Robin and the Red Crow

Chapter Twenty- Nine - A Frozen Pond

Robin woke from his bed of blankets on the parlor floor to the crackling of the parlor's fireplace. Robin wearily blinked at the soft flames, still exhausted from the day before, his thoughts wondering how it stayed alight after he had fallen asleep. He rubbed his eyes, disoriented, as he rolled onto his side. Only for him to sit up abruptly in surprise—Holly was gone. He was alone in the stack of pillows and blankets they had used to camp in front of the fire.

Something else felt wrong, too.

He patted his chest instinctively, panic flaring when he didn't feel the familiar weight of his necklace.

But then he remembered—Holly had taken it the night before. He let out a breath, tension easing as the memory settled. Still, her absence gnawed at him.

"Holly?" he called, stepping into the kitchen. No answer. Assuming she must have ditched sleeping on the floor for her bed, Robin put the kettle back on the stove to make breakfast. Subconsciously reaching to fiddle with the missing chain around his neck. The absence of the necklace felt like a missing piece of him, and he sighed, wondering when it had become such a comfort.

As he walked over to the pear cabinet near the hearth, he noticed some movement, a splash of color against the frost, standing near the pond. Robin moved closer to the window, squinting through the frosted pains to see what was happening.

Holly stood at the pond's edge, Cookie at her feet. She held a rock in one hand and his necklace in the other. Her breath hung in the cold air, billowing like soft clouds as she stared into the distance. Robin looked out at the pond to see what she was staring at, making out a couple rocks scattered across the ice. Holly raised her arm, rock poised to throw, but she paused, uncertainty flickering across her face before tossing it lightly, as if skipping a rock. The rock, in turn, bounced across the thickened ice. Landing not far from the others.

Holly then hesitantly made her way down to the edge of the pond. Carefully stepping on the ice before her, testing if it will break. Robin reached for the door, anxious about her falling in. But as he began to turn the knob, he decided she could handle herself—she had his necklace, after all.

He watched as she slid before getting her footing under her, slowly making her way to the middle of the pond and towards the rocks that lay on the ice. Robin could even hear laughter as she fumbled around, collecting the stones and throwing them back on shore. Cookie chased after the rocks she threw onto the shore before trying to get out on the ice to join her. Holly laughed and slid over to Cookie, holding her in her arms as she returned to the shore. With Cookie still in her arms, she started collecting the stones from the shore and putting them in a basket hidden behind a tree.

As she returned to the house, Robin returned to the stove to finish and continue with the oats he made for breakfast.

The kitchen door opened, and Holly came through, shaking off the lingering snow from her coat.

"Robin!" She said, seeming surprised he was awake. "How are you- um... feeling?"

"Great," Robin said with a smile, "And you?"

"Better than ever." She said with an awkward laugh. "I'll be in my office. I'll be down in a few."

"Okay, breakfast should be done shortly."

She gave an awkward nod and made her way to the stairs.

Robin let out a long breath. He wasn't sure how to avoid awkwardness. Last night, it was confirmed that they both felt more for each other than the friendship between a host and hostess. Yet, nothing had been said about how that might change life at Sunshine Acres.