After long hours of work, I finally finished my assignment on a web page design I was working for a client. My legs felt stiff and I was more than ready to go scouting. There were more than twelve inches of freshly fallen snow now, completely covering the ground. The puffy white blanket crunched beneath my leather boots as I threaded through it. Nobody bothered with plowing since everybody could just walk to the store or work. In a matter of days, this town will be buried underneath the snow.

I walked by the Northern Lights cafe, headed towards the boathouse on the lake. On my way I spotted children, enthusiastically rolling on the ground or running towards the vicious looking snow battle.

I knew that somewhere down the lake must be a popular spot for tourists – Lake Lodges, luxuriously equipped log cabins. They were mostly used during warmer days, since the town was literally inaccessible because of heavy snow storms and unpredictable weather conditions.

When I reached the lake, I could now clearly see that Atsanik actually lied in the valley, surrounded by mountain peaks from every side.

Harsh cold wind stroked my face and I was certain my nose had turned bright red by now. The temperature already dropped down to 5℉ and a rim of the lake was starting to freeze.

I knew for sure that this will be one long winter.

Moving on I slowly ascended down to the stony beach towards the camping site. The lake was so vast there was no way of seeing the other side. There were fishermen sitting in the boats not far away from the shore, patiently waiting for the fish to take the bait.

Atsanik’s primary source of sustenance was fish since they were one of the rare goods that needn’t be transported. The town needed its vast stocks to be filled in case of snowstorms and blizzards when the planes couldn’t land safely.

Buried in my thoughts, I was startled when I heard someone speaking to me.

“You should hide soon,” said the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. She had long, dark thick hair reaching to her waist and beautiful almond shaped eyes, that were almost black. “The storm is coming up,” she held out her palm to catch snowflakes that instantly melted on her warm skin.

“Is it?” I jerked my head up to the sky, but there was nothing but a mild, yet cold wind.

She nodded, slowly following my eyes “My name is Alasie.”

I was staring at her perfectly shaped features, completely stunned by her breathtaking beauty. Her skin was slightly darker than the peoples’ I met so far. She must have been Native, a member of Iñupiat community.

I was delighted to meet her since I was a sucker for different and rich cultures, filled with history.

“I am-“ I started, but she interrupted me.

“-Faina,” she smiled “I know.”

“Why are you outside if the storm is coming up?”

“Oh, don’t you worry about me,” she said with a kind, musical voice “I know the town and its complex weather changes inside out. I was born here.”

“You don’t like it?” I tried to guess what was on her mind.

“Oh no, I do. I’ve never imagined living anywhere else. Mountains and woods are my home, you know.”

“I believe you. I’ve never seen something as beautiful as this.” I admitted, “I am glad I moved here.”

“Came here to rent a boat?” She smiled, nodding in the boathouse direction.

“No. I came for a walk, to clear my head after long hours of work. I can’t operate that thing, maybe in the summer.”

“You already work? You just moved.” Her pretty eyebrows scrunched together with confusion.

“I don’t work in town. I am a writer and a designer so I am pretty much lucky to work from home. How about you? I haven’t seen you yesterday when I was in town.”

“I had an afternoon shift. I work at the Northern Lights cafe.”

We started to slowly walk back towards the boathouse. And surely, the wind was getting stronger with every minute.

“Oh, that is close to where I live. I haven’t stopped there yet.”

“Make sure you do then, you’ll even get my special cocoa – on the house.” She laughed, rolling her eyes.

I covered my freezing nose with a scarf, mumbling “The third invite in two days! I’ve never been this popular before.”

“Really? Let me guess, Barney was one of them.” She stopped and placed her arms on her hips, lifting her brow.

“Famous ladies’ man I see. Too bad, I was really looking forward to this date.” I faked a disappointed grimace, almost laughing at her horrified expression.

“You didn’t! That guy is a complete idiot. One could hold a more intellectual conversation with a telegraph post than him.” Her lips widened as she saw me laughing. I felt her hand swatting me over the shoulder “You almost got me! That was not funny, it was pretty sad.”

“I know,” I said, wiping tears from the corners of my eyes.

“So? Who was your second invite?” She said curiously “If I am not prying.”

“Josh, or rather his mother. He said she couldn’t wait to meet me.”

Her cheeks slightly reddened when I mentioned Josh “He is my boyfriend, and his mother is a lovely woman. She is chatty but very kind.”

“Don’t worry I don’t have any interest in Josh.” I clarified just in case if she was concerned about the invite. She seemed lovely and I would be more than thrilled to get to know her better.

She blushed again and smiled “It’s all right, I wouldn’t blame you though. He’s quite a catch.”

“Yeah, but there is plenty of fish in the lake, I am sure.” I chuckled.

“Actually, besides Josh and Barney, not really. But if you’re interested in older guys, than yes, sure, there is.” She pressed her lips together, stifling her laugh.

“Well, since I was single this long, I will manage. But if the crisis arises, there will still be Barney.”

This time she laughed loudly “He will be more than delighted, believe me.”

“Indeed. Hey, do you live close by?” I really hoped she did, so I could see her more often.

“No.” She shrugged “I live on the other side of the town, down by the lake.”

I noticed that we already reached the Northern Lights cafe, so we stopped and awkwardly stared at each other.

“I don’t have many girlfriends here, so it would be lovely if you’d stop by sometime. If you want.” She hurriedly added the last part.

Normally she would probably have tons of friends surrounding her, but here, she was just as lonely as I always was.

“Absolutely,” I nodded enthusiastically “And I’ll take you up on the offer and visit the cafe.”

“Great!” She beamed, showing off her perfectly straight teeth “I should get back to work. It was nice meeting you though, Faina.”

“Likewise, Alasie.” I smiled and turned around. A strong gust of wind slammed into my body, almost knocking me over. It was so cold now, my teeth chattered loudly. If she wouldn’t have been there to warn me, I would have probably wandered even farther and froze to death.

I rubbed my hands together with warm blue mittens on them, pushing through the never-ending vail of snowflakes, following a barely visible path in front of me.

Cursing like a trucker, I burst into the house, almost knocking down the doors with the force I had to use. There were almost twenty-four inches of snow on my porch so my house was practically barricaded.

I shut the front door behind me, staring at the flood of melted snow on the ground. But that was not the worst of it. When I tried to flicker the lights on, I realized there was no power. And I assumed the power will be gone at least until the storm clears.

I have bought a portable generator especially for the situations like this, but I will be using it only during work hours. For now, lavender scented candles will more than suffice.

I threw firewood into the stove, just to keep the flame going. I was certain this will be one hellishly cold night.

The wind raged even more violently, its horrifying sounds making me worried that it will tear down the roof. When I was looking for a house in Atsanik the agent assured me all of them were constructed in the manner to withstand the sturdy weather conditions. So it should be resilient enough to rebel against the nature’s powerful force. Still, the whistling sounds made me uneasy.

I realized it was ridiculous to feel afraid of the sounds of nature, especially since I lived in Moscow, a city filled with crime. Atsanik had zero crime rate and was as peaceful as it got.

There was absolutely nothing I should fear.