Georgia

"Do you really have to leave?" Lena asked as Georgia loaded up her car for the long drive back. "It's Christmas day and we just got home." Though they had to spend Christmas eve at the hospital, Lena had been discharged to go home with baby Gigi early Christmas morning. They had just been settling in and opening their presents when Georgia realized that she had to head out if she was going to make it home in time for work tomorrow.

"I may have quit," Georgia said with a sigh, "but there's still things I need to do to finalize my resignation. Like returning my computer, for starters." She didn't trust Hugo not to make a big stink about all the last little details. He hated being refused even more than sloppiness, or excuses, or even mistakes.

"Well, at least you told Hugo to screw off," Lena said, holding her arms around herself to keep her warm as she watched her sister from the front step of their house. "Have I told you that I'm so proud of you for that?"

"Only a hundred million times," she said with a laugh. "But that means I also I need to start hunting for a job soon, so I can at least make rent. But I promise, I will look for something more flexible. I want to see more of Gigi, after all."

"Really?" Lena said, her eyes going wide. "You want to come back here more often? I thought you hated this place."

Georgia shrugged. "Things change. It's not so bad."

"Oh really," Lena said, studying her sister closely. "And would this newfound Christmas appreciation have anything to do with that farm where you were cooped up at?"

"It might," Georgia said with another shrug, adjusting the sweater that Sue had given her as a gift. It was the same pale blue sweater that Sue had loaned to her to wear while she was in the shop. While the sweater was warm and lovely, the thought of Nissen farm still made her heart ache, just a little.

"Okay, now I'm certain you picked up some kind of Christmas brain worm out at that place," Lena said with a roll of her eyes. "Or maybe they made some kind of Christmas clone. Who are you and what did you do with my sister?"

Georgia closed the hatchback, her gifts from her sister and brother-in-law—and even a few shipped in from her parents—secure inside. "You know, you're going to have to start learning to love Christmas a little more now that you've got a kid."

"Bah-humbug," Lena said with a scowl. "Joe can have all the Christmas spirit."

Just as they spoke of him, Joe stepped out of the house. Gigi was sleeping soundly in his arms, wrapped tightly in a thick fuzzy blanket to keep out the cold. "Okay, Gigi is ready to say goodbye to Auntie Georgia," Joe said.

"Bye-bye, Gigi," Georgia said, darting up the steps. She pushed her face into the little bundle and rubbed her nose against the tiny little nose inside. The little baby squirmed for a moment. "Merry Christmas, little girl."

Gigi just cooed at her before settling back into the bundle to snooze.

Georgia reached up to give Joe a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Merry Christmas, Joe. I bet this is the best Christmas gift you've ever gotten, huh?"

"Definitely," he said, staring down at his daughter with pure love in his eyes.

"Merry Christmas to you too," Georgia said, pulling her still-sour-faced sister into a hug. "I love you all, so much."

"I love you, too," Lena said, softening enough to give her sister a good squeeze. "And I miss you already. Come back soon."

"I will," Georgia promised. "I will."

She released her sister and headed back down the steps to her waiting car.

🎄

Despite the dying light, Georgia was sure she'd make it home in good time with little issue. Unlike her previous drive through the mountains, today, both the weather and the road were nice and clear. Only a low fog ran along the road as the warmth of the receding sun mixed with the cooling air of the impending night.

As she drove, she couldn't help but think about all that had happened. Though it had only been five days, so much had changed. She couldn't help but feel like she was leaving something behind, something undone. And it felt strange for her to be heading back to the city—a place she called home, but only realized now didn't feel like it at all.

She thought of Nissen farm, of Sue, of... Felix. She wondered what they had thought of her gift and what had become of their deal with Hugo. Did they decide to sell the farm to him? she wondered. Despite the heat pumping from the car vents, a chill ran over her skin at the thought of it. If they did sell to him, he would be well within his rights to rip up the place, right down to the studs.

Or worse, a complete demolition.

She swallowed. She'd tried to warn Felix, but he hadn't wanted to hear it. And though his words had stung, he was right—she had no rightful say in what happened to the farm. It wasn't hers. Even so, she didn't think she could stomach watching it being torn apart.

Her phone, once again mounted to the dash, began to ring, and it was Lena's name that popped up on the screen. Even though she'd been on the road for just over an hour, her sister was already checking on her. Considering what had happened on her drive-in, Georgia didn't blame her.

She poked at the screen to answer, then turned back to the road. From the corner of her eye, she saw Lena's face appear on the screen.

"Hi Gigi—Georgia. I'm going to have to stop calling you now that Gigi is well, Gigi," Lena said, shaking her head.

"I happily concede my nickname to my niece," Georgia said, giving a quick glance and a smile at the screen.

"Very kind of you. Now I just have to remember that," Lena replied. "Mom-brain is already doing me in. Anyway, how are you getting along? How's the road?"

"Just fine," Georgia said. "I'm making good time and the road is clear. If it continues like this—knock on wood—I should be home before midnight."

"That's great," Lena said, but as Georgia glanced again at her sister's face, she saw her eyes were kind of darting to the side. There was something more she wanted to say, Georgia could tell.

"Is that the only reason you called, Lena?" Georgia asked.

"No," Lena admitted. "It's... It's a bit odd, but we got a strange call at the house, after you left."

"A call?" Georgia echoed, her brow folding together. "From who?"

Lena nodded on the screen. "Someone from Nissen Christmas Tree Farm. They looked our name up on the phonebook, of all places—I'm still Greene in there. And they were looking for you."

Georgia blinked. "For me? Who was it? Sue?"

"No," Lena said. "It was Felix."

"Felix?" Georgia echoed. She immediately felt her face flare hot. She tugged at the neck of the sweater Sue gave her—she suddenly felt too warm. "Felix called you looking for me?" For a moment, she chanced a look at her sister, trying to gauge her expression. The road was clear and straight, it was fine...

Lena raised an eyebrow. "Yes. He said he had something to tell you."

"Tell me? What?" Georgia's eyes darted from the phone back to the road—

There was something there, standing in the middle of the highway. It stood proud, as white as the snow that surrounded them, its antlers dark and fractured like bare branches...

Georgia screamed and slammed on the brakes. Thankfully, this time, the road was clear enough to allow the car to screech to a stop instead of careening into another ditch.

"What happened?" Lena cried.

Georgia's breaths came in pants as she clung to the steering wheel, starting at her knees. She thought she saw...

But there was no way, Georgia thought. No way...

Her eyes must be playing tricks.

She slowly raised herself up, peering over the edge of the steering wheel to see properly.

Her eyes hadn't fooled her.

There, in the middle of the road, was...

A pure white reindeer.

"Georgia, what happened?" Lena said again, sharper this time. "Are you okay?"

"I-I'm okay," Georgia sputtered. "It's... It's the reindeer."

"What? What reindeer?" Lena asked. "Wait, not the reindeer..."

Georgia could only nod.

While they had waited in the hospital, Georgia finally had a chance to tell Lena the whole story about the blizzard and the kindly old woman and the crash and how she ended up at the farm—including her run-in with the now infamous white reindeer. By that time, though, Georgia doubted her own account, no longer sure she'd seen the thing.

Now, though...

Now she didn't have a single doubt. Not anymore.

Unable to form the right words, Georgia could only pull her phone off its holder on  the dash and swap the camera around, pointing it through the windshield so Lena could see for herself.

"Well I'll be darned," Lena muttered. "That's a white reindeer."

"Yeah," Georgia said. "It really is, isn't it?"

The animal, with its pure white coat, stood stoic in the center of the road, staring her down like it was challenging her to make the first move.

"How? How?" Lena babbled. "How did you come across one again?"

"I don't know," Georgia replied. She thought of what Sue had said about how seeing one was lucky. At the time, Georgia was certain it had brought her anything but luck, but now...

Well, Georgia didn't know what to believe.

Why had she come across this reindeer not once but twice now? Was there something more to this sighting than just an animal wandering into the road?

And if so, why her?

Was there something to what Sue had said? That this was some kind of luck?

Or was it Felix's story that had it right? That it was trying to lead her somewhere?

"I wonder if it's trying to tell you something," Lena said, just as entranced by the creature.

The reindeer just continued to stare. If it had the answers, it wasn't sharing them.

"Maybe," Georgia mumbled, staring back at it. If it was...

When it first jumped out in front of her, the mishap had led her to the Nissen farm. Now it was standing in her way, stopping her from leaving...

Georgia realized then what it wanted from her. She knew it deep in her heart.

"Lena," Georgia said, sitting up straight. She swapped the camera around again so her sister could see her face. "I have to go."

"Huh? Why?" Lena asked. "Are you okay?"

"I'm okay," Georgia replied, smiling. "I'm more than okay. I've... I've just got to do something. I'll let you know when I'm off the road, I promise."

"Okay," Lena said. She must've heard the certainty in her sister's voice because she sounded like she understood. "Be safe."

"I will. I love you." And she hung up.

Georgia dropped her phone into her bag. Checking that the road was clear, she put her car into reverse and pulled back so she could turn around, carefully maneuvering by the reindeer as it watched her, impassive.

As she drove off in the opposite direction, she glanced into her rearview mirror. She watched the white reindeer trundle off into the snowy forest, its work done.

🎄

What do you think the reindeer is trying to tell Georgia?