THE STORY:
The sun glared off the pristine snow, making the world around River feel stark and surreal. She approached the strange figure made of snow cautiously, its crude form enclosed by a wooden barrier with carved pointed tops in a rectangular configuration. "A barrier, yet incomplete... An opening, perhaps, for entry or escape?" she pondered as her mind raced to understand its meaning. Its eyes, made from coal placed into its head, seemed to follow her as she circled it.

"What mystery is this?" River muttered, hands reaching out to learn by touch but afraid to make contact. Her tone betrayed a mix of curiosity and unease.

Behind her, the Queen stood still, her long dark blue cloak a contrast in the brilliant daylight. She studied the snowman with a heavy silence. “I have seen this before” she said, her voice steady but grim. “The humans create these as a summoning. They call forth a spirit, a beast clad in blazing red, with a white beard and a hat similar to this effigy. It laughs... but the sound chills the soul 'Ho... ho... ho.’”

River’s heart raced as she glanced back at the frozen figure. It seemed innocent under the sunlight, yet the Queen’s words have draped it in shadows.

“We must leave at once” the Queen said sharply, her voice tinged with fear. “The time of its arrival is near.”

A sudden breeze kicked around the falling snow, and for a moment, River thought she heard something in the distance akin to a laugh carried on by the wind. Not waiting to confirm her thoughts she hurriedly caught up with the Queen for their escape. Her pulse quickening with every step as the man of snow loomed behind them, silent and still under the blinding midday sun.

Merry Christmas Everyone!