Armed with a fresh cup of coffee, James settled into his chair. Before opening the journal he’d been reading the night before, and stopped because he couldn’t keep his eyes open any longer, he picked up the pad of paper he’d been making notes on.
Frowning, he skimmed over what he had so far. More deaths of people who’d wandered off well-marked trails during the winter, a few more vague descriptions of a small, white, devil-like creature, and three accounts of strange music being heard in the dead of winter, away from the settlement.
“Hi, Daddy,” Joey said from the doorway.
James looked up with a smile. “Hey, buddy. What’s up?”
Edging a little further into the room, Joey announced, “It snowed overnight!”
“Yes, I saw that.”
Another step forward. “Can we go out and build a snowman?” he asked hopefully.
“I’m sorry, bud, but I’ve got some work to finish up. Maybe later.”
“Okay,” Joey said. Shoulders slumped, he turned and dragged his heels as he left the room.
James stared after him. He knew just how he felt. How many times had he stood in the doorway of his father’s study, wanting to spend time with him? But Joseph was always too busy working on his obsession. The last thing he wanted was to become his father.
“Hey, Joey! Hold up a minute.” He set the notepad and journal aside. “Building a snowman sounds like a lot of fun.”
“Really?”
Joey’s bright, hopeful look made James feel a little ashamed. He really had been spending too much time holed up in his office.
“Let’s see just how big a snowman we can build,” he said, joining his son in the doorway.
“All right!” Joey yelled, fist pumping in the air. He practically bounced down the hall, leading the way to the back door.
The next couple of hours went a long way to assuaging James’s conscience. The fresh air was invigorating and Joey’s laughter was infectious. The accumulation of snow wasn’t huge, but it was enough for them to make a modest snowman.
“They won’t be here yet,” Joey said, as they stood back to admire their work.
“Who won’t be, buddy?”
“Winter’s children. It’s not cold enough yet.”
James opened his mouth, then shut it again. If he was honest with himself, he’d have to admit that more than once he’d scanned the surrounding woods, on the alert for anything strange. Joey was one observant little boy.
“C’mon,” he said. “Let’s go inside. I hear a cup of hot cocoa calling me.”
“With little marshmallows?”
“With little marshmallows,” James agreed.
They went inside and Maggie made them their hot chocolate. When they were done, Joey decided he wanted to make a snow fort out of his LEGO. James hesitated, watching him for a moment and thinking about what he’d said outside.
From all accounts what Joey said was true, the creatures needed the cold before they’d make an appearance. He wondered what other information Joseph had shared with him. Maggie nudged him with her hip.
“Go on,” she told him. “He’s going to be asleep before the first wall goes up.”
“I know, I just—”
“Yeah, yeah,” she teased. “Just go and finish reading those journals, and then maybe you can put it all behind you.”
“You’re the best,” he told her, giving her a kiss on the head.
He went back to his study and settled into his chair again. Picking up the pad of paper, he made a note about temperatures. It was something he hadn’t really considered before, but there had never been any sightings of the creatures in anything but the snow.
Yes, his father called them Winter’s Children, but where did they go when it wasn’t winter? He wondered if Joey knew. He took the notepad with him out to the living room, and had to smile. It was just as Maggie had said. Joey was curled up on the floor beside a pile of LEGO, a single wall just starting to take shape.
His questions could wait for another day. Maybe his questions would be answered in the remaining journals, Joseph had to have got the information from somewhere. He made a move towards Joey, but Maggie stopped him.
“Just leave him,” she said in a loud whisper. “He’ll probably only sleep for about half an hour and then he’ll finish his fort without missing a beat.”
“All right,” James said. “You know where I’ll be if you need me for anything.”
“Supper’s at six,” Maggie reminded him. “And I’m not keeping it warm for you this time.”
“Yes, ma’am.” James went back to the journals eagerly, with something new to keep an eye out for.
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
Missed an installment? Catch up here:
Introduction, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10,
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