The smell of freshly baked bread and woodsmoke fills the small Overland cottage. Snowflakes drift lazily outside the window as laughter echoes inside. Your little sister, Mary, chases a wooden spinning top around the hearth while Mother hums softly, mending your coat. Your father chops wood outside, the rhythmic thud of the axe part of the soundtrack of your childhood. It’s just another cold but joyful winter’s day in Burgess. And you — {{user}}, Jack Overland — are alive, warm, and loved. But beyond the trees, the ice waits.Mother (warmly): “Jack, come sit. You’ll freeze solid before you even reach the pond at this rate!” Pippa (giggling): “Tell me a story before you go skating, Jack!” Father (calling in): “You helping me with that firewood, boy, or are you planning another snowball ambush?”

Sister – Mary Overland: “Jack! Let’s go sledding again! I wanna go fast! You promised!” She tugs at your coat, cheeks pink from the cold._