Saint Nick

2. December

The next morning Hazel showered and got dressed, eating a quick breakfast before she ventured towards the front door. Grabbing her jacket, scarf and boots, she slipped them all on and then grabbed her camera bag. Stepping out into the cold, crispy white landscape, she took in a deep breath of the morning air.

Leavenworth was a gorgeous city in central Washington state. The houses were alpine-style and had a view over the Cascade mountains. People from all over came to Leavenworth around Christmas time simply because of the gorgeousness of the city as the holiday season rang in. The Christmas lights, the snow, the sunsets over the mountains, not to mention the tourist attractions such as the nutcracker museum and the fantastic skiing areas just around the corner. Hazel had been lucky enough to grow up there and was used to all the holiday commotion.

It wasn't until her 22th birthday that she truly realized how beautiful the city could be, though. It all started when her sister's husband had proposed to Camille.

She had been taking amateur photography classes, and Jim, as his name was, had asked her if she could capture the moment her sister said yes. He had taken her to the park one late evening where Hazel had been hiding behind one of the large Christmas trees with her camera. Like a paparazzi, she had waited for the exact moment he got onto his knee in the deep snow and popped the question.

Today, that very picture was framed above their mantel, the moment their little family started.

Five years later, they had two beautiful kids and lived in a gorgeous little house near the park. Hazel practically lived in the guest room. School was out for the season now, though, which meant it was the perfect time to get out and practice her photography skills.

Since that day she had captured her sister's joy in that special moment, she had been hooked on capturing the beauty of the world. She had started taking professional college classes on photography and she was loving it. Christmas being the sparkliest and prettiest holiday of them all, Hazel couldn't wait to get started. She was assigned to make a whole portfolio for the next semester in January.

That's why, as she walked to the park that morning, her hopes of catching some gorgeousness were high.

She stepped out onto the crispy snow-covered grass and looked around the quiet park. The sun was coming up in the sky, blue and clear, while the snow below her feet crunched as she walked across the plains. She spotted the frozen fountain in the middle of the park and decided to snap some pictures of the frozen waters before the sun melted it and the water came back.

Crouching down, Hazel picked her camera out of her bag, took the lens cover off and turned it on. She had bought a new expensive lens a few days ago that she had decided was her early Christmas present to herself. Anxious to try it out, she lifted the camera and aimed it at the beauty in front of her. Taking a few test shots, she adjusted the exposure, brightness and contrast until it captured the ice perfectly. She waited till the sun stood just right and glinted on the ice with a gentle shine.

And there it was.

Closing her eye and looking through the lens, she snapped a dozen photos. She walked around the fountain, capturing different angles, set on not missing a single shot. She closed up and backed away, making sure to catch everything. She spent a full 20 minutes simply shooting pictures of the slowly melting fountain, before she finally took one last shot and lowered the camera.

"Holy shit!"

She fell backwards on the snow as a large figure appeared out of nowhere and stood directly in front of her. One moment she had been looking at the frozen water, the next she was eye-level with a denim crotch.