Page 47 of Single Dad's Christmas Cookie

“How do you know about doing that?” I asked. I had never taken Amelia camping. She wasn’t old enough, or maybe I wasn’t ready for her to be old enough. This upcoming summer, I should think about a camp for her, taking her out or sending her off to one of those programs.

“They always do that in movies. Whenever they go camping, they tell ghost stories around the fire too.”

“I don’t know about ghost stories,” Nova said. “I don’t need to be any more scared.”

“There’s nothing to be scared of. We’re safe, we’re inside, and we’re together. I’ll keep you safe,” Amelia said.

After the power went out, Nova was far more nervous than I realized. She must have been keeping her anxiousness in check after I got her home. After I pulled her from the car, I thought she was doing fine, but her giggles held no humor.

“Hey,” I said. “Are you going to be okay?”

“Sure, sure, I am.” She giggled nervously.

“Why don’t you and Amelia set up a pillow fort for us? That’ll help keep us warm like a nest.”

“Where are you going?” Nova asked.

“I’m going to go find stuff in the kitchen for dinner.”

“Not without me.”

With Nova and Amelia following me into the kitchen, instead of simply rummaging around in the pantry looking for cans of soup that could be heated in a pan, it became a complete foraging party into the dark unknown. Amelia seemed to be having fun. Nova, I wasn’t so certain about.

“Do you like music?” I asked as I searched the pantry.

“Sure, but the radio isn’t going to work without power,” Nova pointed out.

“I wasn’t thinking about the radio.”

I turned and handed a couple of cans of hearty beef soup that I had found to Nova. “Here, take these and grab a pot and I’ll meet you back in the den.”

“Where are you going?” she asked as I started to walk past her.

“To get some music. I’ll meet you back in the den.”

A look of pure panic crossed her face. I paused and took her hand. “Just because the lights are out doesn’t mean there’s some boogie man around the corner. The house hasn’t magically rearranged itself. All the rooms are in the same place as they were when the lights were on. Besides, you’ve got Amelia with you. She won’t let anything happen to you.”

“I’m being silly, aren’t I? It’s just a storm. I’ve been through plenty of those.” Her voice quavered.

“It’s okay to be nervous. You had a bit of a scare earlier with the car. I’m sure your nerves are still jangled from that. And you don’t know this place like the back of your hand like you would if you were at home.”

“Right. I can walk through my parents’ house with my eyes closed and barely bump my shins.”

“You’ve got the flashlight on your phone. You’ll be fine.” I ran my hand over her upper arm. I resisted pulling her in for a hug. It wouldn’t have been particularly comfortable with her hands full of soup cans.

I left her and Amelia in the kitchen, continuing their search for marshmallows. Amelia would not accept that there were none in the pantry.

I crossed the dark house. There wasn’t even enough light coming in through the large windows to help me see my way. I looked out the oversized windows. We were going to lose a lot of heat through those. They were double-pane windows and sealed for efficiency, but in this cold without the furnace working… If the power wasn’t back on tomorrow, I’d have to figure out a way to keep the warmth in. I should probably close off this side of the house during the winter.

I felt the chill when I opened the music room. Another spot in the house with large windows that weren’t doing a very good job of keeping the cold out. At least there were drapes in here that I could close. After untying and closing the drapes, I grabbed my guitar and made my way back to the den.

It was empty. The cans of soup and a pan rested on the front of the fireplace.

“Oh, there you are. A guitar! You did get music. I assume that means you can play?” Nova said as she as Amelia came back into the room.

She had a tray covered with a variety of items, from soup bowls to a box of crackers and a block of cheese. I did not see any marshmallows.

“Yes, I play. Did you get everything? Need help bringing more from the kitchen?”

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