The light was beautifully bright, the sun a polished mirror in a deep and immaculate blue sky when Robbie and Laura ventured out into the winter's day. The air felt freezing cold and fresh and the only cloud was an almost invisible trace of cirrus to the southwest.

It was late morning and after breakfast Laura had spent a little time preparing the basic elements of a Christmas dinner that, as she took items out of the fridge and from the bags of shopping still in the back porch, she realised would shape up to be a rather respectable offering for her and Robbie to enjoy. In the oven was a tray of root vegetables roasting alongside a brace of pheasants. She had set a timer on her phone and she and Robbie decided there was just time for a short exploration outside and some fresh air now that the winter storm had finally stopped.

Hand in hers, Robbie led Laura out into the snow and they took the path that Dan had cleared the previous day. There had been a dusting of new snowfall, perhaps just a couple of centimeters, but it was enough to make everything look brand new and pristine again.

"I don't think we'll get very far, it's too deep" Robbie said, gently squeezing Laura's hand as they took careful steps in the snow. They both had gloves on but the sensation of holding hands together outside was a new and wonderful thrill for them both.

"No, I don't think we will" Laura replied, squeezing his hand back in reply to his touch "But the fresh air is good" she said with an authoritative nod which made Robbie smile

Through the snow they made their way to a little gate in the back garden that joined the end of a track. To their right the track headed back down to Darkdale Farm and glancing down they saw smoke coming from the chimney of the farmhouse and in the distance there was the sound of sheep bleating and a dog barking.

"No rest for Dan and Penny on Christmas day" Robbie mused as they both looked towards the farm and the outbuildings in the distance. They looked on the other direction, to the left, and the fields beyond the cottage and the garden. There was a stone style in the wall above which was a signpost indicating the path that was under the cover of snow.

The signpost read PUBLIC FOOTPATH TO DARKDALE CLIFF

"Let's see if we can walk up there, shall we?" Robbie pointed towards the line of trees beyond the files that stretched on from the end of the garden.

Laura nodded in agreement but then saw a quizzical look on Robbie's face

"Actually, hang on; let's just go round here a sec" he said and he led Laura in the opposite direction, walking in the snow dusted tracks left behind from Dan's tractor. Still holding his hand, for a second Laura wondered what he was doing and then she realised.

Robbie led them both to the front of the cottage.

"Look" He said, pointing to the front of the cottage and the front door and porch "Absolutely no disturbance to the snow"

"No" said Laura in agreement, studying the scene with a frown. Although there was some comfort to see that no one had been able to get anywhere even near to the door to bang on it, there was also a fear that came from the absence of an explanation. Robbie's theory of snow or ice falling from the roof didn't hold up to any evidence either, there had been no signs of a thaw nor were there any icicles of any merit to cause a loud noise had they fallen in the night and clearly none had fallen into the snow below.

Both a little puzzled and slightly unnerved, they made their way back around the cottage. They passed through the stone style and by the side of the wall that ran along the field they were able to walk in snow that in the better places was only half a foot deep where the ground had been sheltered by the wall. In other areas they had to step high to make a path through the deeper layers.

As they walked the snow made a creaking noise as it compressed cleanly underfoot and they left crisp detailed footprints behind them. Their progress was slow and by the time they had walked a while they were both a little out of breath with the extra exertion forced by the conditions. They stopped for a while, their breath billowing into the cold air as they both got their heartbeats back to normal.

A flock of redwings flew overhead their soft high pitched calls lingering in the cold air as they settled in the trees at the end of the field.

"We've not got very far, eh?" Said Robbie with a chuckle looking up at the clear blue of the sky.

"No" Laura said, sniffing a laugh at the short amount of ground they'd covered. She watched as the redwings fluttered and re-arranged themselves in the network of branches in the trees. She tentatively glanced at the foot of the trees, suddenly thinking back to the girl. Her attention then went to the middle of the field where she had seen or thought she'd seen her the day before. She shuddered when she saw how flawless and pristine the snow was. It was impossible that anyone could have stood in the spot when she had seen the girl and not leave any trace of a footprint in the snow.

"Everything ok?" Robbie said and her thoughts were distracted as his hands went around her waist, pulling her to him. This was a wonderfully new sensation, Robbie touching her like this, holding her, asking if she was ok and with such a natural affection that made her smile to herself and then to him.

"Yes, everything's ok" She nodded, pushing aside the thoughts of the girl and the absence of footprints.

"Your cheeks are all rosy" Robbie said, looking at her with a sweet expression on his face, gently squeezing her. Laura felt herself blush and then was distracted from her own self-awareness when he leant down to kiss her. She felt herself melting into the kiss and when he pulled away all she could do was simply gaze up at him with a smile as he pushed a lock of hair to one side that had fallen over her eye.

"Shall we head back?" He said

"Yes" said Laura, with a rosy blush still on her cheeks that made Robbie's heart melt a little as well as thud and with a squeeze of her hand and a smile he led her back to the little cottage.