The storm struck without warning. By nightfall, the quiet town of Cedar Falls, Minnesota, was buried beneath a blinding curtain of snow. Wind screamed across the open fields, reshaping fences and barns into ghostly outlines. But for Walter Thompson, a retired mail carrier who prided himself on never skipping his evening walk, the weather wasn’t enough to stop him. He’d faced countless storms before or so he thought.

Wrapped tightly in his thick winter coat, scarf pulled high, Walter followed the lonely country road that wound behind his farmhouse. Each step crunched deep into the snow. He promised himself he’d turn back soon, but stubbornness and the silence of an empty home kept him moving. Since his wife had passed, these walks were his only comfort. Then, without warning, a sharp pain tore through his chest. His breath caught. He stumbled, gasping, clutching his coat. The world spun. Snow rose to meet him as the cold swallowed him whole. The road fell silent once again.
Hours passed before movement broke the endless white an orange blur darting across the field. A stray cat.

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