The Lady In Ice

Ever since Felix was 10 years young he would do the same thing every winter. It had started on December 1st 1991.

The day was like any other , Felix had been awoken by his mother, got ready for school. He brushed his teeth, dressed in school uniform, and finally readied his school bag.

Today he had french , maths , english and geography. He placed the appropriate materials into his bag, laced his shoes and went out the door.

Felix's favourite part about going to school was his walk. He knew a shortcut, through the woods.

If his mother ever found out he went through the woods she would never allow him the freedom to walk to school alone again. To make sure he wasn't seen Felix would always leave extra early, claiming to go to meet his friends.

On this particular day there was frost on the ground and a comfortable chill in the air.

He entered the woods from under a very old bridge made of stone. It was glittered with very strange symbols, carved into each stone. Felix, at first, thought it was graffiti but in years to come he would discover them to be much, much more.

His first stop was his tree. This was Felix's tree, it was the one he walked into as a child on the first time he had been to the wood with his dad.

The memory of that day was as clear as the day it was made. It was the first day of winter break when his dad demanded him to go outside instead of playing his games console. Felix was reluctant to leave the comfort of his heated house but he knew better than to say no to his father.

His second stop was the lake. This was where Felix skimmed his first stone and set his first fire.

Felix had been to this lake over a thousand times but on the 1st of December 1991 he discovered something new.

He stood at the shore chipping away at the ice with pebbles when one stopped dead in the middle of the lake.

As that was his last usable stone (he had exhausted the shore of all its resources) he decided to venture across the lake to fetch his treasured stone.

He bent down to grasp the stone. Felix, at first, was sure he saw a ghost. In reality what he saw was what appeared to be a dead body. After staring intently he discovered the lady was in victorian clothing, specifically the clothing of a slave or maid.

Suddenly Felix was as frozen as his surrounding and the lady before him. His heart battering against his chest was the only thing that allowed him to keep a grip of this reality. He looked away and back several times, slapping himself, pinching his eyes, and moving away slightly in= between takes.

Finally he accepted the truth that there was indeed a woman before him, an attractive one at that. After staring for slightly too long Felix decided he should report this to the police. He went to leave immediately but his childish curiosity drew him back.

Stone in hand he smacked the ice, not a single scratch.

Felix tried every object within walking distance, not one thing marked the solid ice covering the lady.

Satisfied that it was impossible to free her himself he swiftly made his way to the station.

Luckily the station was not that far from his school, so he made it there within 10 minutes.

When he arrived at the front door he took a moment to catch his breath as he floundered into the front desk. He told the police man everything.

The policeman called one of his colleagues who asked Felix to escort him to the body immediately.

Felix did as he was told but to his utter shock when they returned the lady in the ice was gone.

He received many strong words from the office and taken home. The officer told his mother everything and he was never aloud to walk to school alone again. She expressly forbid him from going into the woods.

Felix, being a smart boy decided to go back on a day that his mother would be to busy to notice him sneaking off into the woods; Christmas day.

On Christmas day the same year Felix went back to the lake ; present in hand to impress the lady in ice. He had spent everyday thinking of what to get her. After some internet research he decided it would be best to get her a book that would help her learn english, as he discovered most maids/slaves would not be allowed the luxury of education.

To his delight when he returned there she lay, in the middle of the lake.

He sat with her for hours, being the only one to speak.

He told her of his life.

“I live it a big house, not as big as my friend john but it still pretty big. I have my own room and everything,” he told her.

He also told her about his brothers, his sisters, his mum and his dad.

He told her of what he learned at school and how he hated all his teachers because they gave him homework, even on the weekend.

Finally he told her he had brought her a Christmas present, that he left on top of the ice directly above her hand.

After a long time Felix noticed the sun setting and hurried back home. Leaving the lady in ice with a promise to return next year.

Felix kept that promise for the next 8 years.

On the Christmas of 1999 he made his yearly pilgrimage to the lake of the lady in ice.

Over the years the gifts increased both in extravagance and monetary value. He would also bring Christmas dinner but only one serving would be eaten at the time of his visit.

He always left her plate in hopes she would eat it later. He held hope that she was the one enjoying the meal as each year he returned , the presents he left would be opened and arranged neatly in a nearby hollowed out tree , and the plate empty.

Of course he considered this could have been the native animals at work but he remained faithful to the idea it was indeed the lady in ice who would enjoy his kindness.

As he slid a glass of wine to the portion of ice that encased her hand he notice again something new.

One finger was protruding slightly above the glass.

How had he never noticed that before?

After 8 years?