It was a beautiful clear night. Icicles hung from the tree branches, sparkling like diamonds in the full moon’s light.  My fiancé, John, called to say he was on his way as we had made plans to take a cozy sleigh ride to celebrate our engagement.

I had just purchased a new home on five acres of private wooded property in Vermont.  It was a picturesque piece of land with several wide trails leading through the dense forest, and we decided to explore them together.

My precious John bred several types of draft horses including Appaloosas, Mogans and Percherons, so we had plenty of beauties to choose from to pull the sleigh. He had purchased the small red sleigh (elegantly trimmed in gold) a few years back, but he had not ventured out in it yet.  Tonight was the perfect night to do so.

It was approximately 7:00 p.m. when my love arrived with a beautiful black Percheron in tow, complete with a harness equipped with shiny silver sleigh bells.  John worked on attaching horse to sleigh, and I was a bit emotional as I watched him. I was feeling so blessed for this kind and loving man who I had waited so long to meet.

Gathering several of my velvet throws, I nestled into the sleigh next to John. With a skillful slap of the reins, we were off towards the snowy trails leading into the forest.  As we lazily glided along, we feasted on a snack of red wine, cheese, and chocolate-covered strawberries. The air was cool, but the wind was calm as we enjoyed our cozy ride.

Just about a mile into our journey, we reached a clearing on our right.  A small lake to our left reflected the shimmering light of the moon. It was the most perfect night for romance, so we paused to enjoy the exquisite beauty that surrounded us.

As we finished our lovely bottle of wine, a strange sound caught our attention. It was a guttural growl like that of an animal in pain. The noise persisted; and of course, against my wishes, John felt he should investigate to see if the animal needed help.  He descended from the sleigh and headed through the clearing towards the thick pines.  

Time stood still as I waited for his return. After what seemed like an eternity, I heard a loud, menacing growl followed by chilling screams coming from the pines. Paralyzing terror gripped my heart as my mind raced wildly about the danger my fiancé might have come upon. 

Suddenly, I saw several human-like forms lumbering from the pine grove. One appeared to be dragging something behind; and as these grossly decayed creatures entered the clearing, it was very evident that it was my poor John’s body. There was a trail of blood left in the snow as they staggered towards me with my beloved’s shredded body. I could see they each had parts of his body in their hands, blood dripping from their mouths. The gruesome scene was so horrifying that it caused me to vomit uncontrollably.

The mindless flesh-eating beings caught sight of me and headed in my direction. Fear consumed me, causing my heart to beat so fast I thought it would burst from my chest. I had no experience with driving a sleigh; but, at that moment, all I could think was I had to get out of there as quickly as possible. There was no saving my John. I picked up the reins and yelled for the horse to go, slapping the reins repeatedly as I panicked to get away.

The horse obeyed and sped off swiftly into the forest; but, because I had no experience, the horse reared up, overturning the sleigh. I tumbled into the snow, and the horse took off in distress, leaving me lost in the night. I wandered dazed for hours unable to find a path leading home. I grew weary as the midnight hour’s cold set in, and I rested near the base of a pine tree. My frozen body was found three months later.