The Lounge's Winter Wonderland

"Welcome back," she smiles, grinning appreciatively at the bottles that land upon the table. "And I'm sure they'll be enjoyed at some point before long. Thank you for sharing them!"

"I've never been to the States, although I hope to one day, and my list of places to visit seems to grow all the time. And things to do too, that sleigh ride sounds amazing. Magical even!"

"I have my own cottage not far from here, further into the woods," her head gestures in the vague direction of her own little corner of the world, "but in the winter time I'm usually found around these parts, yes. When the spring comes I tend to move somewhere a little more...floral. And then when the summer comes, I get to open up the pool, next to the coast." Her blue eyes flash with excitement. "Every season brings a new place to be sociable with one another."

"When the real world calls me away home is in the, currently frozen, north of Scandinavia. I'm a Brit by birth but I haven't lived in the UK for a long time now."

She glances down at his empty hands and sits up a little.

"How rude of me, would you like another coffee? There's more in the pot, I can always get you one if you'd like."

"I'd love another coffee, thank you." I smile at the warmth and friendliness of our host.

"Scandinavia? I've always fancied visiting up there, but I've never had the excuse to go. Late spring to early summer seemed like a nice time to take the bike up into the mountains, but I don't know if I'll ever get around to it. I've become much more of a home-bird as I've got older, although recently I've had a feeling that I've left something of myself behind somewhere. Maybe that's what prompted me to venture out and explore."

I take my empty mug from the table and pass it over to Brit, to save her from reaching over.

"My real world lies in the north west of England, but luckily not in an over industrialised bit. Real life is a bit messed up to be honest, but nowhere near the train wreck it was a few years back. That's why I value having an escape so much."

Stifling an impolite yawn, I start to realise that I'm finally beginning to relax.

"Scandinavia is a lovely part of the world, although I might be biased in that opinion," she giggles, picking up his mug and heading into the kitchen to refill it.

"Mountains, lakes, the dark, dark winter days and the nightless summer months. I love it up there, I really do." She continues, passing his now full mug back over the table before settling back down, happy that her duty to her guests is fulfilled for now at least.

"I think every one needs an escape now and then, for one reason or another. It's just nice when our own escapes allow us to meet new people along the way." She lifts her own cup in a toast of sorts towards him and smiles before taking a long sip.

I raise my mug in return, echoing her salute.

"I'll agree with you there, meeting new friends is always a bonus. I had very little idea of what I was searching for when I first started out, other than trying to find ways to accept, or even explore, parts of myself that I'd denied for years, but I've met some amazing people on the way, and I've never felt that any of them expected me to justify myself; I'd just felt accepted. Before I ended up here, I'd decided that I needed to find somewhere peaceful and quiet for a while, and let things go as they may."

Settling back into the sofa, the warmth in the smile I return to my companions is genuine and heart felt.

"I think I've found that place here."

As the ambience of the setting and friendliness of the atmosphere star to work their magic, I wonder how long I'll be able to stay awake, and hope I don't offend anyone by drifting off to sleep.

… Weaving slowly between the trees, I move carefully through the snow, gently shifting my weight from foot to foot, trying to stay as silent as I can. My breathing and emotions are held in check in order not to give any hint of my presence. Ahead, I sense a clearing, brighter than here beneath the trees, and as I reach the boundary, I see the white stag standing proud in the sunlight. After days of tracking, I’ve finally found him.

I raise the crossbow to my shoulder and sight down the quarrel, taking aim on the neck of the great creature, but now the moment has come, I find myself quite unable to squeeze the trigger. The feeling is overwhelming; his life is not mine to take. My decision is made, and I lower the bow, but as I do so, I sense that I’m being observed.

As I turn my head to the right, I notice a figure step forward from the trees a little way across the clearing, and I’m surprised to see that it’s Brit. In spite of the cold, the outfit she’s wearing would make the most uninhibited warrior princess look positively overdressed. I can’t make sense of this, what’s Brit doing here? She smiles sweetly to me, but something isn’t right; Brit doesn’t smile like that. This is wrong, very wrong. And as soon as I realise, the veil of deceit fades from her face, revealing an identity I know all too well. It’s her, the one who’s stalked me for years; the one who calls herself simply ‘Beast’. I woke her from her slumber once, and she’s haunted me ever since, hunting me from the shadows, trying to get her claws into me again.

She starts across the clearing towards me, the tip of her tongue tracing the edge of her teeth, her face a mask of pure lust. I turn to run…

And my eyes snap open, my breath catches in my chest, and I have no idea where I am. It takes a moment or two for the disorientation to pass, then I see the flickering light of the fire, hear the crackling of the logs in the hearth, and I realise I’m awake.

“Wha?? Oh. Sorry, I must have drifted off there for a moment, how rude of me. I hope I didn’t snore, or talk in my sleep, or anything.”

I don’t know how long I’ve been out, but my companions don’t seem to have noticed over-much. I try to smile without too much embarrassment.

“You know, I’m inclined to agree with you, I think that there’s some good writing here.”

It’s been a strange winter, and I’ve spent a lot of it by myself, as it felt like we’ve all needed some time for ourselves and our own thoughts, but for me, the thought that there’s somebody there has been enough. I’ve found inspiration and companionship here, but as spring extends her fingers across the land, it’s time to move on.

Outside the barn, I finish loading my gear onto the Panhead, and let my eyes drift across the awakening landscape. Snowdrops have pushed their way through the last of the snow, and between the trees, the first of the bluebell stems are reaching for the newfound warmth of the sun, which gleams off the surface of lake. I like it here.

I wave as I see Brit lock up the house and head off up a path that seems somehow greener than the rest, and she seems happy, heading off into a new season of promise and rebirth. I wish her well; I’m going to miss her. I presume that she’s following the track that leads to the garden that she spoke of over the winter, and I’m tempted to join her, but there’s things that I need to attend to first; things that I’ve neglected, and it’s high time I dealt with them. But I will be back, as soon as I’m able.

The old ’58 starts first kick, as I knew she would, and settles to a deep familiar rumble. She slips easily into gear, and I roll back down the track that I arrived on all those months ago, taking my time to etch the details into my mind as I retrace my way back to the road. I will be back, I could never stay away, I just hope it’s before winter returns.