Erica Williams sat grumbling in the car as her family drove up to Pine Mountains Lodge. Every other kid was spending their vacation going to resorts, or going snowboarding. Erica's parents loved old places, so when they saw the brochure, they just had to go.

"Remind me why I couldn't go skiing with Ava's family?" Erica asked her parents, still pouting. Her mom sighed, and looked at Erica's reflection in the mirror.

"Becasuse I wanted to make this a family vacation!" her mom said happily "It's not the Williams family without you!"

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When they got to the lodge they found that it was, with no surprise, empty. They went up to the front desk, and had to call the owner, who was watching TV in the back.

"I'm surprised you're here" he said gruffily, pulling out a key "We mostly get visitors 'round the summer time." He handed us the key, and Erica started walking away, but her mom held me back.

"It's so beautiful around this season" she pressed "Why do people only come in the summer?" The man sighed and tapped a finger on the wooden desk.

"It's because of the Cold Wanderer..." he murmured, and he scratched his face lightly, as though he didn't want to attract the attention of anyone.

"The Cold Wanderer?" Erica asked, a little loudly. The man shushed me, and began a tale.

"A while back, there was an old hiker who came up here every year. He went on long hikes everyday, and was up in the mountains for most of his trip. The last time he ever came here was on his 97th birthday. He had stiff knees and poor eyesight, but he still decided to go on his hike. Unfortunately, that was the night the blizzard struck. He couldn't move through the thick snow to get shelter because he was so frail, and just froze to death, right there. Now it's rumored that every year, on the eve of his death, looking for a new, warm body to takeover."

Erica gasped, but both her parents rolled their eyes, and dragged Erica off to their room.

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That night, as Erica lay on the stiff mattress of her bed, the owner walked in, and began closing and locking all the windows.

"Excuse me, I like to sleep with the windows open" Erica said softly. The man turned around and gave her the evil eye.

"You won't like it when the winds a-blowin' all night long" he answered gruffly "You'll freeze your toes off." Erica ducked under the covers, mostly out of fright, and went into a fitful sleep.

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Erica woke just a few hours later, for what she thought was no reason. Then, faintly, she heard a voice calling her.

"Eeeeeeeerica! Let me in! It's so cooooold outside!" Erica felt a shiver run down her whole spine.

It's the Cold Wandered she thought, and although she was scared, she drifted back into her fitful sleep.

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The next day, Erica met the owner's son, Timothy. At first he scared her, with his pale skin, bulging blue eyes, and the fact that he never seemed to eat, but he proved to be an amazing horseshoes player. The only one Erica actually liked was Timothy's dog, Missy. Erica spent a lot of her time with Missy.

At lunch, she saw her parents for the longest amount of time since they got there. They always seemed to be hiking in the mountains, which scared Erica. Her parents couldn't convince her that the Cold Wanderer wasn't real.

After lunch, Erica began playing a board game with Timothy. Then she began to spill about last night to Timothy.

"I don't want to freak you out" he told her "But tonight is the date of the hiker's death. He'll be looking for a new body."

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"Bye Erica, we'll be out in the lobby playing cards with the owner and his wife" said Erica's dad after he tucked her into bed.

"No!" cried Erica "The Cold Wanderer is out tonight! Don't leave me!" Her parents laughed and started out the door.

"It's just an urban legend" said her mom "Now go to sleep."

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Erica woke up at 3:00 a.m. and she knew the Cold Wanderer had arrived.

"Eeeeerica! It's so cold out here! Let me in!"

"Go away!!!" screamed Erica.

"Erica! It's Timothy! Let me in! I don't have a key, and it's so cold out here!" Erica got up to open the door, but then all the pieces fell into place. Timothy was pale, he never ate, and he was scary, he was the Cold Wanderer!

"Never!" screamed Erica. She then heard Missy's barking, and she heard Timothy's screams as Missy chased him away. Erica quickly opened the door for Missy. She could protect her from the Cold Wanderer.

Missy shook out her coat, and looked up at Erica.

"Thanks for finally letting me in Erica. It was so cold out there..."