“Quite a lot,” Ezra replied. “It must be expensive.”
It looked like a luxurious, exclusive hotel that catered to guests with money. Everything was professional and polished. Winter flowers grew around the house, while a horse stable was off in the distance behind it. Tall pine trees covered in lights made the property look like a fancy winter wonderland.
“I can see why she’d want to befriend us,” Clara said. “With a property like this, they could charge hefty prices. But they’ll only be able to do so if more people visit the area, particularly people with money. If they can drive up tourism by supporting local businesses and lodging like our own that could never compete with them anyway, they can build a name for the town and drum up business for themselves.”
“Makes sense,” Ezra said. “Do you hold such lofty ambitions? Would you like to own a place like this someday?”
“I don’t think so,” Clara admitted. “I really like our Victorian home. I’ve enjoyed customizing the rooms and making it a unique experience. If we expanded too much, it might lose that personal touch. Maybe someday I’ll change my mind. But for now I really like the life we’re currently living. Aside from the ghosts of course.”
The conversation darkened a little as Ezra parked the car. He turned to Clara.
“I really don’t want you to worry too much about the ghosts,” he said. “I know that’s a crazy statement. I mean, ghosts are ghosts. Most people would worry about them. But these ghosts don’t seem malicious. They simply seem sad. It seems all they want is to get justice, as most people would.
“I understand that all this is far from the norm. I never thought I’d have to experience anything like it. I’m sure you didn’t either. But it doesn’t need to be scary or intimidating. It doesn’t need to darken our dream life. We can get through this, okay? It’s just an adjustment.”
“An adjustment?” she scoffed. “Some adjustment.” Then she sighed. “I get it though. You’re right. I’m going to try not to dwell on it. I think today is going to be a good break from everything. A much-needed break.”
“I hope so.” He took her hand and kissed it.
By the time they walked up to the front door, Brittany had already opened it and was standing in the door frame looking beautiful in her designer boots and winter jacket.
“Good morning,” she said, her smile as bright as the morning sun. “I’m so glad you came over. We’re going to have so much fun.”
“For sure,” Sam said as he came out behind her with snowshoes in his hands. “Let’s show you the amazing nature this town has to offer.”
The four friends strapped on their snowshoes. Then, Ezra and Clara followed Sam and Brittany to a trail behind the house that stretched on into the woods. They hadn’t bothered shoveling it, of course. And after all the blizzards they’d weathered through that year, the snow was far too high to walk in without snowshoes.
“Have you ever been snowshoeing before?” Brittany asked.
“No,” they answered simultaneously.
“It’s going to be an experience for sure then,” Sam promised as they started down the trail. “There’s something different about being out here in winter. It’s more peaceful somehow.”
He wasn’t wrong. The thick, puffy layers of white snow muffled all sounds and made the land look pristine. Since all other scents were covered in snow, only the strong smell of pine trees survived, stark in each breath they drew in. Other naked trees allowed for a deeper look into the forest than they were usually afforded. With few leaves to stand in their way, they could see the land as it stretched on, revealing rocks and frozen rivers they’d usually miss.
Since Ezra and Clara lived in the city, they hadn’t been able to go hiking all that often. The trails they did travel to were often filled with other eager hikers. They still found stretches of quiet among the trees, but they came across people often enough to remind them they weren’t alone.
That day though, they were alone. The four of them were the only ones around for miles, and the silence that was evoked by this was powerful. They didn’t speak for some time. The only sound was the sound of their snowshoes against the snow.
“Wait,” Sam whispered as a frozen river broke the landscape up ahead. They paused. “Look.”
He pointed to a tree near the river. It took a moment, but then Ezra and Clara spotted the doe too. She was cautious as she stepped out from behind a tree, towards the edge of the river where the ice didn’t quite cozy up to the bank.
“Beautiful,” Clara whispered.
They watched silently as the doe dipped her elegant neck towards the water and drank, her big eyes alert for any predators nearby. Since most other animals were hibernating, the moment felt even more special.
Usually, they felt like they were surrounded by creatures in the woods. They couldn’t always see them. In fact, they rarely could. But they still got the sense that there were other living beings out there. The trails always felt full of life.
That day, they got the sense that most of life was sleeping, so each flicker of life was brighter. Each movement was bigger somehow. They were enthralled with this deer. When she left, they remained there for a little while, watching the spot where she’d been standing.
“I bet you don’t get that in the city,” Sam teased.
“Not at all,” Ezra admitted.
“It’s enchanting,” Clara said. “Thank you for taking us out here.”
“I knew you’d like it,” Brittany said as they started walking again. “You seem like the type of people who can value the simpler things. I know based off our lifestyle it might seem like we don’t, but we do too.
“We love this area more than anything. We love the nature it offers, the people, the experiences. It means
