Shoving my boots on and squashing down my pajama pants inside in hopes of staying dry, my life becomes much easier once I find a flashlight tucked in a drawer. Now that I can see, I slip out into the cold to fix this problem.
The mountain gets terribly cold at night. Even the moon is covered by a thick blanket of clouds. With how much snow is falling, I’m not even sure if I’ll be able to make it down in the morning. When a gust of wind blows by, knocking my hood back without a fight, I feel the chill down to my bones.
Stomping to the side of my cabin, I mutter all the pros of owning my cabin instead of the cons. Loving the mountain and all the nature that comes with it, I can’t let one moment of weakness stop me now.
Blinking away snowflakes as they cling to my eyelashes, my hands instantly numb as I reach the breaker box. Cracking it open, I shine the flashlight to see that the breaker has flipped. Giving it a flip, I pause and hope to see the light’s reflection returning to front of my home.
Unfortunately, that doesn’t happen. I flip it again, hoping that my luck was just terrible the first time. Huffing and puffing, the howls of my surroundings swallow up the complaints that leave me. Shutting the breaker box, I move down my checklist of where to look to solve this little problem of mine.
“Do not fall into the snow, Nova.” Trudging through snow that comes up to the brim of my boots, I grunt under my breath as I make my way over to the generator that’s been keeping up with my demand for all these decorations.
When silence radiates from it, I grimace. Guess that explains it. Good thing I know literally nothing about this thing.
Hunching over the generator, I grimace when it doesn’t turn back on. Checking to make sure it hasn’t run out of fuel, hoping it has to make this problem an easy one to solve, a groan leaves me when I see it still has some inside.
What in the world am I going to do? It’s Christmas Eve. No one is going to come out here to help me out. Forget about having a white Christmas. Mine is going to be surrounded in darkness.
Sure, I can keep my house warm with a few logs, but can I really go days without power?
Dusting my hands off, I try to think about what I’m going to do. Looking around, like the answer will come to me, my eyes lock onto Mason’s cabin. The soft glow behind his windows is like a beacon.
I don’t want to go and get my hopes up here, but deep down, I can feel the start of hope forming. All I have to do is think about what we spoke about to decide what to do next.
What’s the chance of Mason offering his help just days before a disaster like this can strike? It’s hard to consider it really happening.
Another gust of wind brings another chill up my spine. Shivering, I grimace when I see my hair has frozen into thick strands. My poor fingers feel numb as I curl them.
Do I want to avoid bothering him by suffering by myself, or take the plunge and ask for help?
Not wanting to bother him, I have to shake away the thoughts that tell me to just return to my home and suffer. I don’t want to have a bad time during my favorite holiday.
He wouldn’t have offered if he wanted nothing to do with me. Even if he can’t fix my issue, maybe he knows someone who can. This is only my second winter up here. Surely, he’s gone through his own experience with issues like this. I bet he’ll know exactly what to do.
Shuffling my way up to his home, my body grows heavier with each step. Tonight is really kicking my ass.
Reaching his porch, I chew on my lip as I try to prepare my words. Every time I speak to him, I kind of go blank. Now isn’t the time for that.
Pulling myself up each step, I shuffle to his door and find myself hesitating once more.
I really hope I’m not bothering him.
Pounding my fist on his door, I take in all but a single breath before it’s swinging open. It’s almost like… he was waiting for me to knock. How funny would that be?
I can’t laugh, not right now.
“Um, hi.” Mimicking a small wave, I grimace when he stares down at me for a passing second before lifting his gaze, staring at my darkened cabin. “I’ve run into a little issue, as you can see.”
Hoping I can just hurry and explain everything that’s happening in one blur of words, my teeth betray me bychattering uncontrollably. Forget about picking out the best way to ask him. I can barely speak as it is.
Seeing me shiver on his doorstep, the last thing I expect him to do is pluck me by my elbow and drag me inside, where heat floods the room. His touch burns through my coat, and he might as well be touching me directly.
Stumbling to keep up with him, once he shuts out the cold outside, I’m pulled deeper into his home.
“I-I don’t want to make a mess…” Murmuring my worries about my snow-covered boots, my words seem to go right over his head as each step leaves behind a wet footprint against his wooden floors.
Planting me in front of his fireplace, he finally releases me. Looking so grumpy, my stomach tingles as he takes me in with the furrow of his brows. “Don’t move.”
Nodding my head at his firm order, I can’t even find my voice to thank him. Not while he’s this close to me.
