December 2025 "Lost Winter I" by Ulysses Ochoa

Okay, Edna. Just relax, maybe you’re just having a nightmare or something. Let’s just retrace how we got here. Edna Beezler tried to remember how she got to the unnerving sight before her.

Winter was her favorite time to take walks, as the soft snowfall put her mind at ease when she needed some time to simply think. The calming atmosphere was disrupted by a buzzing in her ears, and the snow began to fiercely pick up. Once the flash blizzard subsided and her vision was restored, she was at the entrance to an imposing, decaying structure. It’s kinda like a gothic mansion, only more…off. Whatever it’s made out of is glittery, dark blue, and scaly looking. Edna almost swore she could see the entire structure writhe slowly back and forth, as if ready to strike with venomous fangs.

Looking around, she saw that the trail she was on was gone. The expanse of white stretched out seemingly into infinity, as if the only things in existence were Edna and the manor. Reluctantly, Edna braved the front steps leading to what she assumed was the entrance. Every fiber of her being screamed to get away from there, but she didn’t want to take her chances walking who knows how long through the snow in search of a safer haven.

She looked at the front door with confusion. There was no doorknob or bell, only two brass hands jutting out from the center that were seemingly clasped in prayer. Reaching out cautiously towards them, Edna gasped as the hands gripped her by the wrist. She felt herself being pulled through the closed door, phasing through it with a loud schlucking sound like the manor had swallowed its prey.

Suddenly, she found herself in a large frozen foyer, riddled with icy shards erupting from the floor. There were two doors to the left and right of her, and a large main staircase that split halfway, leading into different wings of the upper floors. At this split hung a large portrait that was painted completely black. Guess I have no choice but to look around. My gut is telling me if I try to go through that gross door back outside, I won’t make it out in one piece…

Edna’s unease grew as she explored the manor that stood in defiance of sense. One room opened straight to a bottomless pit, which bellowed out sounds that made her rush to close the door. Another was a claustrophobic room that was just walls of flesh, fur, scales, and feathers all mingled together, which stunk to high heaven.

Making her way quickly to the next floor, she was taking the upper-left staircase when a loud cracking made her freeze.

...to be continued...