Like Ghosts In Snow

Fiona, Soren, and I went to see a movie. We considered leaving Soren behind as a guard, but we barely know the guy, all things considered. We honestly have no idea how reliable he is at this point. He seemed to understand.

On our way there, the car broke down. Apparently, it was too cold for the engine. As Soren and I worked out how to fix it, Fiona just stood by awkwardly. She's not really the car buff type. (Well, actually, she's terrified of even driving a car.)

As Soren and I discussed the best way to get the car working again, I noticed a kid playing in the snow, jumping around in a raincoat and some big yellow boots. He made me think of that kid from a few months back, the one I saw at the library.

For some reason, Soren tensed up when he saw the kid.

"What is it?" I asked.
"Little Boy Blue. Jack Frost. The Cold Boy," Soren said, his eyes widened. "I... how did this happen? I just... I just made two new friends..."
"What are you talking about?"

The kid started getting closer. His skin had a slight blue tint to it.

"Oh, shit, that's bad," I said. "He needs to go to the hospital!" I started walking forward. Soren grabbed my shoulder.
"Are you crazy? He's gonna eat you alive."
"Dude, he's a child."
"He's a monster."

As the little boy got close, I noticed he was singing some sort of rhyme.

"Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep,
If I should die before I wake,
I pray the Lord my soul to take."

He looked up at me. His eyes looked like they could give you frostbite.

"You're cold, aren't you?" he asked, giggling. "That's good. I'm cold too. Now it's not just you who's cold. Now we are cold."

Fiona took out her earbuds and turned around. Her eyes widened when she saw him. "Something's wrong," she whispered. She took me by the hand. "Shan, come on, we have to go."
"What about the car?"
"The car is the least of our concerns. Now go."
"Where?"
"Anywhere."

With that, we ran to the same restaurant we took Soren recently. It was in the opposite direction from the Cold Boy.
"I feel like a dumbass," I said when we had gotten settled. "We're running from a six-year-old."
"There is something terribly wrong with him," said Fiona. "I don't know what, but... he's not human."
"That's right," Soren said, pointing at Fiona with a fry. "He's the Cold Boy. The fear of isolation. Or the elemental of cold. Or the embodiment of some sort of anxious or depressive disorder."
Fiona sighed. "To be perfectly frank with you, Soren, I feel as though I shouldn't believe any of this. But... somehow, being around that boy made me realize that these monsters you keep talking about... these elementals... are real."
"Probably because you just met one." Soren shrugged.
"Smartass," I muttered.
Soren shrugged again.
Fiona grimaced. "Actually... I believe I might have an idea regarding Jack Frost. The Cold Boy. You see, when I was very young, around six years old, I met a boy my age named Jack. He seemed to make the area around himself colder than ordinary, and he always sang these strange little rhymes. I never thought anything of it until I grew older and he stayed the same age. I was seven, eight, nine, ten years old, and he still looked like the same small child. I never said anything because I was sure I was... I'm not certain what I thought, really, other than that such a thing couldn't happen. I rationalized it however I could. The usual was that he just looked young for his age. But.. it has been twelve years since I met him. If he still looks the exact same as he did then..." She shook her head. "There is something terribly wrong."