Twelve Short Stories of Christmas 11: Ice

Day ten can be read here.

Isla tapped the icicles that hung from the branches of the trees with her fingers as she passed, smiling to herself as she heard the clinking noise they made. She was deep in the tunnel of trees now and when she looked back towards the entrance all she could see was the dark twisted branches of the trees with icicles hanging off them. As she carried on walking through the tunnel of trees, she heard another clinking sound behind her. She thought someone else must be tapping the icicles, but when Isla turned round she could see nothing as she squinted through the gloom the trees created.

Whenever Isla started walking the clinking started up again. If she walked, the sound was slow and steady, if she ran, the clinking sound went faster trying to gain on her. Isla shivered. Someone or something she couldn’t see was following her. She started running through the tunnel of trees ignoring the deafening echo that came from the clinking sound as it followed her. She ran until the tree branches got too thick and close together for her to clamber round them. She was stuck in the tunnel of trees and the clinking sound was quickly getting closer.