When she looked up at the sky, the sun that had made the castle gleam and glisten a moment ago had vanished. Instead, everything was suddenly gray and white.
It began to snow again, much heavier than before. The wind picked up as well. When Dara turned around, already shivering despite her warm parka, the tunnel behind her had vanished.
For a moment she stood there, gaping at the veil of white where a minute ago, the entrance had been.
The wind was driving the snow into her face. She couldn’t see more than a few steps in front of her. Everything was white, and the wind was so strong it was difficult to keep her eyes open.
It’s still there. I just can’t see far enough because of the snow, she told herself, but her heart was still racing.
Carefully, she took a step forward, then another. It had to be right in front of her. She hadn
’t taken more than a few steps out of the tunnel—she’d probably run into the rock any second now, and wouldn’t that serve her right?
With outstretched arms, she took another step forward. Then a second, and a third.
Nothing.
Dara swallowed, trying to beat down her rising panic.
This is a tourist attraction. It’s completely safe here. I’m just scared because I’m not used to snow.
The tunnel couldn’t be more than a few feet away. Inside, she’d be safe from the wind and the snow. And then she’d climb into her car, put the heating on high and turn the radio on, and drive back down into Christmas Valley.
This would make a fun story to tell there. Maybe she’d make friends at the hotel. This evening, she could sit around a fire with a few strangers, sipping eggnog and laughing at her adventures.
“Everything is going to be okay,” she said out loud, trying to reassure herself.
The wind ripped the words from her mouth. She couldn’t even hear herself over the roar of it. Terrified, she stumbled a few more steps forward—but there was still nothing.
No rocks. No tunnel. No gate.
She was lost in a snowstorm, and no one knew where she was.
“Oh God,” she sobbed, but the storm tore those words away as well.
She took out her phone, fingers trembling, but the signal was gone. With freezing fingers she tried texting Miranda, but it didn’t send. She stared down at the red exclamation mark next to the message, telling her that it wasn’t going anywhere.
Her panic rising, she tried to call 911, but there was still no signal. In her fear, she began shaking her phone, but that didn’t help either, and after a moment, she managed to pull herself together again.
She needed to find her car. Or, if that failed, she needed to find other people.
The castle.
If she could make it to the castle, she’d be safe. Even if it was closed today, an attraction this large would have someone living there for maintenance. Or at least they’d have a working phone line.
Swallowing heavily, Dara turned again. A moment ago, she’d stared straight at the castle. All she had to do was walk forward.
Straight into the storm...
But she’d seen the ground rise sharply to lead up towards the top of the mountain where the castle was situated. As long as she was walking upwards, she couldn’t miss it.
It’ll be all right. This is like a winter Disneyland! No one dies at Disneyland, she told herself firmly, and then she set out.
She couldn’t say how long she walked. The wind was howling and tearing at her. The snow seemed to have turned into tiny pieces of ice that pricked at her skin. She pulled the hood down as far as she could. Her breath was freezing in the air. She could barely see more than where to place the next step. The ground was as white as the sky, so that she couldn’t even say where it ended or began.
But she could feel that she was walking upwards. It was slippery, the snow hiding a layer of ice underneath, but at least she was wearing sensible boots.
Go upward. Keep going up, she told herself.