Nora pushed her hands into the pockets of her long charcoal coat in search of her gloves, the moment she stepped under the ancient lindens and chestnut trees growing along the gravel path, their leafless branches trembling in the wind.

It was freezing here, much colder than in the city. She sighed when she realised that her woolen mittens were gone, and she had no idea where she had left them. She pulled the hood of her coat up, then pushed her hands in the opposite sleeves of her coat, creating a provisory muff, hoping that she would find some of her old winter clothes up in the house. If not, she would just have to buy some.

There were many shops and boutiques in this little town, designed to satisfy all the needs of the tourists which the castle and the nearby spa attracted. She could see some of them beyond the large trunks of the trees standing first in a single, then, as she walked deeper into the park, in two or three lines next to the gravel path-- hopefully a few were open even in winter.

Two rows of medieval buildings bordered the park on both sides, barely visible through the gaps among the trees-- the tiny shops that occupied most of them sat huddled in the shadows under the heavy stone columns and arches, their windows dark this time of the day. Only a couple of restaurants and one little café were still open. Their silver mushroom heaters, towering above shabby chic round tables and armchairs buried under heaps of blankets, illuminated the night like orange, earthbound stars, the low music playing for a handful of customers and the occasional passer by was adding to the festive, christmassy atmosphere of the place.

Then the expanse of trees grew wider and thicker, tall firs and pines substituting the smaller trees hinting at the encroaching forest, and the town vanished from view entirely, making Nora feel alone in the world, as if she stepped through an enchanted portal into the past, or at least to some magical parallel world. That's why she loved this place-- it made her feel like no other, it could easily be a world from one of the thousands of books she had read.

She was almost certain that if she closed her eyes and made a wish, she would find herself in Pemberley, Mr. Darcy walking towards her with outstretched arms, a loving smile on his lips. Or in Thornfield Hall, sitting on a bench under a chestnut tree with Mr. Rochester, his hand closed tightly around hers, or in Wuthering Heights, running across the moors with Heathcliff or...

You really are too old for such fantasies, Nora thought, frowning, the sound of her feet on the gravel echoing around her eerily now that the town was out of sight and earshot. You'll sooner find yourself under Count Dracula's castle, with the vampire behind, his hand reaching for your neck...

The picture that her mind produced to accompany the thought made her jump and turn around, breath faltering, then laugh at herself. She would never reach the cottage tonight if she got freaked out already here-- the meadow surrounded by forest stretching between the castle and her house was way more scary than this peaceful park.

Nora started to breathe freely again once the sound of her footfalls was drowned by the trickle of water. She reached a huge tree growing in the middle of a small clearing, beautifully decorated for Christmas. It stood next to a warm-water fountain, alimented by one of the hot springs the spa had been built around a couple of centuries back. This fountain never froze, exactly like the many small, natural, thermal lakes that could be found in the forest beyond grandma's cottage, and the large, man-made pools of the spa.

She paused to admire the fountain as always, watching the water descend from one large shell carved from a dark grey stone, covered in golden-green moss and algae, to another, the small waterfall illuminated artistically to make it look magical. Her breath caught as her eyes strolled to the shimmering icicles, more beautiful than any of the Christmas decorations-- they had formed on the branches of the Christmas tree overhanging the fountain, where the steam issuing from the warm water condensed and froze, before some of it dropped back into the warm, shell-like pools. The fountain was a little miracle in the middle of the frosty winter, teeming with life, full of brightly-coloured fish and water plants. The icicles reflected and multiplied the splashing water and the colourful Christmas lights of the tree, sending thousands of little rainbows into the surrounding darkness.

When Nora finally looked in front of her again, determined to continue her walk, she froze. There was a large animal standing not far from her, observing her quietly.

What's that doing here? She thought, unsure of what she was seeing. She opened her handbag and took out her glasses. The animal in front of her was bright, big and furry.

It's got antlers, Nora observed uneasily when it shifted its weight, as if it was preparing to come closer. Or pounce. She took two careful steps back, just in case...

There were plenty of all sorts of deer in the forest, but Nora had never seen any of them in the streets of this town. They were looked after by the people who were in charge of the castle's grounds and stables, and they had no need to approach the people in search of food.

But this didn't look like any of the deer she had seen before. It was silvery-white and its antlers were... unusual. Is it a reindeer? She asked herself, as the beast was joined by two more, one bigger, the other much smaller. A calf. She mused. They just stood there silently, a wall of hooved and antlered fur, considering her, preventing her from continuing on her way.

Resigned, Nora stared back until she heard footfalls approaching them from the distant end of the dark park, and a tall man appeared behind the reindeer.

"Hey, guys, where are you off to tonight?" He asked them gently, grabbing the largest one by its red collar, his other hand caressing its pink snout fondly. "What are you so scared of, hmm?"

Following their looks he noticed Nora, still frozen with surprise, fear and cold by the fountain.

"Oh, thanks for stopping them. The other night they made me run after them all the way down to the spa." The man said, observing Nora curiously, considering her as if he had seen her before but couldn't quite remember where.

Nora, too, had this feeling of having met him... His thick, dark hair, the way he moved, and even the tone of his voice reminded her strongly of someone she had known a very long time ago.

"You are not scared, are you?" The stranger continued as she looked at him mutely, submerged by a flood of memories. "Snow-White and her family are a little adventurous, but definitely not dangerous. I'm sorry." He added, now grabbing the white reinder's collar too, smiling as the animal licked his cheek lovingly.

The smallest reindeer obviously decided to prove its adventurous and friendly character, because it walked quite close to Nora. She raised her right hand toward it tentatively, and the little reindeer nudged it with its warm, damp snout. It was... beautiful. Nora giggled, scratching the animal behind its furry ears.

"See?" the man said, a warm smile spreading over his lips. "Tame as puppies." Letting go of Snow-White's collar he took a little golden object from the pocket of his jacket and as he brought it to his lips she saw that it was a kind of a whistle. At hearing its sound, the little reindeer trotted obediently back to him.

Then the stranger just stood in front of her for a moment, waiting for Nora to say something, but for some reason, she couldn't speak. Coming back to this place, and meeting this strangely familiar man, caused an avalanche of memories to tumble down on her, erasing years of her life, making her feel like the young, shy girl she used to be. Suddenly she was as tongue-tied as when she was fifteen, desperately in love with... And as she recalled the boy she had once loved, she remembered even this man standing in front of her.

"Thanks again. Have a nice evening!" The man said in the end, straightening his red scarf, all askew after his reindeer hunt. He whistled again and the animals trotted up the hill at his side, towards the castle.

"Bye!" Nora called once they were all at a safe distance.

He turned back and waved, then called, "I guess I'll see you around!"

Nora smiled to herself, there was no way of them not meeting again in this tiny place. She waited for a few moments, giving the man and his reindeer time to disappear in the deep shadows under the trees. Then she removed her glasses, put them back in her handbag, and walked in the same direction. There was no other way to her cottage, she would have to pass by the castle, and the stranger was most likely headed there as there was nothing else beyond the park-- the castle, its stables, and her house. And she didn't want to meet him again... not tonight.

She was sure now that he was one of the kids she used to frequent whenever she visited her grandmother years ago. They were a large group and she had never paid him much attention-- he used to be just as quiet and shy as herself. And she was crazy about the other one, the one who was most likely married by now, a father of a bunch of kids. Somewhere far and bigger.

People move on, no one comes back like you... She sighed, thinking that maybe returning here was a mistake, then shook her head when she realised that she sounded like Mother. But what was this man still doing in this small town? She didn't remember his name but she was almost certain that he wasn't from here, could his grandparents live here? Maybe an aunt? Did he marry a girl from the town and found a job in the castle?

But why was she even thinking about him? She shook her head again, schooling her thoughts to order as she reached the end of the park and the gravel under her feet morphed into a wide cobble-stoned lane winding its way towards the castle perched on a low, bright, travertine hill. Even if it was him, he obviously doesn't remember you, why would he?

She wrapped her arms across her body for warmth as she walked by the entrance to the brightly-lit castle, its tens of elegant turrets and towers making her feel as if she walked into a fairy tale. Lively voices of the hotel guests, excited at seeing the runaway reindeer, carried towards her across the wooden drawbridge spanning over a deep, water-filled moat, then vanished gradually as she reached the unpaved trail crossing the vast, moonlight meadow beyond.