December 21, 2021 – North Woodstock, New Hampshire, USA
*** This story includes a challenge for readers and listeners. As the story unfolds, try to spot the authentic product placement. Look or listen carefully. ***
Kelly touched the defrost button and a blast of warm air hit the windshield. Then she tapped the seat warmer button and pointed out the corresponding button for her passenger, Mara.
“When I decided on a Honda CRV, I think it was the accessory package that sold me,” said Kelly. “It has everything to keep you cozy on a freezing day and with the all-wheel-drive, I never feel nervous about road conditions.”
Kelly and Mara left work early to make the drive to North Woodstock. It was still afternoon, but the thick cloud cover and gentle snow created the illusion of twilight. The surrounding mountains made the road in front of the car almost seem like a tunnel.
“You’ve been to this place before, right?” asked Mara.
“To the town, yes. To the Ice Castles, no. But everybody who’s been there says it’s amazing,” answered Kelly.
“Who’s everybody? Cool people I’d want to hang out with or losers I’d make fun of?”
“Both kinds, I guess. I mean, everybody.”
“This better not be one of those fake holiday things that are only about taking your money. You know, like a wannabe German Christmas Village selling candles in cups for $20. Or something at a mall where they’re only sucking you in to go shopping.”
“I don’t think it’s anything like that. But even if there are things for sale, I won’t mind. I like buying holiday stuff. Adds to the feeling of the season.”
Kelly smiled playfully while Mara rolled her eyes. Kelly always claimed to look on the bright side of things and she liked to needle Mara about being too pessimistic.
The friends reached the snow-packed parking lot for the Ice Castles installation. Kelly’s head swiveled as she gasped at the tree-sized pillar of pale-blue ice next to the entrance.
“It looks like a frozen waterfall! How did they make that?” cried Kelly.
“Hey, watch where you’re going,” Mara responded. “There’s an empty spot at the end of that row of cars.”
By the time Kelly reached the parking spot, she caught a glimpse of the multi-story castle of ice rising over the horizon like an iceberg. She shifted the CRV into Park and reached for her phone.
“I can’t wait to get pictures with my new iPhone13. It’s perfect for closeups, landscapes, or whatever we want.” Kelly jumped from the car and jogged through the slushy snow toward the castle. She turned back to Mara and called, “Come on! Hurry!”
“Alright. It’s not going anywhere.” Mara shoved her hands into her jacket pockets. “I didn’t plan on it feeling this cold outside.”
“We’re both wearing Columbia boots and coats,” said Kelly. “If anything, we’ll feel too hot and want to take off a layer.”
Mara followed as Kelly snapped pictures of the surrounding mountain. They blended with a crowd of people walking toward a white tent labeled Entrance. Inside the tent they found two women taking tickets while huddled next to a propane heater. Prices and reservation times were displayed on a banner.
“I didn’t realize this was so expensive and we needed reservations,” said Mara.
“Don’t worry, I got us covered,” said Kelly, pulling up two electronic tickets on her phone. “I got these at a discount through the local Holiday Inn. The manager was so friendly I thought maybe we should stay overnight.”
“You didn’t have to get a ticket for me.”
“It’s no big deal. I’m happy to have you along.”
The friends followed a snowy walking path toward the glowing castle. Kelly giggled and squealed as they approached the walls and columns made by freezing ice layers onto a frame of drip pipes. A long ice tunnel, illuminated with a rainbow of LEDs, marked the castle’s entrance. Kelly stopped to take selfies and videos.
“Can you believe this?” Kelly asked in wonder as she emerged from the tunnel and into an open courtyard. She rotated with her phone to capture the backlit ice walls, ice caves, mazes, and firepits. “Where should we go first? I can’t decide!” cried Kelly.
Mara looked around too. Splattered along the pale-blue ice walls were colorful signs for Coca-Cola, Jet Blue Airlines, and Grubhub. “See what I mean,” said Mara. “I knew they would find a way to spoil ice and snow with commercialism and corporate sponsors. From Halloween to New Year’s, the holidays are all about buying stuff.”
Kelly glanced at the signs. “I hardly noticed. I don’t mind if a little advertising lowers the price of a ticket. Maybe the companies are giving away prizes.”
Mara shook her head and said, “I doubt it.”
“Okay, I’ve decided where to stop first,” said Kelly, pointing out a small woodshed labeled, “Winter Snacks.” “How would you like some hot chocolate?”
“I can’t believe they charge that much for a cup of cocoa,” said Mara, after getting a look at the food stand’s prices.
“They melt real Ghirardelli’s chocolate bars into the milk,” said Kelly. “It’ll be worth it. I’ll pay for both of us. And we’ll get some scones too. They’re using King Arthur’s scone mix. I’ve heard that’s the best.”
As Kelly sipped a cup of hot chocolate and raved about how thick and rich it tasted, Mara complained that the scones were too hot and had burned her mouth.
“Scones are supposed to be hot. They came right from the fryer,” said Kelly. “I love how the honey drizzled on the top gets soft and runny.”
Kelly licked honey from her fingers and then concentrated on collecting pictures and videos for her Instagram and TikTok accounts. Mara posed with Kelly before acting as photographer.
“There’s a lot of people in the background,” said Mara. “The place is so crowded, they’re impossible to remove.”
“I like pictures with crowds,” said Kelly. “It shows you’re in a fun place. But if I want to crop some people out, I use this app called PhotoDirector. It’s totally easy.”
“I still wish we weren’t surrounded by so many people,” said Mara.
“I don’t know. I’ve seen a lot of cute guys around. Like those two checking us out. In the orange hat and the checkered jacket.”
Mara turned slyly but was not ready to admit that the two guys in the distance were actually staring at Kelly and her. The girls continued their exploration of ice crevices and mazes and then rode down a small slide made from ice blocks. They crossed paths with the orange hat and checkered shirt guys but did not get a chance to do more than exchange smiles.
Kelly finally decided she had recorded enough footage from her phone and soaked up enough holiday spirit. She and Mara trudged back to the parking lot as darkness descended. Suddenly, Kelly patted her pants and coat.
“My keys! I must have dropped my keys!”
“Are you sure? Were they in your pocket?” asked Mara.
“Where else would they be? We have to go back.”
As Kelly grew more frantic, Mara did her best to remain calm. “Maybe you dropped them getting out of the car. Let’s check there first.”
Kelly darted toward her car, and as she got closer, noticed exhaust coming from the tailpipe. She rushed to the driver’s door to discover she had left the engine running with the keys inside. “How did that happen?” she cried.
“You must have been too excited to take pictures when we got here.”
“Will it be okay? Did I break it?”
“Looks okay to me.”
As the friends got into the car, the engine began to sputter. Then it died.
“Oh no! I did break it! What do we do? We’re stuck at Ice Castles!”
Mara fought her urge to join in Kelly’s meltdown. “It’s probably out of gas. I saw a CITGO station nearby. We can grab some there.”
“But I don’t have a gas can!” cried Kelly.
As Kelly exited the car looking distressed, the guys in the orange hat and checkered jacket drove by in a Subaru Forester.
“You okay? Need any help?” called the guy in the orange hat.
“Could you help us get some gas?” called Mara.
“Sure. Climb in.”
On the way to the gas station and back, everyone talked about the Ice Castles and found out they lived close to one another. They exchanged phone numbers.
After the CRV was refueled and Kelly and Mara were on their way, Kelly said, “I never want to run out of gas like that again.”
Mara smiled and teasingly said, “You need to be more positive. If you didn’t leave your car running, you might never have met your future husband.”
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