The Blood on the Stairs

Clara spent her Christmas Eve in quiet isolation. She paid no mind to the sickening display of the so-called happy family leaving the house. Stepping into the biting cold of the quiet courtyard, she crouched in the fresh powder. With ungloved hands, she meticulously sculpted a small snowman, shaping the icy clumps. Her skin flushed red from the freezing chill before she finally retreated to her wa