The Ice Queen

	The Ice Queen

It was beautiful. The snow had stopped falling as daylight faded, now a full moon, reflecting off the new snow, was lighting the blanketed apple trees from below. It was unusual, and pleasing. On my new snowshoes, I was only sinking a few inches into the fresh snow, making it a pleasant stroll instead of the struggle snowshoeing can often be.
Stopping, I looked back along my trail. The light from our cabin was no longer visible, but my path through the trees was clearly marked. I would have no problem finding my way back. Looking forward again, I could see my destination ahead. The orchard ended at an embankment that dropped away to the lake, a stone's throw beyond.  Attempting to move forward, I found that my snowshoes had frozen firmly into the snow. It took a little effort to free them. My next step lifted me up onto a crisp surface, and my snowshoes no longer sank into the snow.
“Woe, the temperature is dropping”, I thought. “Finish this sightseeing tour and get back to a warm fire.”
I walked gingerly for a few steps, expecting my weight to break me through the top crust, but the surface held. For a moment I considered the strangeness of the sudden change from soft to hard snow, but let the thought slip away. After a few more steps, I noticed a figure standing at the edge of the embankment. It appeared to be a woman, bareheaded, in a long, blue, coat. I angled slightly away from her—cognizant of how a strange man approaching a woman, at night, could make her feel. I stopped a few steps away. Beyond the embankment the ground fell away gradually until it reached the still, black water of the lake. The reflection of the full moon, the stillness, and a few sparkling lights across the lake made me reluctant to break the silence.
“Wow,” I muttered eventually. “This was worth the walk.” I turned towards her when I heard a rustle of cloth, and froze in disbelief. “Aren't you cold!” I blurted.
What I had thought was a long coat was actually a flimsy, full length dress—I suppose gown would be a better word.  Below the elbows her arms were bare, as was her chest and a lot of her breasts because of a plunging vie-neck. My teeth hurt when I breathed the cold air, but she looked like she was enjoying a summer day, except for her skin. There was no suggestion that sunlight had ever touched that skin. It gleamed with a white so brittle it looked blue. She smiled, a smile so inviting and becoming that it should of warmed my soul, but there was no heat. She was colder than my father's heart.
“The cold does not affect me,” she said, as she turned fully towards me.
My teeth ached and I realized my mouth was hanging open. Ramrod straight in bearing, deep set eyes over a straight nose and flashing teeth, high cheekbones, and a mouth that stole the breath from my body, leaving behind a longing I could not believe. In all my 27 years, a woman had never affected me like that. We stood staring at each other for some time. How long I can't say. Time seemed to stop for me until the ache in my teeth forced sensibility into my head.
“Sorry for staring,” I blurted, “but you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. Are you a movie star?”
She shook her head. “No. Thank you for saying that, but...my beauty does not seem to affect you in the same way it does other men.”
“If I fancied women, I would be drooling all over you.”
She laughed, a sound like a high piercing tinkle of bells. “What an unromantic picture you paint.”
I was taken back and then I laughed as well. “Right, the drool thing. Sorry. I have never considered the picture the words invoke. It is just a saying.”
“Are there many sayings like that?”
“I suppose there are, but for the life of me I can't think of a single one right now.”
Her cold smile returned. “I am glad to hear that. I was worried that I had lost my appeal, but I understand. It is you, not me.”
“True,” I nodded. “Although you make me sad I have a boyfriend. Almost.”
Her bell laughter tinkled again before she turned away and looked out over the water. The worst of the cold seemed to turn away with her.
“I agree,” she said. “It is a wondrous sight. Your world is quite beautiful.”
“Are you from somewhere else?”
“Yes. My home is far from here.”
“One of those cold northern countries, no doubt.”
“How ever did you guess?” We both laughed.
“Are you here on vacation?”
“In a way. I am on a scavenger hunt.”
“Long way to travel for something like that.”
“Unique objects have great value.”
“Well, I hope you get what you're after, but I must be going. This cold is seeping right into me. It is much colder than it was earlier. Are you sure you're alright staying out here, dressed as you are?”
“I will be fine. Thank you for your concern.”
“Good bye. Nice meeting you,” I said as I turned away.
Stepping my snowshoes around, I headed back towards the orchard. I searched the ground for traces of my earlier passage , but could see nothing on the crisp, hard, snow. All around the trees were cracking from the cold. I whacked my arms against my chest to warm up. It worked. By the time I found my pathway I felt warmer. The snow underfoot was soft and fluffy again. I turned back towards the lake with a thought of calling to the woman that it was warmer in among the trees, but could no longer see her. Later I heard the noise of a snowmobile roaring along the shore.
Robert and I were eating breakfast two mornings after when someone knocked at the cabin door. It was a policeman. The weather had turned cold again and he looked half frozen, so we invited him in. Over coffee he asked some questions and the story came out. A boy from the village had taken his snowmobile out for a run two nights before and had not returned. The police found him down by the lake, frozen to death. Why he died was a mystery, the officer said. He was the quarterback of the school football team. Popular, a real jock, and in good shape. I told him about hearing the snowmobile as I was walking back, and about the woman. He asked many questions about her before he left.
I never heard what came of the investigation. When I checked online a few days later, answers were not forthcoming, but a leaked report from the coroner's office was causing speculation to run wild. It seemed the boys penis had been removed. 'Frozen solid and then broken off', was the exact line.
The End
© Dave Skinner 2020