Total pages in book: 64
Estimated words: 63214 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 316(@200wpm)___ 253(@250wpm)___ 211(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63214 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 316(@200wpm)___ 253(@250wpm)___ 211(@300wpm)
I melted holes into him. “It might be a good idea.”
“Why?”
“Uh. . .it gives me something. . .to do.”
“O-kay.”
Santa’s not moving. Can he feel this? God, I hope he’s not in pain. I just want to make sure he doesn’t come back alive and kill me.
“Faith, this is weird.” Daniel got to my side. “Maybe you should stop.”
It’s going to be okay. I’m going to melt them all! Then, everything will be alright. God. I hope it will all be alright.
“Faith, put the torch down.”
I pretended not to hear him and burnt Santa’s legs too. The ice melted. Water spilled out of broken limbs. Santa’s head fell away. The legs broke apart and the whole sculpture crashed to the ground. “Okay.”
“Faith?” Worry crossed Daniel’s face. He extended his hand my way. “I think you better give me the torch. That was weird.”
“What was weird?”
“You were burning him like he was going to come alive and kill you.” He took the flame torch from my hands. “I think you might be in shock.”
I should get the others.
“I’m fine.” I looked around and only the elves remained. The mermaids and snowman had disappeared. “Where did they go?”
“Who?”
“The snowman and the mermaids.”
“What?” Daniel looked around. “Wait a minute. It did seem like there were more.”
My body shook. “There were more.”
Now what am I going to do? They know I’ll melt them. Will they try to pay me back for their friend?
Eddie showed up ten minutes later. Daniel and he walked the whole property with flashlights. I heard them mumbling about something. It was probably things about me, but I couldn’t care less. Of course, they found no one around. Not even the snowman or mermaids which I kept asking them about over and over.
Thirty minutes later, Eddie looked like I’d lost my mind and Daniel appeared deeply concerned.
Maybe, I am crazy.
Determining that no one was on my property, Eddie left.
Daniel stood around a little more, but pity shone on his face. After he checked my house and walked around the land again, I told him that I would be fine and kindly asked him to leave.
I explained that I wasn’t insane or in need of emotional charity, and that I would be okay.
Still, he stayed.
For several silent minutes, we sat next to the fire.
Wood crackled in the flames.
Daniel held my hand. Warm flesh entangled in cold fear. For some reason, sitting in silence with him gave me more peace than I’d had in the whole year.
Cool air tussled with the blazing fire.
Near us, some of the snow began to melt into the earth.
“How are you, Faith?” Daniel squeezed my hand and touched me with his eyes.
I relished in his attention. “I’m fine. This is all probably silly.”
“No. If you heard something, then you did.” He traced his thumb along mine. “I’m glad you called.” Daniel turned his attention to the full moon above us. “I hope you call more often.”
“You want me to dial 9-1-1 more?”
“No, I want you to lean on me more, when you need too.”
“I will.”
“Good.” And there came that look from him again. Hotter than the fire in front of us. Searing me from the inside.
I let go of his hand. “I’ll be fine. You should leave.”
“I should?”
In this quiet moment, Daniel slipped into my bloodstream, heated up my veins, and stirred my insides. A large part of it could’ve been that I’d lost my mind with these snow creatures. Another reason could be that I was lonely and horny as hell. Regardless, I didn’t need to do anything else rash tonight. I’d already melted Santa.
One should have daily kill limits.
“Are you sure you’ll be alright?” he asked.
“I’m sure.”
Please, let me be okay.
He dragged the next ten minutes out and then finally I convinced him to head home.
Daniel drove off and I rushed into the house, locked it up, and made sure my windows were closed. In my bedroom, I barricaded the door with chairs, stacking them right on top of the other. This way, if someone tried to come in, the chairs would fall to the ground and wake me up.
And then I’ll get Bruce Lee on their asses!
I was prepared for war. I had my blow torch next to my bed, along with hammers and knives. I’d found anything that was sharp and could be used as a weapon. I’d drank two cups of coffee to stay up through the night.
Maybe, the sculptures would be vulnerable in the daylight and I could go to sleep. They hadn’t come alive during the day.
Maybe they were like vampires or something.
I had no idea. It didn’t matter. There was no fucking way I was laying my head down on the bed and going to sleep.
Something was out there. The impossible had become possible. My ice sculptures lived and I didn’t know how it happened or why. I had no idea if they came in peace or would be all about evil.