CHAPTER 2 It’s Tradition 2

　　Swerving into the dense growth of both grass and snow, I clung on as the sight of the cottage grew closer. I never knew how Tess had managed to find this place, as in the middle of crystal dotted landscapes and mint green fields, it was in the sticks.

　　“Thank God,” I sighed, unclipping my seatbelt as we came to a stop.

　　“I’ll have to leave the car here and hope the snow thaws out soon,” she replied, oblivious to my drained state of valuing my life.

　　“Have you got the key?” I asked, with the realisation that Tess may have forgot it. She was a bit scatter-brained at the best of times.

　　“Yep, all present and correct. Come on, let’s get our bags inside.”

　　Clambering out of the car and trying not to slip on the snow, which was becoming thicker by the moment, we made our way around to the back of the car. Opening the boot, we grabbed our bags from inside, and with Tess leading the way up the pebble-stoned path, she opened the door to let us in.

　　The inside of the cottage was freezing. Placing my bags in the hallway and blowing a plume of warmer air into my hands, I hated the cold. With my teeth chattering away, we both made a beeline for the fireplace, which we’d both forgotten needed some firewood.

　　“Do I look like some sort of woodsmen?” I asked, eyeing Tess’s begging face. “Fine,” I caved, noticing the puppy dog eyes appearing. “Where’s the wood and an axe, or something?”

　　I was no fire-making expert.

　　“Round the side of the cottage, in the woodshed. I’ll take our bags up to the bedrooms and make us a coffee.”

　　“Sounds like hard work,” I sarcastically remarked. “Does this place not have central heating?”

　　“Yes, but it’s so much cosier with the fire burning away,” Tess excitedly spoke, while moving away from me. “Shout me if you need a hand!”

　　Shaking my head, I fixed my scarf tighter around my neck, and making sure my hat was in place, I trudged back outside into the freezing temperatures, to try and locate some firewood.

　　Next to the house, there was a woodshed, and opening the door, I noticed an axe and wood in place. The sooner I got this done, the sooner I could thaw out my hands and feet. Grabbing hold of the axe, I placed a piece of wood on the stump and took aim. With one fowl swoop, I missed the log and hit the stump with a thud. Being taken aback by the force, I hoped I wouldn’t accidentally lob off my leg and have to make myself a wooden appendage out of this wood. Being a pirate for Christmas was hardly festive.

　　Being sure that there was a knack to this, I pulled out my phone to try and bring YouTube up for some hints and tips. Realising that I had only one flaky bar of signal, it was no use. We really were in the middle of nowhere in this place, and I wasn’t keen on the idea of being stranded with no signal.

　　Placing my phone back in my pocket, and after several attempts of taking aim, I eventually managed to hit the log and splice it into two, very uneven, pieces of wood. It was better than nothing. Not wanting to be out here all day, I continued my determined path of the destruction of turning logs into firewood, and eventually had enough to take indoors – only because there was some already chopped up as well. God bless whoever had left that there.

　　Grabbing hold of the wood in my arms, I trekked back indoors, all the while thinking about how much more convenient it would have been if Tess would’ve turned the central heating on.

　　Heading back indoors, I was met with a sight of Tess, surrounded by an array of boxes and Christmas sparkle, strewn all over the place.

　　“Isn’t it magical?” she beamed, trying to get the Christmas tree to stand up.

　　“It will be more magical when we have heat in this room,” I spoke, trying to stop the teeth chatter.

　　“I’ve put the heating on,” Tess absentmindedly spoke, stacking up the logs in the fireplace.

　　“What? You sent me out there for nothing?” I quietly fumed, finally being able to remove my hat and scarf and realising that it was much warmer in here.

　　“Yeah, but it wasn’t for nothing. It’s cosy with a fire burning.”

　　“Fine,” I sighed, removing my coat. “Let’s get this started.”

　　Giving in to the whole ‘Christmas spirit’, I was here at the cottage now, and as we both wrapped the tree in coloured tinsel and hung shiny baubles from the branches, my frosty mood was thawing out a lot quicker than the snow outside.

　　An introvert by nature, Christmas had never been my most favourite time of year – it was far too ‘people-y’ for my liking. Although having said that, I suppose it was nice to have some relaxing time in the Lake District, so that was one perk of being here.

　　As we finished decorating the tree and the hearth, we sat and drank our steaming cups of hot coffee and watched the fairy lights twinkling away on the Christmas tree, with the pop and crackle of the open fireplace being the backdrop to our afternoon. I was finally relaxed, chilled, and ready for whatever else lay ahead.

　　“We’ll need to get some supplies in,” Tess commented, sipping on her drink.

　　“Is there a shop nearby?” I asked, not relishing the thought of venturing out into the wintery conditions again.

　　“Yeah, there’s a shop down the lane. We’ll have to go on foot because the car is pretty much snowed in. It’ll be safer to walk.”

　　No doubt. It was always safer to walk than risk another death drive with Tess at the wheel.