A Made to Order Getaway

We drove up the snowy, winding road towards the cozy A-frame cabin, unaware we were being observed. The howling wind outside drove flurries of snow across the windshield, masking the pristine terrain which normally greeted us.

I should have noticed the odd twin lights emanating from the cabin’s huge triangular windows but my boyfriend, Ryan, was being annoyingly distracting.

“You’re sure you have the keys?” he asked, placing his hand on my thigh, slowly inching his way up my leg. “I could just reach into your pocket and check,” he suggested, flashing his wicked smile. “I don’t want to be stuck outside in this mess.”

“Yes, I have the keys,” I said, shaking my head. “We didn’t come all this way for our secret rendezvous just to end up turning around. Besides, I know where the spare key is hidden.” I winked. “A family secret I’ll let you in on if you’re a good boy.”

“Oh, I’ll be a good boy, if that’s what you want,” Ryan smiled. “But when I’m bad, I’m even better,” he teased in his best May West imitation.

We both laughed, enjoying the moment.

As we pulled up to the A-frame cabin, I noticed its front windows were steamed up, like the windows of a cold car when you first start it.

“Mmm,” I puzzled. “Look at the windows. No one has been here for weeks. What could be causing them to steam up?”

“Body heat?” Ryan laughed.

“I’m serious,” I responded. “Can you make this wind let up? We can get a better view.”

“Sure,” Ryan winked. “Just a moment.”

He closed his eyes for a few seconds and the wind stopped. As the snow settled, I spotted a white-clad figure moving toward the back door of the cabin.

“Do you see that, Ryan?” I asked. “Someone’s here.”

“I didn’t see anything,” Ryan reassured me. “There is no one here but us, honey.”

“Then what did I just see?”

“Not sure,” Ryan answered. “A glitch in the program?”

“No one is supposed to be in here with us, right?”

“This is our secret rendezvous getaway, “Ryan said. “We booked a private trip.”

“Well, someone is definitely here,” I said.

We got out of the car, trudging our way through six inches of snow built up on the sidewalk leading to the front door.

“Who’s there?” I called out.

Ryan rolled his eyes.

I got out the keys and unlocked the door. The dark living room was quite chilly, as was to be expected. Ryan flipped on the lights revealing watery foot prints on the wood floor.

“You’re right,” he looked at me, “someone has been here. Recently.”

I nodded, silently watching him.

“I’m gonna check the back door, babe,” Ryan said. “You stay here.”

He disappeared down the hall, through the kitchen. I inspected the huge living room windows and saw the foggy remains of a handprint. I smiled.

The detail is amazing.

Ryan returned a bit shaken. “The back door was unlocked and there are footprints in the snow.”

“Come look at this, Ryan,” I called him over to the window.

“Who could possibly have gotten inside?” he asked, seeing the handprint on the glass.

As we peered through the window, a snow white figure crossed in front of us, making its way toward the car.

“Holy shit!” Ryan cried out. “What the hell is that?”

“I don’t know,” I said, turning my head away from him so he wouldn’t see my smile.

The humanoid figure moved with a strange gait, the way snow would drift across a field. As we watched it, transfixed, the unknown form seemed to break apart into a coalesced cloud of snow. Then a few feet later, its body would reconstruct itself, continuing its journey across the front of the cabin.

“What do you think it is?” I asked Ryan.

Ryan looked at me intently, studying my face. I tried to hold my gaze level and keep my features neutral.

“Well, if I were in a fantasy world and had to guess,” he slowly smiled, “I would say it’s some kind of creature made out of snow.”

“Like what?” I prodded. Keeping a straight face.

“How about a being from another plane of existence?” Ryan quizzically asked.

“You’re on the right track, “ I broke into a huge smile, unable to keep the ruse going any longer. “Can you be more specific?”

“A snow elemental,” Ryan declared.

“Good job, honey!” I laughed. “But I made it too easy. I wanted you to work harder to figure it out.”

Ryan laughed too. “Well, you had me going. The hand prints on the glass pane, the watery tracks on the floor, the back door being unlocked with footprints leading around the side of the cabin. All very suspenseful.”

“What do you think of the snow elemental? Pretty awesome, right?’

We watched the animated snow creature, with its unique ambulatory style, continue to traverse past the car and disappear into the forest surrounding us.

“Incredible,” Ryan acknowledged. “So, how did you do it? I paid for this VR trip.” He flashed his beautiful smile at me. “I know snow elementals were not included.”

“Well, I know how much you like your supernatural life forms,” I confessed. “So after you booked the trip, I called the technician, told him it was a special occasion, and a surprise, and asked if I could add on another feature.”

“How covert of you,” Ryan laughed again.

“I thought you’d appreciate the element of surprise,” I teased. “I told the tech I wanted a suspense component with an unearthly twist.”

“It’s flawless,” Ryan said, giving me a big hug. “Happy Anniversary.”

“Happy Anniversary, honey,” I echoed, cupping his head with my hands, kissing him tenderly.

“Thank you so much for the snow elemental,” Ryan beamed. “It was the perfect touch.”

“You’re welcome,” I grinned. “I’m so glad you liked it.”

“You know, this good boy is feeling very bad right now,” he winked. “Come with me.” He took my hand and led me upstairs toward the master bedroom. “I want to express my gratitude.”

“I can’t wait!” I chuckled, following him through the doorway.