A Stone Cold Christmas -

The Spirit didn't show him ghosts of his past. Instead, it touched the stone walls of the manor. Suddenly, the walls became transparent. Silas saw the town below. He saw the baker giving away the last loaf of bread to a family with less. He saw the widow Miller lighting a single candle for her late husband. "They are freezing," Silas muttered, his breath hitching.

He woke up on his floor, the morning sun reflecting off the frost on his windows. He wasn't transformed into a saint overnight, but the "stone" had a fissure in it. Silas walked to his woodshed, loaded a sled with every log he had, and began the long trek down the mountain. A Stone Cold Christmas

The Spirit led him to the town square, where a statue of the town’s founder stood. Silas realized the statue looked more human than he felt. He reached out to touch the cold bronze, and for the first time in decades, he felt a spark of shame. It was a heat so intense it felt like his chest was cracking open. The Spirit didn't show him ghosts of his past

The wind didn’t just blow in Oakhaven; it bit. It was Christmas Eve, but there were no glowing windows or sounds of caroling. The town was under the rule of Silas Vane, a man whose heart was rumored to be carved from the very granite of the mountain he lived upon. Silas saw the town below