Katelynne finally made it to the summit covered in the bizarre snow. The manor house was lit up with brilliant lights and shone marvelously, inside and out like Christmastime. She got up real close to the window. Someone was here, but she couldn’t make out who from all the fog on the window. But someone was here.
Princess and Nicholas were both standing by the front door. He waved Katelynne over as she trudged over through the snow.
“You really like making people wait on you, huh.” Princess smirked.
“I know,” Katelynne replied sheepishly. “I got sidetracked. I’m sorry.”
Princess shook her head. “It’s fine. You’re here now. We figured it’d be better if you went first, so...”
Nicholas nodded, and gestured to the front door. Katelynne’s eyes followed to the silvery handle. She sighed and nodded. “Okay.”
Her heart raced. Her legs had the structural integrity of Mom’s gelatin as she approached the door and slowly reached out for the handle.
But, she stopped halfway, and pulled back. Squeezed her eyes shut, sighed a few times, had to psyche herself up.
And then she reached out, and knocked on the door a few times.
Knock.
Knock-knock.
Knock.
She waited.
And waited.
And waited.
And then… a
Knock.
Pause.
Knock.
Clap.
came from the other side of the door.
Katelynne looked back to Nicholas and Princess. They nodded their heads in unison as she turned back around.
Another sigh. Okay. Okay.
Okay.
She reached for the handle, reflecting her image right back at her. She squeezed it, just held it in place.
She pulled it open.
She looked back at her friends, back at the falling snow, back at the moon.
And then, she stepped inside.
G053 Katelynne Kirkpatrick – The Horse Maiden
END
...but a few kids still remain.