“That’s where you pass through a portal to the North Pole,” Connor explained, and I nodded.
Guess that made sense. Further down was the ‘North Pole’ replica, and Callie’s mouth dropped open. It was any child’s dream, let alone an adult’s. A sturdy, decorated, lit tree stood in the centre, buildings surrounding it. They were painted cheerful colours, and all shone brightly through the thousands of lights. Ispotted candy canes as tall as humans, old Victorian lamps, and many other little things that made the place magical.
Yet everything fell dead with me and failed to inspire any excitement. Nothing held appeal whatsoever. I’d had good Christmases with my mom and Liv. But I was too old now.
Then a thought hit me. Would Callie want to celebrate similarly for the baby? Oh hell. My brow furrowed as grumpiness settled over me, and I glowered at the village. Maybe I could escape with the bare minimum? A Christmas tree and a few decorations. That was okay, right? Surely Callie wouldn’t be interested in this and would consider it overdone.
Then again, looking at Callie’s expression, I could see the longing in her. Deep down, this was Callie’s ideal Christmas. Fuck! I really didn’t fancy an over-the-top Christmas. I shook myself mentally. It would be fine; I’d talk Callie round into a quiet Christmas. She didn’t need something like this. Callie had me, the baby, Liv, and Cherry. That’s all she needed. I’d be able to get away with a tiny tree.
Callie
I was almost beside myself when we got out. Connor had described the place, but this far surpassed my expectations. And even though I was an adult, this reached out and excited the inner child I still had. I wanted to explore, and most of the team did, too. Apart from Sunny, who didn’t look impressed whatsoever. In fact, he reminded me of the Grinch a little.
The SUV entered a small car park. A warm café looked inviting just outside the village, where two horse-pulled sleighs waited to take us.
“Oh, my word!” I exclaimed with excitement.
Our driver, a man in his sixties called William, smiled. “Usually, guests come a different route into the valley.” William pointed to another road. “We came the higher way as Simon and Fiona wanted you to view the village in its entirety. There’s a lower road, so they don’t see Santa’s Village. Both roads lead here, and no cars are allowed past this point. Sleighs and snowmobiles are used exclusively. Each sleigh can take eight people, and carts will bring your equipment,” William said.
“How do supplies get in?” Sunny asked.
“They are unloaded here and transported over. It’s a bit of a hassle, but compared to wrecking the pristine surroundings and the atmosphere, worth the effort. There are large carts that have snow runners for easy use—usually for commercial purposes,” William explained.
“Good idea. They’ll carry the equipment?” Phil inquired.
“I’ll stay and ensure everything gets moved over,” Freddie offered.
“Are you sure?” I asked.
“I’ll stay too; you all go ahead,” Solace suggested.
“Thanks,” I replied. “Will you be okay here?”
“They’ll be fine. They can wait in the café for the carriages to return,” Kit, the other driver, suggested.
“The first drop-off is the winter clothing shop. The hire of ski suits, etc., will be included in the cost of the stay. For you guys, though, there’s no charge. So, if you’d all enter the sleighs, please feel free to use the blankets provided. You’ll also find some hot flasks of chocolate.” William smiled.
I couldn’t get my ass on board quick enough. In fact, I think Michelle and I almost stumbled over each other in our eagerness. Harry and Connor laughed, but Sunny looked glum. None of this seemed to amuse him. He was being a total misery guts. Let him, I planned to enjoy this as it was nowhere neara normal haunting! Jack, Connor, and Sunny joined us on our sleigh.
Hundreds of fairy lights lit the route we travelled down. They were hung in trees and lined the road for travelling. We passed through a huge arch with the words ‘Welcome to Christmas Village’ carved into it. Everywhere you looked, there were Christmas colours and items. Candy canes, pinecones, and large sparkling snowflakes were in abundance. As we approached the clothing store, I could see the village centre, which appeared to be built around a frozen lake.
“Can we go ice skating on that?” Jack asked.
“Yes. The ice is over a foot thick. Plenty safe enough for skating. As you can tell, it gets pretty chilly up here. Because we’re in a dip, the weather stays cold all year round,” William stated.
“What about the evenings? Does night fall early?”
“Night falls by nine p.m. For parents with kids arriving, we’d encourage them to try to push bedtime back and have a late breakfast. All that type of stuff is explained in the welcome packs,” William said.
“Do you know why we’re here?” I asked.
“Yes, ma’am. We need some help. The ghosties are playing nice, but with kiddies coming… we’re all a bit on edge.” He rubbed the back of his neck.
“Have you seen anything?” Jack questioned, alert to a story.
“Yes. Several things. It’s Miss Fiona I feel sorry for. They like to mess with her and Mr Simon.” William’s mouth turned down.
“Why do you think that is?” Connor interrupted.
