Every Christmas Eve, Alexandra lit a candle in the frost-rimmed window of her crumbling Victorian home. It was more than tradition; her grandmother had whispered that the flame would guide lost souls back to where they belonged. It had burned without incident for years, casting its golden light onto the snow-covered street.

As Alexandra prepared for her lonely vigil this year, the snowstorm outside howled like a wounded beast. She placed the candle on the sill, its glow feeble against the swirling dark. Hours passed as she watched the shadows deepen, her tea gone cold, her house silent except for the creaking of old wood.

Then, just before midnight, a figure appeared. Alexandra’s breath caught as a man stepped out of the blizzard, his coat dusted with snow. She recognized him instantly—Timothy, her high school sweetheart, who had left town a decade ago without a word. His face was pale, his eyes hollow but familiar.

“I saw your light,” he murmured as she opened the door. “I had to come back.”

They sat in the parlor, talking as if no time had passed. Timothy’s words were warm, but his hands were like ice when they brushed hers. Alexandra found herself laughing at memories she hadn’t thought of in years, their voices filling the empty house. Outside, the wind shrieked, but inside, the air seemed heavy, almost stifling.

As dawn’s pale light filtered through the curtains, Timothy grew quiet. “I’ve traveled the world, Alexandra,” he said. “But the light in your window—it’s the only thing that brought me back.”

Her heart ached at his confession. She reached out, but her fingers passed through his hand as if he were made of mist. Alexandra’s breath hitched, her pulse quickening. “Timothy?”

“I never meant to leave,” he whispered, his form fading. “But I’ve been so cold, so lost. Your candle—it called me home, if only for a night.”

As the sun rose, Timothy’s figure dissolved into the air, leaving only the faint scent of winter pine, and a chill seeped into her very bones. Alexandra sat frozen, her hands trembling as she stared at the candle, its flame flickering weakly in the morning light.

The candle had worked its magic once again. But it had not brought back a man. It had summoned a ghost.

The End