In the new year of 2017, unseasonable winter snows hit the otherwise temperate peaks of British Columbia in the southwest of Canada. Pammy and Sparkle, identical four-year-old twins, were playing with their parents on a steep snowy hill near Mount Washington on New Year's Day. The girls never seemed to tire of the sled rides with their mom and dad, giggling all the way down the long expanse and trying to run in the thick white powder back to the top. The weekend had been a promise to these honey-haired and doe-eyed daughters who, now old enough to make demands, wanted to play in real snow, which they had only previously seen the three past winters in pictures or on TV. This was because Vancouver Island of British Columbia harbored a mild climate, tempered by the influence of the Pacific Ocean.

Driving up to the mountain rage at the central region of the island that weekend, and staying at a friend's vacation cabin near Mt. Washington Peak, had been a Godsend to Josh and Evie. They both needed the much-deserved winter holiday from school teaching and parenting, which they had done non-stop the whole latter half of the year. This handsome young couple, with their adorable girls, formally named Pamela and Stephanie, lived in Cumberland—a hamlet more to the east of the island. Their town was larger than other villages in the area, and having just over three thousand residents, it was considered one of the more populous communities. The beauty of this British Columbia region was becoming well-known to travelers and Cumberland had become somewhat of a touristic venue for its charming Victorian residences, clear non-frozen weather, and its location amid pristine surroundings.

As Josh and Sparkle made it down the run on a sled and waited for Evie and Pammy, the dedicated father decided to allow them one more ride while he would walk back to the cabin to get a fire going for the chilly afternoon. Evie consented to one more climb back up the hill, pulling the two sleds for the girls to enjoy on their last descent. As the two little ones, well bundled and energetic, had become adroit at climbing unencumbered that day, they made it to the top of the ridge before their mother arrived with the heavy sleds. As children are prone to be, they felt the independence and freedom of being alone at the top of the hill exhilarating. This inspired them to run carelessly, naïve to any dangers, deeper into the whitened forest. As they entered the solitary and quiet world, immediately dusky from the shadows of trees and clouds above—a bright light caught their attention in the distance and they ran ever faster to investigate.

When Evie arrived at the summit shortly afterward, and did not find the girls waiting, she dropped the sleds and ran into the forest herself, shouting their names in a panic. The twins had made quite a distance on their own, loosing themselves in the dense woodland until the snow began to deepen and they saw something which immediately halted their path. It seemed to be a tree on fire in front of them. The two little ones stood in awe of the burning sight, while slowly out of the flames—walked a young lady.

She wore a white dress and stepped forward, bootless with her bare feet entering the drifts. The flames were soon behind her but kept the surrounding snow and trees in a bright yellow glow. Pammy and sparkle were immovable before the image, wide-eyed as the beautiful, golden-haired girl smiled and cautioned them with her arms to go no further into the woods.

Soon Evie came up in the deep snow behind the girls, also in awe of the bright light. The twins standing before her were but silhouettes against the great ambiance of unnatural light. As she approached slowly, placing her hands on the girls' shoulders, she too saw the unbelievable apparition of the girl, central to the bright aura. Evie noted that the young woman wore no coat or gloves and seemed completely detached to the woods and snow. Like a painting or an icon in a church her face beamed back at the three of them—peaceful and content. They all stood frozen just watching as the figure of the angelic girl in brilliant gold and white stepped back into the light. It was a brightness so intense it hurt their eyes. And then she and the light were gone.

* * *