I should have known better than to go hiking after a snowstorm, but I really wanted to get out of the house. The whole family was assembled there for Christmas, including a few noisy and fussy toddlers, and I just wanted some peace.

I was a widow, having lost my husband and only child in a car accident last year, and I felt that my very presence just brought everyone down.

The problem with a lot of white snow drifts is, you start having vision problems, and soon enough I was lost. Even my phone GPS and compass app suddenly stopped working. I was truly alone amidst a desert of snow.

I’m not sure how long it was before I saw the house, but suddenly it was there, just as my GPS cut out.

I was cold and starting to lose feeling in my fingers. I decided to head toward the house and see if I could get warmed up and then a signal to call for a ride home.

The last thing I expected was to see my late husband open the door.

Something inside me unlatched. I opened my mouth to scream but I couldnt make a sound. I passed out.

My eyes opened and Ken was sitting next to me on a sofa. He had brought me inside. I was covered in a blanket and a steaming drink was in his hand.

“I’m sorry,” Ken said. “I think you were so exhausted, you passed out. Here’s some cocoa.”

I was so eager for nourishment, I put the drink to my lips and sipped. Then I looked around me. A fire burning cheerfully. A Christmas tree gloriously decorated. The entire living room was adorned with decorations.

And then appeared my Timothy with a plate of cookies warm from the oven. “I made these myself!”

How do I explain the feelings I had — a mix of joy at seeing my husband and child again, but also horror — how could this be real?

“Ken,” I finally said.

He looked at me with surprise. “You know me?”

Timothy grinned. “Do you know my name, too?”

I’ve gone mad, I thought. “You are Timothy.”

“How does she know us, Daddy?”

Ken just smiled. “Enjoy your cookies,” he said.

I could have argued, tried to make them remember. But I was so tired. Maybe it was best if they didn’t know.

We sat together on the couch, watching the fire and Timothy playing with a toy truck.

I stayed for a while, then it was time to go. I was glad they were happy and that they didn’t miss me. I put on my coat and boots and hugged them goodbye, and walked out back into the snow. The GPS was working now.

As I made my way back home, I turned to look back, and the house was gone. I saw my footsteps from earlier, and followed them back from where I had begun.

Life must go on, I thought. It will do so whether or not I wish to partake of it.