Page 63 of Abdominal Snowman

Carvings and Cravings

Sage was warm when she woke up, but not as warm as she’d grown used to in the previous nights. Frowning, but refusing to introduce herself to the morning light, she slid her hand around on the other side of the bed, only to find it empty.

She grumbled sleepily, wondering where the hell Soren had gone at this hour. The hour of…

Pulling her cell phone from under her pillow, she tapped it to life to find it—

“Eleven thirty?” she yelped, eyes growing wide.

She hadn’t slept in that late in… in… well. She didn’t know. A rush of adrenaline filled her, adding some life into her as she crawled from the bed. The bathroom was her first stop, and the whole time, she wondered where Soren was. As she dried off from her shower and dressed, she listened for Soren, but didn’t hear him within the house. Unless he’d moved to the couch for some part of the night for some reason…

She dismissed that theory with a shake of her head and a quick glance at the tidy couch. In the kitchen there was evidence of coffee, but not much else. Hands on her hips, she turned in a circle, eyeing every surface for clues to his whereabouts.

Snow glinted through the window of the back door, and she blinked sleepily.

Duh.

Where did Soren always go whenever he got the chance? She backtracked around the fireplace and stopped by the front door to collect a more casual pair of boots. She borrowed a coat that practically swallowed her whole, and as she raced across the floor, she tugged it up her arms.

The garage was her destination, and she didn’t even bother grabbing caffeine before pushing the back door open and following the snow dusted path to the garage.

“Knock, knock,” she called out, tapping her knuckle against the wood at the same time she pushed in. Pre caffeine had her blurting the first thing that came to mind. “Now that I’m an official member of the monster fucker club, can I finally see what was in that box you gave to Jane?” Sage complained.

A clatter and a curse sounded, and a little wooden item tap-tap-tapped over to a stop in front of her feet. Bending at the waist, she scooped it up before inspecting the item pinched between two fingers, holding it up to the light. It was a… She blinked, her mind not processing fast enough. Tiny. Carved. Squirrel.

Well, half carved. It was about two inches tall, but already, she could see the form of the squirrel taking shape.

In awe, she glanced up and gasped.

The garage was spacious and meticulously organized. Of course. There were three tables lining the walls, various shiny tools covering the surfaces. The only speck of debris Sage saw was a small pile of wood shavings next to the saw.

Soren came into sight, and she couldn’t help but laugh.

“Aw, no, I’m sorry,” she rushed to apologize as she saw his cheeks grow red.

He pulled the headlamp off with a sigh, and Sage chuckled as she crossed the room. When she drew closer, she held out her palm. “So this is what you work on in here all the time?” The tiny figure in progress sat in the middle of her hand, and Soren snatched it up before placing it gently on the table underneath yet another large lamp. The dull roar of the heaters kicked on in the background.

Sage perused the entire area, walking through the space, trailing her fingers along the tools.

“Don’t cut yourself, Sunshine,” Soren warned, not far behind.

She had to hide a smile. He was hovering.

“Why, are you a vampire too? Gonna suck my blood?” She turned to hiss at him, clawed hands raising to frame her face.

Soren rolled his eyes, and she caught sight of the table’s contents against the far wall. Small wooden figurines were lined in neat rows along the back, and a small pile of wood flakes were brushed to the side.

Sage stared in wonder at the figures, so small but with detail so intricate. The little eyes of the red squirrels practically twinkled, and clutched in their small paws was an acorn. Gangly fawns peered under their mothers’ necks or leaned down as if to nibble on the grass below their feet.

But it wasn’t only innocent woodland animals.

There were carefully smoothed sinuous bodies, weaving together in perfect synchronicity. Hands roaming and heads thrown back toward the stars. Her skin flushed at those, remembering the way Soren’s hands had felt on her skin.

“So this is what you do when you’re avoiding me,” she murmured, afraid even a whisper would destroy the small figurines in front of her.

“More like to avoid tackling you against a wall,” Soren retorted, eyes flashing.

Sage flushed, turning to meet Soren’s gaze bravely, considering the towering frame it came from. She pushed the thoughts of him ravaging her against the log walls from her mind as she gently picked up the half carved figure to her right.