A farmer went into the woods for firewood—but he found something chilling encased in ice.
Henry shivered, unsure whether from the cold or the gnawing unease the block stirred in him. “You think it’s dangerous?”
Sophie looked up, her expression a mix of caution and fascination. “Something frozen this long shouldn’t be alive. But… we can’t rule anything out. The ice is preserving it perfectly. If it thaws, we might learn more—but I’ll need help.”
Inside the lodge, Henry busied himself with brewing coffee while Sophie spread her notes across the kitchen table, reviewing her scans. The wind rattled against the walls, and the wood stove’s light danced across the room in restless shadows.
“This might be beyond my expertise,” Sophie said, setting her pen down. “I know people who specialize in glaciology and paleobiology. If anyone can help us, it’s them.”
“You’re going to call them?” Henry asked, handing her a steaming mug.
She nodded. “Two colleagues come to mind. They’d jump at this. I’ll send them the scans and photos tonight. This could be… a major find.”
Henry sank into the chair across from her, the weight of her words pressing down. “Think it’ll bring a lot of attention to Pine Hollow?”
Sophie’s smile was small, reassuring. “Maybe. But let’s take it one step at a time. For now, it’s safe outside, and the cold will hold it. I’ll contact my team tonight.”
By morning, Sophie had already sent her files to Dr. Clara Reynolds, a glaciologist in Ottawa, and Dr. Victor Yates, a paleo-biologist from Vancouver. Both replied almost immediately.
Clara’s message was thick with technical details about the ice, confirming Sophie’s hunch—it was ancient, likely thousands of years old.
But it was Victor’s reply that made them both sit up straighter.
The message from Victor read: “Sophie, this could be groundbreaking. From the rough outline, it doesn’t match any modern species I know. I’ll need more data, but it may be a remnant of a prehistoric animal—or something entirely unknown.”
