The winter was growing stronger, a single snowflake making a soft descent from the heavens to join the thick blanket covering the ground. Long pine trees were draped in white, their branches heavy with snow, and high mountains loomed in the distance, partially hidden by the haziness of the cold. Behind those mountains, a cottage could be seen, its roof and surrounding grounds completely covered in snow. The creek that had once flowed with water was now frozen stiff, encased in ice.
In one of the windows of the cottage, a woman stood, her palm resting against the cold frame as she looked out at the winter landscape blanketing the mountainside. White stretched endlessly before her, stirring something deep within her chest.
