My Wish For Christmas

CHAPTER 3

The next morning, I woke up to the sound of wind howling against the house, a sound so loud it felt like it was coming from inside. I groaned, pulling the blanket over my head, but the cold creeping through the cracks in the window reminded me there was no escaping the day ahead.

Dragging myself out of bed, I shuffled to the window and peeked outside. The snow had piled up overnight, blanketing everything in sight. The streets were a mess of white, and my car was just a lumpy mound in the driveway.

“Of course,” I muttered, rubbing my arms to warm up. This was winter in this place—beautiful from a distance, but a complete nightmare up close.

I threw on layers of clothes: thermal leggings under my jeans, a thick sweater, and my warmest coat. The boots were a must, even if they were old and scuffed. As I laced them up, I mentally braced myself for the task ahead.

Grabbing the snow shovel from the hall closet, I stepped outside and immediately regretted it. The cold was sharp, biting at my face and sneaking down my collar. I pulled my scarf tighter and adjusted my hat, but it didn’t make much of a difference.

The driveway was buried under at least a foot of snow, and the road wasn’t much better. It was the kind of snow that didn’t just fall—it stuck and packed down, turning every surface into a slippery, frozen mess.

I started shoveling, the metal blade scraping against the pavement. The work was grueling, each scoop of snow heavier than the last. My breath came out in clouds, and my gloves didn’t do much to keep my fingers from stiffening in the cold.

Halfway through clearing a path to my car, I stopped to catch my breath, leaning on the shovel. The snowflakes were still falling, soft and steady, and the world was eerily quiet.

“Okay, let’s finish this,” I muttered, forcing myself to keep going. By the time I was done, my back ached, and my arms felt like jelly.

The car was another challenge. It was frozen shut, the doors stiff and reluctant to open. I tugged and yanked until the driver’s side finally gave way, and a puff of cold air greeted me as I climbed in.

The engine protested when I turned the key, coughing and sputtering before finally coming to life. I let it warm up while I brushed the remaining snow off the windows, my hands shaking despite the gloves.

By the time I pulled out of the driveway, the roads were slightly more passable, but not by much. The plows had been through, but the snow was still coming down, filling in the gaps almost as fast as they cleared them.

The drive to work was slow, the tires slipping occasionally despite my careful pace. By the time I arrived, I was already exhausted, and the day hadn’t even started yet.

The party was in full swing when I got there, the sound of kids laughing and shouting filling the air. I wore my fairy costume, pasted on my best fairy smile and got to work, handing out candy canes and listening to wish after wish.

“An electric scooter!” one boy shouted, his eyes wide with excitement.

“I want a unicorn,” a little girl whispered, her voice barely audible over the chaos.

“Legos! The big set with the castle!”

"A potato!"

I wrote each one down, nodding and laughing, pretending like I had all the magic in the world to make it happen. But as the hours went by, my smile felt more forced. The kids were wonderful, but the work was draining, and the pay wasn’t nearly enough to make up for it.

By the time the party wound down, I was more than ready to leave. I handed the wish list to the parents, who thanked me profusely, and slipped out the door before anyone could stop me for another favor.

The snow had gotten heavier since I arrived, the flakes falling faster and thicker. My car was already half-covered again, and the roads looked worse than before.

I climbed in, started the engine, and pulled onto the highway. The world was a blur of white, the snow swirling in every direction. I drove slowly, my hands gripping the wheel so tightly my knuckles turned white.

The highway was almost completely deserted, just as it usually was in weather like this. It was one of those stretches of road that felt like it went on forever, surrounded by nothing but trees and fields.

I was about halfway home when the storm intensified, the wind howling like a living thing. The snow blew across the road in thick waves, making it nearly impossible to see.

Then, it happened.

The car jerked slightly, the tires spinning uselessly as I pressed the gas. I let out a string of curses, slamming my foot down again and again, but it was no use. The car was stuck, its wheels buried in a mound of snow.

I leaned back in the seat, my heart pounding. “Great. Just great.”

The cold seeped in almost immediately, wrapping around me like a second skin. I grabbed the hand warmers from my pocket, clutching them tightly, but it didn’t help much. My fingers were already starting to go numb, the heat from the warmers barely noticeable.

I glanced at my phone. No signal. Of course. Out here, there was nothing but miles of empty road and endless snow.

The temperature in the car was dropping fast, the engine barely putting out any heat. I wrapped myself in my coat, pulling it as tight as it would go, but the chill was relentless.

My breath came out in visible puffs, and I could feel the cold settling into my bones. If I stayed here much longer, frostbite would be the least of my worries.

I stared out at the storm, the snow whipping against the windshield, and tried to think. What could I do? If I left the car, I might get lost in the blizzard, but staying here wasn’t exactly a great option either.

I shivered, my teeth chattering as I hugged myself. “Come on, think,” I muttered, my voice shaking.

But the truth was, I didn’t have a plan. And as the cold pressed in from all sides, I couldn’t shake the thought that this might be the night I won't make it back home.

Just like my father