gently placed it upon the desk. “Watch.” she said as she pushed the button in the back.
The little girls' blue eyes lit with amazement as she watched the snow swirling around the little cabin. “Cool!” she exclaimed with excitement.
“And this button,” the mother said as she pressed yet another one, “does this this.” and she smiled as her child squealed with delight. They stood there fascinated as they witnessed the smoke from the chimney and the door opening and closing.
“My mother gave this to me when i was about your age. It will be yours soon, but you will have to take care of it.”
“I will! I promise!”
The mother laughed and said “If you lean in and really pay attention, you can almost smell the hot chocolate.”
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