It was a beautiful night in December; the air was crisp and cool and snow was everywhere. Dark clouds were covering the sky and snow was still coming down fast. The village was unnaturally calm and quiet; it seemed like the perfect night to stay inside where it was nice and warm. The Van Dort house on the edge of the forest was just as quiet and peaceful. Victor Van Dort and his beloved wife Victoria were sitting on the sofa side by side in front of a blazing fire burning in the heart. Their fifteen-year-old daughter, Emily, was sitting at a nearby window and gazing at the snowflakes flying by as if they were little fairies dancing in the cold wind; oh how she loved watching the snowfall.
"Watching the snow again, I see?" Victor joked.
Emily just smiled and giggled at her father's comment before continuing to watch out the window. Just then, everyone heard a young voice say,
"Look what I found."
It was Victor and Victoria's ten-year-old son, Edward. He had just come down from his bedroom and sat down on the carpet in front of the sofa with a small black leather-bound book in his hands.
"What've you got there, Edward?" Emily asked, walking away from the window and sitting down next to her brother. A little cocker spaniel named Sophie trotted up to the family and laid down next to Emily.
"I was looking for a book of scary stories when I found this on my shelf." Edward replied.
"Oh, so that's where my journal went!" Victor exclaimed as he picked up the book. "I've been looking for this for days. I must've left it in your room by mistake. Thanks, son."
"What did you write in it, father?" Emily asked, scratching Sophie's ears.
"Just some events I felt I should document." Victor replied. "So we can look back on them and laugh."
"What kinds of events did you record, dear?" Victoria asked.
"Well, let's take a look."
Victor then opened the book and gently flipped through a few of the pages until one entry caught his eye.
"Oh, here's one!" He said. "This is from the time Edward and I went sledding together."
"Oh, I remember that!" Edward cried as he took a seat on the sofa.
"Wait, you went sledding? Why don't I remember that?" Emily asked.
"You were stuck at the library in town when this occurred, Emily dear." Victor replied. "You see, it started out like this. Edward was about seven at the time and it was snowing, just like tonight…"
