Mr. Winter's Arc

Chapter 3 of 8

Mr. Winter walked away from the barn as the cold took hold. Someone would notice soon. The temperature would keep dropping until someone checked the control room. That's when they'd see what he'd done. He didn't need to watch it happen. By morning, word had spread. A witness saw him leave the control room, but no one confronted him. Instead, they gathered in the town square and built a cairn of stones coated in frost. They placed a pie at its base, still warm, and draped a knitted blanket over the nearest bench. Mr. Winter watched from across the square. They thought kindness would reach him. They thought his cold heart could thaw. He recognized the strategy — they were trying to remind him of who he used to be, the man who helped without asking. The idiot. He walked to the cairn and picked up the pie. The heat seeped through the tin into his fingers. For a moment, he just stood there, holding it. Then he set it back down and stepped away. The blanket stayed on the bench. The cairn stayed standing. He could take their gifts or destroy them, but either choice would mean they'd gotten to him. The only way to win was to leave everything untouched. Mr. Winter turned and walked back toward the control room. The witness who saw him earlier stood near the entrance now, watching. He met their eyes and didn't look away. Let them know it was him. Let them understand he didn't care if they knew. The cold would keep spreading until someone with authority stepped in, and even then, he controlled the thermostat. Their kindness changed nothing. But as he passed the bench, his hand brushed the edge of the blanket, and he hated that he noticed how soft it was.