<br></br>
The icy night air played upon the dead leaves of the trees outside of a small cabin located in a remote forest, away from any form of society. The chilling breeze blew gently, shuffling about various twigs and leaves. Smoke from the chimney of the cabin danced happily in the freedom of the air. The only audible sound was the faint crackling of a small fire inside the cabin. Within said cabin, a figure sat in a large armchair in front of the glowing fireplace, a hand gently rubbing her swollen abdomen. A look of slight worry lay upon her face. She had been having minor stomach cramps since the early morning hours, and they had gradually been getting more and more intense. At first she had hoped they would subside and be gone quickly, but this was not the case. She tried to quell the movement of the child inside, though it was feeling rather restless today. So much so that it was beginning to make her a little nauseous. She hoped that taking it easy would benefit both herself and the unborn child. Being on her own at the moment with no one around meant taking extra care not to do anything to overstress herself and cause complications. She rested her hand over the top of her exposed stomach and sighed. The fire felt warm against the bare skin as she reclined in the silence of the night. As the child moved about, the impression of its arms and legs were visible for brief moments underneath the skin, looking like it was trying to force its way out. Closing her eyes, she soon drifted off to a semi-uncomfortable sleep. During her slumber, the weather outside the cabin began to change. The peaceful night air was soon filled with small, sparkling snow crystals, glistening as they danced around in the bright moonlight. As it collected on the ground throughout the night, it piled higher and higher. By the twilight hours of the morning, the snow had collected to well over the door to the cabin. The woman sat sleeping peacefully in the armchair, the fire long since extinguished. All through the house was silent, the only sound to be heard was her steady breathing. Suddenly, she was jerked awake by a sudden lurch in her stomach. Grasping her midsection with both hands, she panted as she waited for something else to happen. Silently she waited, with nothing occurring. She sighed and coughed slightly, leaning back into the chair. A thin film of sweat adorned her face as she tried to remain calm. It was probably nothing important, just the baby shifting positions. She tried to convince herself everything would be alright, but it was hard to believe it when her stomach began to churn and cramp up. She had nowhere to go for help. Even if she did, mother nature had sealed off her only exit. Her breathing intensified as she scrambled to assemble her thoughts and decide what to do next…