'Why are there so many new footprints?'
The first thing Evelyn Ford did every morning was walk a lap around her yard to check for signs of approaching animals.
And sure enough, there were many new footprints outside the fence. The prints weren't large; Evelyn suspected they were from roe deer or wild boars.
The hot tea in her cup was steaming one moment and cooling the next.
Evelyn Ford checked the temperature. It had stabilized at minus ten degrees Celsius for the past two days with no signs of dropping further. The sky was a hazy gray, without a single sliver of light.
Evelyn checked the pond. A thick layer of ice had already formed on its surface.
Time passed, and it was New Year's Day. For once, Evelyn didn't sleep in. She got up and cleaned the wooden cabin from top to bottom. A new year had begun.
