A blizzard hit just a few days before Christmas, with a sky that looked like an old, beat-up pewter dish. The wind howled, making the house creak like it was sitting on the ocean. By the time it got dark, the snow was coming down so thick they couldn't even see the barn.
Mara checked the weather on her phone and said, "Good thing we grabbed that tree when we did. Sounds like we're going to be stuck here for a couple of days."
Emma was excited about being snowed in. She spent the night playing with her blocks, making huge snow fort scenes. Mara and Grey made sure they had enough supplies, like food and firewood, to last until the storm was over.
"Might lose power," Mara told him, dragging out extra blankets. "This place gets cold fast without the furnace."
When they woke up, the snow was piled up over two feet high and wasn't letting up. The power lines had gone down somewhere between the house and town, so they had no electricity or heat. Grey built up the fire in the living room fireplace to keep them warm, and they moved Emma's bed downstairs so she could be near the heat.
Emma was having a blast, calling it camping in the house and eating canned soup warmed over the fire like it was the best thing ever. But for Grey, being stuck inside was giving him the heebie-jeebies. He hadn't felt this trapped since that time in the hospital after he got hurt. He'd start to feel antsy and tight in the chest, like the walls were closing in and he couldn't breathe.
Mara noticed, of course. She's pretty good at reading him. She asked if he was okay, and he tried to play it cool, saying he was just checking on the storm.
But she saw right through it. "You're feeling trapped," she said, calm and understanding.
Mara went and got her laptop and a small speaker that runs on batteries. She played a video she'd shot in the summer, panning across the backyard when the sun was just right, turning everything golden. She said she watches it when she's feeling down or needs a reminder of why she loves living there.
It was surprising, but it actually helped him chill out. She had more videos, too, like one from the fall with all the leaves going crazy with color. It was like they brought the outside in.
Then Emma looked up from her pillow fort and asked if he was scared. He had to admit, he was a little.
"Mama sings to me when I'm scared," she said, wise beyond her years. "It makes the scared go away."
So he asked Mara if she'd sing for him, and she did, even though she said she's not much of a singer. She sang this old mountain tune that's been stuck in his head forever. It's called "Autumn Grey," and it's all about how even when things look bad, there's always something beautiful to find.
Her voice was soft, and it wasn't like she could win any awards, but it was perfect. It made him feel safe, like he was a kid again and everything was going to be okay. The storm was still raging outside, but they had their little campfire-lit bubble of peace.
When the power finally came back after two days, Grey felt like they had all learned something. They were stuck in the house with a crazy storm, but they had each other, and that's what really mattered. Those moments by the fire, with Mara's singing and Emma's snuggles, were the ones he'll hold onto tight. They taught him that no matter what's going on outside, you can find peace and home in the people you love.