The morning after Christmas, he awakens miles downstream, on a bed of sheepskins, beneath a lean-to of snow-covered boughs. While he feeds wood to the fire, which has diminished to coals, he remembers dreaming a song, hearing chords rippling in his heart, the melody carrying him across the frozen river.

Bob Thurber is the author of six books. Regarded as a master of Flash and Micro Fiction, his work has appeared in Esquire and other magazines, been anthologized 60 times, received a long list of awards, and been utilized in schools and colleges throughout the world. He resides in Massachusetts. Visit his website at BobThurber.net.