Winterwood Read Free Page A

big trouble.”
    â€œYou’re just being a baby. No one’s gonna—”
    â€œWait. Did you hear that?”
    â€œWhat?” Nick looked around. “I didn’t hear anything.”
    â€œShhhh. Listen.”
    Both boys held their breath. Except for the deep hum of the furnace, the basement remained empty of sound. Jake began to wonder if his ears had played tricks on him
    Then he heard it again.
    Bells.
    The cheerful tinkling of Christmas bells, like the ones at the bottom of the tree upstairs and in the cheery Christmas songs that played on the radio every ten minutes.
    Jake glanced at the stairs, but no one was there.
    â€œIt’s coming from outside,” Nick said, pointing at one of the windows. The boys stood up and tried to see out, but the window was too high and the night too dark.
    â€œMaybe it’s Santa!” Belief surged back to life inside Jake. Their parents had been wrong. Santa did exist.
    â€œBut it’s not Christmas.”
    â€œSo? He came early.”
    Nick shook his head. “Santa doesn’t come early.”
    â€œThen what is it?”
    Nick shook his head and then stopped. His eyes lit up and he smiled.
    â€œI’ll bet it’s Mom and Dad putting presents out in the garage. That’s where they’ve been hiding them.”
    â€œWhy would they do it at night?”
    â€œI don’t know. But they’ll be back any minute. C’mon. We gotta get upstairs before they see us.”
    â€œWhy don’t we just hide here?”
    â€œYou can hide here. And when you get caught, I’ll get all your Christmas presents.” Nick made a face at him and then went up the stairs.
    Jake hesitated then decided he’d rather be grounded with his brother than be alone in the basement, which suddenly seemed very dark and creepy, despite the lights. He tiptoed up the stairs and found Nick standing in the kitchen, frowning in the dim glow from the Christmas tree in the living room. No other lights were on, and the house was just as quiet as earlier.
    â€œThere’s nobody here,” Nick whispered.
    Ring-a-ling-ling.
    Nick turned. The bells were louder now, the jingling right outside the back door. He reached for the knob.
    â€œDon’t!”
    Nick stopped. “Why not?”
    â€œWhat if it’s Krampus?” Saying the word sent a chill down Jake’s neck and made him shiver.
    Nick rolled his eyes. “Krampus is just another dumb, old story. Besides, how could he sneak up on people if he went around ringing bells?”
    Before Jake could object again, Nick opened the door. A gust of freezing wind blew in carrying the last of the night’s snowflakes with it. Nick stepped outside, Jake at his heels, arms crossed over his chest to block the cold. Fresh snow crunched under their slippers.
    Jingle-ling-ding.
    Jake looked to his left just in time to see a large shadow disappear around the corner of the house, leaving him with an empty yard and a fleeting image of an animal with long legs and dark fur and antlers.
    â€œDid you see—?”
    â€œA reindeer!” This time Jake led the way, running across the yard, unmindful of the frigid air biting at his face and neck.
    They rounded the corner and came to an abrupt stop at the sight of not a reindeer but a goat, the biggest goat they’d ever seen. Its horns pointed up like twin spikes and its amber eyes glowed in the silver moonlight seeping through the clouds. It shook its head and snorted, and the string of bells around its neck tinkled and chimed.
    â€œWell, well, how lucky are we? Sneaking out to follow our bells when you should be fast asleep? You two lads must not be right in the head.”
    Nick and Jake turned in unison at the rough, guttural voices. Standing behind them were two figures their own height but heavier. The strangers wore black pants and boots, and green leather coats whose tall, peaked hoods hid their faces.
    â€œWho are