Joel Arnold

The Faces She Wore

The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window. I stopped, out of breath. Snow swirled around me, the flakes in front of the window reflecting the yellow light. I’d been hoping to enter the cabin for a bit of warmth, a break from the vicious wind and snow. I’d used the cabin before as shelter on my winter camping treks in the north woods, but tonight it appeared someone had arrived before me.