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A Hint of Cinnamon and Ice
I
n the cold heart of the Arctic, where the ice lay like endless white parchment, and the stars danced in the long, dark nights, Lianna sat in her small cabin aboard the M/S Freya.
The steady hum of the ship was like a soothing heartbeat in the middle of the silent wilderness of the North. She held a steaming cup of tea in her hands, the warmth seeping through the porcelain and banishing the winter chill for a moment. Carefully, she opened the letter that had come from home. The playful handwriting of her little brother, so carefree and light- hearted, was unmistakable. Each letter was a reminder of childhood. She smiled as she read: “Dear Lianna, I hope you’re having the best adventure at the North Pole! I got a magic seed from Santa. When you come back, a big, color- ful tree will have grown from it. Maybe it will even be part of the Global Christmas Forest everyone here talks about! I can’t wait to show you everything. Come home soon! We miss you.” She read the rest of the letter slowly to not miss a word he was saying. Lianna’s fingers lingered on the paper, the words blurring slightly as tears pricked at her eyes. Her brother’s faith in magic reminded her of the simplicity she’d once believed in. She still does but reality makes it hard sometimes to still believe in the magic. A pang of homesickness washed over her, mingled with a desire to protect his innocent wonder. She folded the letter gently together and left it on her bedside table. She put on her thick gear, grabbed her sketchbook and camera, and stepped out onto the frozen deck. The icy wind bit at her cheeks, and the endless expanse of the frozen ocean stretched before her. The Arctic in all her beauty. As Lianna settled at the edge of the ship, her legs hung down close by the ice. She removed her gloves to draw more in her sketchbook while a young polar bear watched her from a safe distance. Koda was his
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NANUK’S WEIHNACHTSGESCHICHTEN
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