Frozen in Time

The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window. As the light suddenly appeared, a flurry of snow rose from the ground, swirling angrily. Eerie music filled the air in the same second. Trees, bare with the winter scene, began to sway and move.

Figures, vaguely resembling people, stiffly came to life.

"The one who turns the key must to the end still be. When the flame goes out there will be no doubt. The one who walks away with their life will pay."

"I don't want to do this anymore!" the female skater cried, though no tears fell. Her face remained cheerful as she spun in her partner's arms, gliding effortlessly over the frozen pond.

"I know, honey," he replied sympathetically, his face belying his tone. "We'll find a way."

"You said that the last time too," she complained as they glided over the ice in a figure-8.

"And the time before that," the female dancer called from between the trees, her face trained on her partner's, a bright smile lighting a pretty, porcelain face. A tweed clodagh in a deep burgundy herringbone pattern sat atop her head, two felt buttons adorning a solid, black band wrapping around the circumference. Her matching cape covered a plain, black, high collared shirt and a high-waisted, black wool Edwardian walking skirt swirled around her legs as she moved. Worn, black leather boots covered her feet.

Her partner remained silent, his handlebar mustache curled at the ends, perfectly unmoving though the snow swirled and blew around them. A black felt Homburg hat sat snug atop his head, and he was dressed in a knee-length, woolen topcoat in the same deep burgundy. Black, woolen pants and two-tone shoes completed his attire.

On every 16th note, he loosened his grip on his partner just enough to spin her around, then drew her back to his chest to move through the trees again.

The couple on the ice were dressed more modernly, though just as warmly: he, in a bright red wool beanie, off-white down parka, black snow pants and ice skates; and she, in a purple puffy jacket, matching ear muffs, black snow pants, and skates.

As with the couple dancing through the trees, on every 16th note, the skating pair would separate. They would push off the ice in tandem and perform a perfect double axel, before joining together again, her back to his chest.

"I'm going to push you away with all my force," the male skater whispered in his partner's ear. "When I do, do everything in your power to get out of here, got it?"

The woman nodded, counting down to the next 16th note. When it sounded, the man groaned with effort as he shoved her with all his might. She separated from him, jumped into a double axel, and slid effortlessly back to his chest.

"I thought you were going to push me away!"

"I pushed with everything I had," he said in resignation.

The dancing man slid his gaze upward. He felt the ground trembling and squeezed his eyes shut, a single tear sliding down his cheek. His partner noticed too and screamed, the sound filled with anger and frustration, terror and dread. The eerie music began to slow, the sound warbly and tinny.

The ground shook with great violence. A pink fog, thick and swirling, filled the air. With it, a pungent odor. The eerie music slowed until silence filled the air once more. The candle that was once aglow in the window, faded to black.

Within seconds, a young woman appeared behind the cabin, a cell phone to her head. Large, Gucci sunglasses shielded wide eyes filled with fear.

Lucinda picked up the snow globe, a sinister smile playing across crimson lips set against a pale face. She set the tchotchke back on the shelf, turning it to see her newest addition.

"Silly girl," she chided. "How shall you be punished?"

The rich girl with name-brand clothes and accessories ignored her warning, as four others had, setting the snow globe back onto the shelf while the music still played. When the music finally ended, Gucci girl was on the opposite side of the store, still talking--loudly--on her cell phone.

As the last note faded, Gucci girl was immediately transported into the snow globe, placed at the rear of the cabin. Lucinda decided the woman would never speak again, and her phone would not leave the side of her head.

She tapped the top of the snow globe, bringing it to life again. The couple on the ice began skating; the couple in the woods, dancing. The young, 20-something woman tried calling out for help, to no avail. Though her lips moved, no sound emerged. She decided to try to text her BFF but found, to her horror, she was unable to move her arm. Her phone would remain glued to her head for eternity.