Temptation of the Ice

Tentatively Sherry took a step, it was always the way every winter. Fresh snow covered the trees and a fresh, hard layer of ice covered Marquine Pond in to a frozen wonderland. She had been cautious every year since she had slipped and fell through the ice one year and caught pneumonia. She missed the whole season of ice-skating and she vowed never to make that mistake again. Feeling that the ice was stable underneath her skate, she edged her other foot so was fully on the pond. She let out a breath.

‘Ahh, oh how I have missed you’ she yelled happily as she shook the wobbles off and started to slowly glide across the pond. Sherry loved ice-skating and practiced every winter, she wasn’t a professional but just loved the cold air, the hard of the ice and the free feeling that gliding smoothly across a vast ice covered stretch allowed.

‘Sherry??’ she heard coming from the house.

‘Yes mum?’ she replied, not looking at her mother as since the incident her mother hated seeing her on the ice.

‘Be careful ok?’ her mum said sadly. Sherry just nodded.

I am a teenager now, why does she feel the need to swaddle me, Sherry thought. Taking a few deep breaths, she took a long glide and flew across the pond before letting the breath go. Coming to a standstill she looked up with her eyes closed and marvelled at the beauty of the world in this gorgeous season as small snowflakes fell on her hair.

‘Everything is perfect’ she breathed and smiled.

After a few minutes of peace, Sherry took a step back and almost immediately fell over. Looking down she noticed a small hill of serrated ice that she had caught. Touching it with her fingers and leaning closer for a better look, she saw something under the ice which made her recoil back in horror. Edging back but ever so slowly Sherry brushed at the ice with her hand until she saw it clear as day, a face under the ice. Grey and gaunt. But how and who?

‘What the? Oh my god’ Sherry shrieked, her heart racing faster. Just then the eyes on the face popped open and were staring straight at Sherry.

‘Ahhhhhh’ Sherry screamed but no words came out and tried to get up from the ice, but for some reason she was stuck. Like she herself was frozen.

The ice started moving, and fell away as the body belonging to the face emerged from the ice.

‘Hello Sherry, I have been watching you. I am Helena, please don’t be afraid’ and extended her grey corpse hand.

Inside her now frozen composure, Sherry’s heart raced faster and faster. What was happening? Why couldn’t she move? Who was this? All these questions she couldn’t ask because she couldn’t speak.

Helena’s hand reached Sherry’s and almost immediately she could feel the touch, it was warm which was strange.

‘I am not going to hurt you, come with me and you can skate for the rest of your life and live forever’ Helena said in a warm but monotone voice. Sherry again couldn’t respond, but she couldn’t understand what this person was saying. I just want to go home, she thought.

‘Come to Marquine Iceworld, you said so yourself you love winter. This way winter will last forever’ before Sherry could think, Helena’s hand grabbed hers and they both fell into the pond, which seemed to open up a door to an underworld. Sherry found herself not frozen anymore. She gasped,

‘Where have you brought me? Where is my mum?’

‘Your mum doesn’t understand you, and now you have left that world, she will have no recollection of you at all.’ Helena replied smiling evily. ‘You have arrived at your new home’.

Sherry's heart raced as she found herself in this eerie underworld, torn away from her familiar world. She struggled to comprehend the situation as Helena's words echoed in her mind. What had she gotten herself into? She longed for the comfort of her mother, but it seemed like a distant memory now.

Lost in this strange realm, Sherry realized she had to find a way back home, back to her mother, back to everything she knew. But as she glanced around, the icy landscape seemed to stretch endlessly, with no sign of escape in sight. She clenched her fists, determination flickering in her eyes. No matter what, she had to find a way out of this frozen nightmare.

In this frozen underworld, the air hung heavy with a chilling stillness that seemed to seep into Sherry's bones. The landscape stretched out before her, an endless expanse of ice and snow, devoid of life and warmth. Jagged icicles dangled from frozen cliffs, casting eerie shadows across the barren terrain. The sky above was a stark canvas of grey, with no sun to illuminate the desolate landscape.

As Sherry ventured further into this frozen world, she couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. Strange whispers echoed through the icy corridors, sending shivers down her spine. She hurried along, her skates slicing through the frozen ground with each step, the sound reverberating in the empty silence.

Occasionally, she would catch glimpses of other figures moving in the distance, their forms obscured by the swirling snow. Were they lost souls like herself, trapped in this icy prison? Or were they something more sinister, lurking in the shadows, waiting to ensnare her in their icy grip?

Despite the frigid temperatures, sweat prickled on Sherry's brow as fear clenched her heart. But she pressed on, driven by the hope of finding a way back home, back to the warmth and safety of her mother's embrace. The frozen world around her seemed to mock her efforts, its icy fingers tightening their grip with each passing moment.

But Sherry refused to be defeated. With every step, she pushed forward, determined to break free from the icy prison that held her captive. And though the path ahead was treacherous and uncertain, she knew that as long as she held onto hope, she would find her way back to the world she once knew.