Cold As Ice

Chapter 1

As a child,when I first moved here, tales of fairies, mermaids and goblins were whispered from ear to ear. Some told stories of creatures who prowled around the house, cleaning and ironing the clothes of the owners while they slept in exchange for food. Other myths described monsters awaiting near the lake's shore to drag humans underwater and drown them to later eat them in their lair.

There was a time I thought I could see them.

While I was roaming in the woods, one day , trying to find my way back to my uncle's cottage, pine nuts scattered on the dirt lead me back home. Similarly, when I walked along the forest trails around the cabin, gentle faces smiled at me from the trees.

It was figments of a child's imagination, my imagination. At least that was what they told me.

I swished my feet in the water watching as the sunrise cast an orange glow to the lake. This is so much better than being at home where the narrow streets were jam-packed with people and the air smelled of car fuel.

I breathed in the earthy smell and gazed at the sun slowly gliding across the sky to find its place at the top. I wouldn't trade this view for anything else. Well, maybe for a few oatcakes smeared with raspberry jam, because goodness gracious was I starving.

Drying my feet with a towel I brought down to the dock, I ran up the stairs, past the patio deck and into glass doors leading me into the kitchen to make my stomach stop making whale sounds. Damn, there isn't anything left since the last time we came here, only the pastries uncle Jeb buys that I absolutely hate. You know the ones that are covered in pounds of sugar with strawberry filling oozing out of them like blood. Dis-freaking-gusting. Definitely not eating that.

I could go to the store, 20 minutes on bike. Yea, then I could buy a whole lot of food and hideout here for a few days and simply relax. And get fat. But I'll be happy at least.

Last night, when I came for quiet and solitude, I didn't notice the gloominess of the place. Like geez, maybe its because of uncle Jeb's absence , still, its the first time its ever felt like this. Unwelcoming and dark.

Oh well. Placing money in my back pocket and pulling my hair up in a ponytail, I was out the door in 2 seconds. I hopped on my bike , headed out of the front gates and unto the trail leading to the store through the forest.

I could rant about how I lived in the cottage my whole life, but truth is, my memories of this place run back to when I was 7 years old. My mom, my dad and yours truly moved to Scotland when I was 6 years of age after living in Pennsylvania. I thought over there was cold, this place is freaking cold considering it was the beginning of summer. I was still wearing jeans and long sleeved shirts for goodness sake.

I stopped and looked for the tree I marked by strapping a necklace around its trunk ( as you can tell, my social life was at its highest point) to be certain I went the right way . It was nowhere in sight. I can't have possibly gone the wrong way. I've made this trip multiple times without incident. Maybe I shouldn't have come alone, uncle Jeb was always with me when I visited the cabin. He told me specifically never to amble alone in the woods without him. Well its not like I got lost on purpose.

I've roamed around these woods for 9 years, yet this part is completely unfamiliar to me. I leaned my bike against a pine tree and spun around to spot any hints of familiarity. The sky was barely visibly due to the tree's top canopy hiding it, so using the sun's position as a guide would be impossible. I should've watched more National Geographic programs, I knew crap about survival.I still had my phone though so it wasn't completely hopeless.

I heard rustling coming from the woods beyond. My head snapped towards the sound, a cold shiver passed through my body as I stood completely still.

The sound of tree branches snapping rose from behind me. I slowly turned, praying it was a wildcat, and not a psychopathic killer. I watch to way too many movies for my own good. A tall silhouette appeared in between the trees, coming closer and closer, running directly towards me. Since I wasn't a complete moron, I thought of the most logical solution.

I ran like hell.