An Early Morning Merry Christmas...
Even snuggled beneath the covers of a king bed, the slightest stir wakes you from a deep slumber. You never were a sound sleeper. You feel the bed and the covers shift as I get out of bed. Unable to face the brisk air just yet, you listen to the whirring fan, your neck relaxed on a cloud of fluffy pillows. The weight of the covers holds you in, and your skin feels the brush of crushed velvet and cotton.
After a long moment of coziness, I still do not return. You open your eyes, but it is still dark. You slide one foot and then the other into your slippers, and pull on a warm bathrobe. In the faint moonlight you can see my outline as I walk down the stairs to the sliding glass doors below.
It may be the moonlight playing tricks on your eyes, but it seemed like I passed right through the glass, barefoot, wearing only my black lace nightie.
You fling open the door and frigid air rushes around you. You hear the crunch as my bare feet clod through the snow. Tentatively, you step into the Winter Wonderland. The dead leaves in the trees rustle in the damp wind. Pine sap lingers in the air.
I turn around and greet you by flashing the biggest smile I have before resuming my walk. The snow around me shimmers in the moonlight. My red hair swishes behind me, glinting in the light.
"Wait," you say, but I only keep walking forward. You have no choice but to follow.
Crunch.
Shimmer.
Swish.
Crunch.
It is surprisingly warm once you start moving. The cold air invigorates you but the fire inside you keeps you warm. So warm, in fact, that it's not entirely shocking when I reach up to the nape of my neck and untie my nightie.
With another step, my nightie falls to the ground. My alabaster skin is exposed to the brisk cold, with my freckles glinting like stars. Still I march forward, as if enchanted. My hourglass figure moving ever so slowly up and down in the snow.
Gaining speed, you soon get to the crumpled nightie and retrieve it. Bringing it to your nose, you smell a deep and unfamiliar musk. When you look up again, you notice my freckles seem to be multiplying.
My breath hovers above me in the air. I'm slowing down. At last you catch up to me, so close you can feel me radiating warmth.