The park was quiet under the winter sky. Snow covered the swings, the benches, and the frozen pond beyond the trees. Every step made a soft crunch beneath little Emily’s boots as she walked beside her mother along the narrow path.

Emily’s red scarf fluttered behind her while her small hand rested tightly in her mother’s glove.

“Stay close,” her mother whispered gently. “The snow is getting heavier.”

Emily nodded, though her eyes wandered everywhere. She loved the park in winter. The trees looked like giant white skeletons, and the falling snow made the world feel soft and sleepy.

The wind howled quietly through the branches.

Then Emily saw it….