Catching a glimpse of a legendary all-white reindeer is supposed to bring good luck.
Not for Georgia Greene.
As Georgia makes her way home for Christmas, a white reindeer dashes across the road in front of her, causing her to crash her car into a...
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Georgia
Driving in the dark with a wall of white snow coming at them, Georgia wasn't sure how Sue could see, let alone know when and where to turn, but she did. Georgia guessed she had driven this road so many times that it had just become second nature to her, and she could do it with her eyes closed—and in this weather, she basically was.
The blizzard raged on, showing no signs of letting up. Georgia just kept her fingers crossed that they wouldn't get stuck again. They were off the mountain, at least; the land had flattened, and the trees receded, and now only fences ran alongside the road, the snow-covered fields beyond disappearing into the swirls of the storm.
Eventually, a gap in the fences appeared. Sue slowed the truck, turning into it and onto a long driveway.
"We're here," Sue said, throwing a glance and a smile at Georgia.
In the darkness and snow, it was hard to see that they were anywhere, but soon a large peaked shape appeared ahead of them. By its immense size, Georgia first mistook it for a barn, but as they got closer and the snow parted a little, she realized it was actually a huge farmhouse. It was a lovely house—white-washed siding, a full-length porch, and a second story with many little dormers peeking out of the snow that blanketed the roof.
Sue pulled up close to the house. Fortunately, the snow wasn't too deep here, like someone had cleared it recently.
"Hop out here and head inside, will you?" Sue said. "The door to the house should be open."
"What about my bags?" Georgia asked.
"I'll get them," Sue said simply.
"Oh, no, please let me help. You've already done so much—"
Sue dismissed her with a wave of her hand. "It's not a bother, darling. You're hardly dressed for this weather, anyway. Now, quit your dawdling and get in there before the storm gets any worse."
Sue's gentle but commanding nature was impossible to argue with. Georgia nodded and opened the truck door. A gust of icy wind pushed into the cab almost immediately, chilling Georgia to the bone and getting snowflakes stuck in her eyelashes.
"Better hurry!" Sue encouraged. She was pulling her coat in close around herself, readying for her own journey into the storm.
Despite every bone in her body telling her to slam the truck door and stay where it was warm and safe, Georgia stepped out into the howling storm. The wind whipped at her, tangling her long hair and throwing snow and ice into her face, her boots, and down her collar. She wrapped her arms around herself and struggled forward, making her way to the porch, leaning against the force of the wind. The steps to the porch were icy, but Georgia managed to scale them, though her sleek books didn't provide much grip—she nearly fell on her face twice. As she finally made it to the shelter of the porch, she nearly fell again from the shock of no longer having to fight against the wind. Panting now, she glanced around for an entrance. Thankfully it was just around the corner, a simple glass-fronted door leading to what looked like a mudroom.
