Page 24 of The Holiday Disaster

“Uh… no, actually. Wintertown relies on our tourism, and considering that this is our busy season, we’ll probably both be working. But you’ll see us around. Speaking of Jim…” I met Austin’s gaze in the rearview mirror for a brief second before his eyes fell back to the road. “You two should visit where he works. There are carriage rides going from the center of town up to the farm. Plus, his farm is hosting an ice sculpture contest today.”

He waved to the row of parked horse carriages we passed. Snow still piled up in some areas but had mostly been cleared on the roads and walkways. There were many people milling around downtown, exuding a lively and festive atmosphere.

“Thanks, we’ll definitely check it out. You can drop us off here,” I said. I pulled my card out to pay the fare and made sure to leave a generous tip for all his help.

“Thanks again, Austin,” Ethan said as he exited the car. I followed behind him, giving my own thanks as I closed the door behind us.

“Always a pleasure. I’ll see you around,” Austin said with his head out the window. He gave us a wave before driving off. We stood on the sidewalk and watched the taxi pick up its next customer before turning the corner.

“What should we do now?” Ethan looked up at me and asked. I examined our surroundings. We were standing on a small street lined with shops. The main square was to our left with small booths set up in a circle and a large Christmas tree sitting in the middle of the square.

“Should we check out what’s going on over there?” I nodded to the main square. Ethan hummed his agreement. He was rubbing his bare hands together again. His warm breath came out in a steam as he blew on them.

“Wait,” I said, and he turned to face me. There were plenty of shops around us, and I could have suggested we get him some winter gloves, but I didn’t. Instead, I pulled out my gray pair from my coat pocket.

Ethan’s eyes lit up when he saw the gloves. He extended his right hand and looked up at me expectantly. I grinned back at him, my actions slow as I grabbed the left glove and slid it onto my own hand.

His smile immediately formed into a slight pout as he lowered his arm and stuffed his hands into his pockets as he turned to leave as if nothing had happened.

I grabbed his arm before he could get away, pulling him to my side, and gave his cheek a peck. “Okay, I’ll stop teasing. Give me your hand.”

“You really like teasing me,” he grumbled but still let me put the glove on him. If I told him that I loved the way his eyelashes would flutter as he gave a soft pout whenever I teased him, he might actually kick me. So I kept my mouth shut, entwined his bare hand with mine, and placed them in my pocket.

We walked in silence, taking our time as we headed toward the large Christmas tree. It was decked out in ornaments, tinsel, and twinkling lights. It was definitely the center attraction of the place with many groups of people and couples standing by the tree taking pictures with it.

As we got closer, I noticed a large decoration at the top of the tree. “Look at that,” I said, pointing to the tree topper.

“Are those…two doves kissing?” Ethan squinted at the tree before turning to me.

“It looks like it. I’ve never seen a tree topper like that before,” I mused. I was used to seeing stars or angels on top of trees, not white birds that were typically seen at weddings.

“They’re the Doves of Destiny. There’s a legend about a pair of lovers in Wintertown…” Ethan and I both jumped at the sound of a male voice behind us. We turned to find a white haired, white bearded old man who could have been Santa Claus himself if he’d dropped about a hundred pounds.

The old man gave us a toothy smile when he had our full attention. “Legend has it, the founder of Wintertown was wandering the forest that once stood here. It was the dead of winter, and he’d gotten separated from his companions. It was getting dark and he was cold, hungry, and all alone.”

The man paused for dramatics and gave us a bushy eye raise before continuing, “Just as he was about to give up all hope, a beautiful white dove landed on his shoulder. It was already strange enough since this species of bird wasn't native to these lands, but what was even stranger was that the dove flapped its wings in a direction as if it wanted to guide him somewhere.”

I shot Ethan a look, wondering if this old man was on something. Surely Ethan wasn’t buying his crazy story. Never mind the fact that most birds migrated to the south when it got cold, but who would be crazy enough to trek into a forest in the middle of winter?

However, Ethan was listening intently to the man with glistening eyes. I chuckled at how serious he looked. Of course he would believe the silly fairy tale. He was the man whose favorite song spoke of burning to death for an obsessive love, and this story had intrigued his romantic heart.

I wrapped an arm around him. Ethan glanced up at me, giving me a quick smile before turning back to the old man. I didn’t believe whatever tale he had brewed up but continued to listen since it made Ethan happy.

“And so the founder followed the dove deeper into the forest since he had nothing left to lose. He walked until he thought he would collapse from fatigue. He had been stumbling in the dark for hours, and the only thing he could see was the white dove that glowed under the moonlight. When his legs were about to give out, the dove stopped in front of a small cabin. It called out, and when the door of the cabin opened, another white dove flew out to greet them. The founder fell to the ground, exhaustion finally catching up to him. The two birds flapped their wings, circling each other as if one was welcoming the other home.”

The man waved his hands in the air and looked up to the sky as if the doves he spoke of would suddenly appear before us. There was nothing in the sky, of course.

“As he was mesmerized by the birds’ dance, a hand reached out to him and helped him from the ground. This person cared for and provided shelter for the founder. But more importantly, this person also gave our founder the precious gift of love. The founder stayed here and established Wintertown with his beloved where they lived the rest of their days happily ever after.

“The residents of Wintertown believe that if you kiss your lover during the last dance, the doves will bless your relationship with eternal happiness like they had done for the founder and his partner,” the man concluded his story with a happy sigh.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. It wasn’t that I didn’t believe in true love and all that mushy stuff, but his story was too outlandish for even children to believe.

I was about to thank the man for the story and go our separate ways, but Ethan spoke up before I could. “Wow, that’s so romantic. Is it a true story?”

“Of course it is, sonny,” the man said with a smirk. “The founder’s descendants still live in the town to this day.”

The old man waved Ethan over. Ethan wiggled out of my arm and followed the man to the booth closest to us. “We’re also known as the town of lovers. If you carry the Doves of Destiny…” He paused and shot a quick glance at me before picking up a keychain from his table of wares and continuing, “They will surely guide you to your fated one and bring you everlasting love and happiness.”

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