Edwin stared into the dark abyss of the ravine. Beside him, Jo lifted the lantern, though it made no difference as the light did not reach more than a dozen feet out in the blizzard. It was like staring into a cauldron of molasses.Each snowflake that fluttered past made Edwin's heart leap for a moment, thinking the letter had returned, but then it fell back again. He refused to blink as he scanned...  Read More

Harriet's throat was tight as she waded through the thick snow. It was above her knee and fresh flakes were falling fast. Her fingers itched to grab the lantern from Jo and control the light herself, but she restrained herself. Instead, she held onto her hat, which threatened to blow off with each gust of wind."We should have found him by now." Her throat was dry and tight, and it hurt to shout ag...  Read More

It took Edwin several minutes to realize why everything seemed so much darker. At first he had thought it was just the growing snowstorm blocking out the moonlight, but then he noticed that Jo had abandoned him. That golden light which had been encouraging him from behind had turned around to leave him alone in the woods.Well, if he gives up that easily, Jo is obviously not a true friend, he thoug...  Read More

Jo stared at his friend, the orange light from the fallen lantern lighting him from below in a ghoulish, unnatural way. Edwin's mouth hung open and his eyes opened wide. He was frozen as the flakes fell past him. They both stared into the dark woods into which Harriet had run."She... She..." Edwin's mouth opened and shut, but the words were not coming to him.Jo could hear his own heart beating lik...  Read More

"No!" Edwin slammed his fists against the metal gate, the pain reverberating through him. "Come back!"His shout was lost in the wind. The tiny, dark shape shuffled up the drive, nearly lost in the distance amongst the ever-increasing snowflakes. After just a moment, it turned a corner and was lost amongst the trees."No! Please!" The metal rang out as he hit it again."Edwin, I..." Harriet placed a ...  Read More

Edwin stared down at the small golden circle of light that spread out from him. The light from his lantern reached about ten feet out before fading quickly into darkness. His whole world was those ten feet around him, with curves in the road slowly fading in from gray before disappearing behind him.Jo walked next to him. His footsteps were slightly slower than Edwin's, due to his long legs. Occasi...  Read More

Jo stumbled as his foot caught on a ridge of now-frozen mud that was hidden in the darkness. He flung out his arms, wheeling them around frantically before finding his balance. With a sigh, he stood upright."Are you okay?" A few steps ahead, Edwin stopped.Jo nodded. "Just tripped."The light from the lantern was enough to see the edges of the road, but the smaller ridges we lost in the dim light th...  Read More

A hazy, milky orange spread across the sky above the snow-tipped pines. Harriet's skin prickled and she could feel a bead of sweat run down her forehead despite the falling temperatures. She kept replaying all the lies in her head, each time burning hot and sick in her stomach.Her ankles burned from her quick pace. She had to stay ahead of Edwin and Jo. If she looked at them, she wouldn't be able ...  Read More

Edwin kept glancing up at the sky. Thin clouds drifted above like ice chunks in a river and the sun was almost directly overhead already. Midday, and he had no idea how far they had walked or how far they had left to go.Harriet had ignored him when he asked and had moved further ahead, obviously still mad at them for making a snowman. Jo had guesses, but those changed every minute from a mile to f...  Read More

The sun warmed the road just enough that dirt and slush combined into a syrupy mud that tugged at Harriet's shoes like an overzealous cobbler. Each step she wrenched the shoe from the viscous brown sludge just to press it down again with a wet sucking sound. Globules splattered up onto her coat.Behind her, the other two had fallen nearly thirty yards behind. She could hear them breathing heavily a...  Read More

Edwin grasped at the nearest table, but his legs were jelly and he slid down onto the worn wooden floor. The edges of his vision darkened and everything spun around him. His breaths came quick, but it still felt like he was drowning."Wrong post office?" His voice was high and tight.The large man knelt down slowly. A large, meaty hand rested on Edwin's shoulder. "Sorry lad.""No... no, I got a train...  Read More

The rosy twinges of sunrise were just barely coloring the clouds above the houses as Edwin slipped across the square. The lights were dark, the shops shuttered, and the sidewalks empty. Pulling his threadbare coat up around his neck, both for the warmth and the secrecy, he hurried down the main road towards the post office.Jo and Harriet were still back at the inn, hopefully asleep. He was used to...  Read More