At the train station, as frost bit her cheeks, a woman with a familiar laugh waved. “You kept the town’s secret,” her mother said, tears glinting. Ah , Cara realized—this was outside the loop. The spell had broken, but the love it was born from remained.
Merry Christmas, Creekmaw. 2024. —
On the final Christmas Eve, Cara stood in the clock tower, the box from Gram now open: Inside was a broken pocket watch and a letter. “Fix it,” it read, “but choose: save me by changing the past, or save the town by letting it heal.”
