The Christmas Spirit by Alexandrea Weis

Author:Alexandrea Weis [Weis, Alexandrea]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Christmas, ghost story, romance, A Christmas Carol
Publisher: Vesuvian Books
Published: 2023-11-28T08:00:00+00:00

Her boots skidded along the slick surface of the path ascending from the river, sending a surge of anxiety ripping through her. Once she arrived beneath the canopy of trees, the darkness became daunting. Courtney groped along the tunnel, longing to reach Peter. Occasional shards of red light would peek through the opening in the trees, giving her a brief snippet of where she was. She walked on, her steps quickening as a numbing dread spread across her limbs.

“Peter!”

Nothing.

Her glove got caught on a branch. She yanked it free and ended up losing the glove. Instead of wrestling with the branch, she trudged on.

The cold was getting worse, too. It chilled her to the core and the feeling in her fingers and toes dwindled. She shoved her ungloved hand into her jacket pocket, vowing to never leave the warmth of her cabin again.

A crush of leaves and snow came from up ahead. She gulped and charged forward.

“Peter?”

Another crashing sound, like branches moving, came from her left. She followed the noise, praying she’d found him.

More light, purple and glowing, came through the breaks in the canvas above. Then, she spotted him, darting behind a few branches as he rushed along.

“Peter, stop.”

When she reached the outcropping of branches, he wasn’t there.

She stomped and moved on. Courtney wasn’t sure where she was or if she was on the right path.

Peter’s dark hair and the back of his coat appeared again briefly, heading to the right. She didn’t call ahead but figured he’d slowed down enough for her to keep up. The grip of panic eased in her belly. At least he hadn’t left her completely.

The glimmer coming through the trees darkened and soon there was barely any light to guide her. Now and then, his footfalls on the snow would give her a direction, or she would catch glimpses of his hair.

Rife with cold and distress, she started shivering. The chattering of her teeth blocked any sounds of him on the path. The blackness around her spread, and she feared she would lose all track of him.

Then, the trees around her thinned. The branches let in bits of purple light, and the tunnel widened.

She pressed on, comforted that she was out of the worst part. The clearing had to be close.

Courtney regretted the adventure. She should have refused his invitation, but what was he thinking? Who leaves a customer alone in the woods to fend for herself? What if something happened to her? Didn’t he care about the legal ramifications?

“If he were my client, I would dump his butt for being an idiot.”

She stepped over fallen branches in the snow, her muscles aching for rest, and her determination waning with every step.

Something rushed past an opening in the trees ahead of her. She swore she saw Peter’s black coat. Courtney summoned her strength to sprint ahead and catch him. And when she pressed through a group of low-lying branches, a clearing appeared.

She stopped to catch her breath, grateful to be out of the eerie woods.

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