Page 16 of Our Dark Winter Wish

And I’m determined to make amends for this morning’s horror show.

‘Dress warm, Pix,’ I tell her. ‘You'll love it. Trust me.’

‘Oh,’ she sighs happily, gripping my hand as we face the frozen pond. ‘This is beautiful!’

The pond isn’t too deep, and thanks to its stillness and the constant snow fall, it has completely frozen over.

Archie puts the picnic down and pulls his coat around his neck, shivering against the cold. Despite his red nose and slightly blue lips, he beams as he always does, packed to the brim with excitement.

I open my satchel.

‘These are for you,’ I tell her, pulling out my surprise.

Pixie takes the two bones with strips of leather attached and looks at me as though I have gone mad.

‘Oh. They’re lovely,’ she says. She has no idea what the hell they are and is keen not to cause me offence. To be fair, it is an odd thing to be given without any context. ‘Are they the bones of my enemies or something?’

She doesn’t want to touch them. The last time she saw a load of bones wasn’t exactly a pleasant experience.

‘They’re animal. The shin bone of a cow, Pixie.’ I take them from her and kneel, taking her foot in my hand and getting to work.

The two others are busy attaching theirs, and I admit I enjoy the nervous little glimmer in her eyes as she looks from me to the pond.

She wobbles as I stand and grip her hands, helping her to balance.

‘She good?’ Dorian asks.

‘I think so.’ I let her go, and she stares at her feet, where two bones are attached to the soles of her boots. ‘She’s got pretty good balance-’

She yelps and falls flat on her backside, hitting the snow with a thud.

We’re all quick to help her back up, and none of us let her go this time.

‘Is this a new form of torture I’m unaware of?’ she laughs, gripping my arm as she slips and slides between us.

‘It’s ice skating,’ I reply. ‘Not torture. Just fun.’

‘I like fun.’

I grip her hands, and the two others step back. We watch them make their way to the ice.

Dorian and Archie glide onto its surface. They’re both uneasy at first. Archie is soon off, circling the pond with grace. Dorian takes a couple of strides… and falls flat on his arse.

The ice holds, so I know it will withstand anything.

Pixie laughs so hard that she loses her balance. I catch her before she falls and start to make our way to the pond.

‘Don’t let me fall,’ she says, watching my feet meet the ice.

‘I will never let you fall,’ I assure her.

She steps out, trusting my words. Trusting me. She slips, but I have her.

‘Keep your eyes up. Look ahead. Not down or behind you.’

‘Never truer words have been said,’ she retorts.

‘Now is not the time for deep and meaningfuls, Pixie,’ I smile. ‘Focus on staying on your feet.’

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