By the time Ethan finished his drawing the sun had dipped just below the fiery horizon. The snow and ice shimmered off the surface of the beautiful frozen lake, which was about one hundred feet or so from the shack.

This happened to be the best time to look out the window and see who else Ethan and I would meet, as it punctuated the day.

And on cue, Ethan emerged from the bathroom, tucked his notebook away on the book shelf, and sat on the edge of the bed in his favorite spot. He stared toward the window as he done hundreds of times before. "Who is it that you see, Allison?"

I ignored the notebook, place the thought of its curious contents in the back of my mind, and quickly got into storytelling mode. "The beautiful girl in the red cloak has returned." I leaned forward in the snug chair and wiped my palm across the window to clear the foggy condensation from the glass. Now the lake came into clear view.

"Is she alone?" Ethan's head tilted to the side curiously.

"Yes, she's alone. She's walking with her head down. She looks really lost and lonely."

"Describe her to me." Ethan lay back on the bed with his hands cradling his head, and stared at the ceiling.

"Well, she's about my height and shape. She's wearing a long dark dress and a beautiful diamond ring on her left hand." Allison was sure Ethan knew she couldn't see a piece of jewelry on a person's hand from that distance, but she entertained his imagination anyway.

"Where is the knight?"

"The knight was too busy examining the shadows and lost her somewhere beyond the snowy trees. Now she's lonely because he's gone."

Ethan turned to his side and watched me as my mind conjured up more images, he stared as if he could see the cogs working in my brain.

In the silence that followed, I took in my surroundings while piecing together my tale. The log walls allowed a breeze of air into the shack through the spaces, making the temperature drop about another ten degrees. I shivered and Ethan must've noticed, because he offered me a blanket from the bed. The blanket was all I needed to hold my body heat in, making me cozy.

I peered out the window again and was stunned to see movement. I squinted my eyes for better vision, focusing on the spot near the edge of the lake where it occurred. My heart thumped against my ribcage and I nearly gasped when a figure of a young man disrupted the shimmer of ice near the frozen lake.

Could this be real?

After all these years, have my imagination suddenly become so vivid?

"Wait a minute." I shook my head, still unsure. "I see ... the knight."

"He's returned?" Ethan's eyebrows perked with excitement, making my stomach tremble with a mixture of excited anxiety I haven't felt in so long.

"Yes." Butterflies fluttered in my belly at the thought of seeing a figment of my imagination come to life before my eyes. "The knight has returned and he's without armor. He's wearing dark colored jeans and a thick black sweater, and he's looking around as if he's searching for something."

"For the girl in the red cloak?" Ethan blinked slowly and yawned, obviously his reclined position was aiding in his tiredness.

"I don't know..." My voice trailed off as I leaned forward to get a better look.

"You don't know?" Ethan's tone took on another form, that of concern. "You always know." He sat up on the edge of the bed with an inquisitive look in his eyes and stood.

"No, no, no." I put a hand up to stop him. "You have to sit or you'll ruin it." What if Ethan's curiosity and him looking made it all go away? What if I never had another chance to experience such a vivid scene again? I didn't know much, but I knew I didn't want to lose this sight or this gift.

After a few seconds, he sat on the bed again with a wary look in his eyes.

I ignored his questioning stare and continued, "The knight has hair like the sun, a body like a dancer, and the height of an athlete."

Ethan lay back on the bed, keeping his eyes on me as he listened.

"He looks strong and healthy, but a bit confused." I stopped talking to study the stranger for a moment.

He walked along the frozen lake peering in every direction between the trees. For a moment, I wondered if he may have seen the shack and become a bit anxious. And the more my body reacted to the sight of him, the more I questioned my own motive and sanity. I stared as he walked out of view but appeared again a moment later, this time with a girl on his arm.

Unsure if this was real or my imagination, I began to tremble at the realization that whatever it was, it went far beyond my control. Even so, he took the girl by the hand and pointed around the woods as if he was explaining something to her.

"I see the girl, she's back," I said after clearing the jitters from my throat. "From here she looks beautiful. She has dark hair, and a leather jacket on to keep her warm."

Ethan's eyebrows came together. "I thought she had golden locks and a red cloak."

"Yes." I nodded. "Now, it's a leather jacket and dark hair."

"Does she still have a ring on her finger?" Ethan was no longer enthralled with the story, I knew this by the apparent worry in his tone.

I pressed my forehead to the window. "I don't know. I can't see from here."

Ethan sat up on the bed again. "Do you see someone out there, Allison?" He lowered his voice to just above a whisper.

Should I tell him and risk losing the excitement of a highly entertaining session? And what if the scene I'm seeing is real? Will we have to leave after so many years to avoid confrontation?

While I debated with my options, Ethan rushed to the door to check the makeshift lock. A lock made by tying a long, sturdy strip of fabric through a hole in the door to a hole in the doorpost.

"It's just entertainment," I said, trying to convince myself.

When Ethan sat on the bed again he mumbled something under his breath. It wasn't unusual for him to talk to himself and be soft-spoken. He'd often whisper things that only he and God could hear. I've gotten used to that behavior by now.

Looking back out the window, only the glistening frozen lake surrounded by the shadow of the trees remain in the distance. Maybe it was too late. Maybe the gift was lost.

"How about we get ready for bed," I suggested with disappointment as the young man and girl were no longer in sight.

Throughout the night, I slept very lightly almost expecting the young man to come bursting into our shack out of curiosity to find a brother and sister living there. I lay awake listening for sounds of footsteps crunching in the snow or voices being carried alongside the breeze, but there were none.

All that was heard was the faint howling of the wind. This frightened me more than a gentle-looking young man. Although the sighting was odd and anxiety-inducing, the more I thought about it, the more I realized how bad I wanted to see him again.

Despite the amount of blankets over us, the cold sent an icy shiver through me and the eerie howling made my teeth chatter, but I immediately felt warmer and calmer the closer I slid to Ethan.

Finally, I allowed sleep take me under.

Until I was awakened by the sound of a twig breaking outside the hut.

There's more to come in chapter four. Meanwhile, let me know your thoughts in the comment section! And if you're enjoying the story so far, consider sharing it with others who might like it too. Thank you again for your time and engagement!