Night settled over the cabin like a held breath.
The storm had not relented, but it had softened into something quieter, more ominous. Snow continued to fall in heavy, deliberate sheets, muffling the world beyond the walls. Inside, the power remained out. Darkness pressed in at the corners, pushed back only by the warm glow of candles placed carefully around the living space and the steady fire Jeremiah tended in the hearth.
Daisy had finally fallen asleep an hour earlier.
Michelle had watched from the hallway as Jeremiah tucked her in, listened to the gentleness in his voice as he promised her the lights would come back soon, that the storm couldn’t last forever.
Now the cabin was quiet.
Almost reverent.
Jeremiah stood near the fireplace, feeding another log into the flames. The fir
