Snowflakes circled in the icy air, landing on my nose and eyelashes. My scarf was knitted with them. I watched my breath cloud in the air and disappear. I rubbed my mittened hands together, as the cold bit them now and then. I had been waiting here for fifteen minutes, and was getting cold. Where was Shelly?

A figure appeared out of the fog, and waved at me. "Sorry to keep you waiting," Shelly apologized. "I was reading."

I pursed my lips. "Goodness, Shelly, if you keep up with that reading, you'll die."

"I won't DIE," Shelly snorted.

"What do you do all day, again?" I asked.

"Read."

"No exercise?"

"Well..."

"Uh-huh. Come on. We'll be late." Truth be told, we were not going to be late if we tried. I was just tired of talking. Shelly followed me into the castle, but did not seem happy about it. She kept making small whimpering sounds, like the cold hallways were full of ghosts. It sure looked like they could be.

It was a stone castle, with knights lining the hallways. The hallways had velvet carpet across the floor, and was dimly lit by torches, which were somehow still burning from a week ago, the first time me and Shelly investigated it. You seem confused. I'll explain.

For two hundred years, the castle had been rumored to have a missing object in it. You sigh, "Whatever, a missing object. Like... The torches?" No. A crystal ball, that could see into the past. Now you say, "And... What use is that? Nothing." Completely correct! It'll be fun, though.

Me and Shelly's footsteps echoed in the hallways, but were muffled by the carpet.

Finally, Shelly muttered, "Uh, I have a bad feeling about this."

I didn't. "Shelly, you'll be fine. It's just a stupid castle."

I saw Shelly's eyes tear up with frustration. "You know what? No. I'm not doing it. This is dumb, and I'm scared." Shelly strutted toward the door, and slammed it in my face.

I don't know what else I expected.