Special Delivery (part 3)

 Maddie was shivering when she picked up the phone. She dialed and waited. Actually, Maddie picked up the phone and put it down several times before actually dialing. She didn't have too many people to call in the city.

"Hello!? Maddie, what a surprise! Happy holidays! Haven't heard from you in a while."  The voice on the phone said.

"Hi Ursula, how have you been? Happy holidays to you too."

"We'll you know hanging in there, the usual. What you've been up to?" Ursula asked. Maddie and Ursula had been friends since childhood, and throughout most of their school years. 

"Just came back from visiting family back home, and just trying to enjoy some of my time off at home."

"Lucky you that you get all of that vacation time at your fancy job. We've been quite busy at the restaurant this holiday season. At least it's good tips." Ursula replied.

"Listen, I think I'm going crazy..."

"Why!?

"A couple of days ago I got a package delivered to my front door. It had a bottle of wine a CD and a large winter coat. I drank the wine and listened to the CD and ..."

"And!?" Ursula asked 

"Ever since... I feel this intense cold that I can't shake. It was like a chill had settled deep into my bones, and no matter how many layers of my own clothing I put on, I can't get warm. I can only warm wearing that coat. I thought I had a fever, but my temperature is normal."

"That is really strange. Are you wearing the coat right now?"

"No! Of course not!" Maddie balked.

"And are you feeling ok? Cold?" Ursula asked.

"Well yeah, I'm wearing sweatpants, two sweaters, the heater is cranked up, and I'm still shivering."

"I'm sorry to say this, but I think for now you should put on the coat, until you can figure out what's going. It's just a coat. What harm can it do?" Said Ursula with a grave concerned voice.

"Ok, I'll do that... You're right."

"Go on, I'll stay in the line." Replied Ursula.

"Ok, hopefully this makes me feel better while I think what's going on."

Maddie went downstairs and pulled out the long coat. With some trepidation she pulled her arm through arm holes, and very deliberately pulled up the zipper. 

"Ok... Now I'm wearing this stupid coat..."

"Feeling any better?"

"Not really."

"Ohh Maddie, are you sure you're not sick?"

"I might be going crazy, I can tell you that. But besides that, I don't think so. But it's the holidays, my doctor's office is closed and don't want to wait six hours at the ER just to be told I'm imagining things."

"Hummm that's really weird. And stuff the box have a return label? Anyone you can contact?"

"No... It had no labels what so ever. Just like the second box that arrived today."

"A second box!?" Uttered Ursula with in a surprised voice. "What did it contain?"

"I haven't opened it yet." Maddie replied.

"Well maybe you should. There might be a clue inside regarding what's going on." 

Maddie opened the new box, and  stared in disbelief. It contained even more warm clothing. It had a pair of quilted down pants, and a short down jacket. Both garments were warm obviously, but they were lighter than the coat she had been sent originally.  Maddie took them out of the box, hoping there was a clue regarding the strange situation. In the bottom of the box there was a small bag with another item, a quilted trapper hat with ear flaps.  She described the items to Ursula over the phone.

"Ummm, maybe you should try wearing those new things, just to see if it makes a difference."

"I don't think so... "

"Just give it a shot. Maybe it will make you feel better while I drive over to your place and we can try to figure out what to do." 

Maddie took off her coat and grabbed the pants. Maddie tried to slip her legs into the quilted down pants, but it was too tight of a fit.

Maddie removed her sweatpants and the thick cardigan she had been wearing. She was only wearing her turtleneck, bra, and underwear. She was shivering. She grabbed the down pants once more and slid her legs into it. The smooth lining of the pants felt nice against her legs. She the grabbed the short down jacket, slid her arms in and zipped it up. The jacket was nice and soft. It was light, but surely warm. Maddie was still feeling chills up and down her spine. Maddie sighed, but instinctively grabbed the long heavy down coat out of the box and put it on. Soon, she felt chills no more.

Special Delivery (part 2)

... part 1

Maddie woke up while it was still dark. It was winter so the sun would rise late. She tried to curl up in bed, without opening her eyes, but she soon realized she had slept in the couch, wearing the coat that had come from the box and a small blanket. She wanted to go back to sleep, so she took off the coat quickly walked to her room upstairs and crawled under her heavy down comforter. She tried to sleep, but sleep would not come. She felt a chill running down her back. Maddie stepped off her bed and grabbed an old cardigan she had hanging in a chair by her bed. Slipping on her sweater, she went back to bed, hoping to get some more sleep. But sleep did not come. She stood up and checked the thermostat, and it read 70 degrees.

"Am I getting sick?" she thought. She went back to bed, trying to warm up until the sun rose. She got out of bed, put on her robe, and walked to the bathroom. She was still shivering. Maddie scrambled the medicine cabinet looking for a thermometer, sure that that was the problem. But a few moments later, her temperature came back as normal, she was not sick. So what was happening to her?

She went into her wardrobe and shifted through her clothing trying to find something warm. She grabbed a thin turtleneck, a thicker cardigan, and some sweatpants. Thus dressed, she walked downstairs to make some hot coffee.

Maddie was feeling groggy, she did not sleep well. She sipped her coffee, hoping that it would warm her up, and make her feel a little bit better. She walked to the window by her living room. It was a gloomy winter day. She took another sip of hot coffee, but she was still shivering. She looked over the couch and saw the coat that had arrived last night. She gingerly slipped her arms into the sleeves of the coat and suddenly felt the shivering go away. Maddie slipped her coffee and felt better. She was wearing a turtleneck, a thick cardigan, sweatpants and the bulky black down coat that had mysteriously appeared in her doorstep last night. But it wasn't until she put on the coat that she felt better, despite the thermostat being set at 70 degrees. What was happening to her?

The lack of sleep had Maddie with a horrible headache, but she was finally warming up now that she was bundled in the long black coat. She soon drifted off to sleep...

... Maddie was startled awake by the doorbell. She looked around, she was in the couch again. She remembered getting some coffee, putting on the mysterious coat, and laying in the couch. But not the music. Why was the music playing around? What was happening?

Maddie quietly walked towards the door and looked through the peephole. There was nobody there. She opened the door and gasped. There was another cardboard box. Maddie shut the door and double locked it in a rush. After running to the stereo to turn off the music from the CD, she stripped off the coat safe was wearing and dumped it into the first cardboard box she had received. She hurried upstairs in a fit off panic.

"Who can I call? The police will think I'm crazy just because I got a couple of misaddressed packages," Maddie thought. "I don't want to call my family out of state, they'll just think I'm crazy. And which of my friends would be in town over the holiday break...?"

By now Maddie was shivering. She was still wearing her thick cardigan, and was trying to get warm under the cover of her bed, but she felt the shiver creeping up her back. Was it because she felt stalked by a stranger? Or was she genuinely cold? She couldn't take it anymore, so she went downstairs to get one of her own coats, taking care not to even look at that mysterious coat stuffed in the cardboard box. Maddie opened up her coat closet. She didn't own any coat nearly as long or think as the one that came in the package, but from the back of the closet, Maddie pulled her warmest coat. It was the only down coat she owned and the one she wore when her more fashionable wool coats wouldn't cut it. It was a fairly regular down coat that reached to her upper thigh. She slipped her arms into the sleeves, zipped it up all the way, and put up the fur trimmed hood, hoping that it would be warm enough.

"Warm enough? I'm indoor. What crazy things am I thinking?"

ChatGPT

 Seems everyone is playing around with ChatGPT. Sure enough I had to give it a try. The results are interesting, but after playing a little with it  became somewhat repetitive. It's still a long way from replacing human creativity, but while you're waiting for me to actually write the next part to "Special Delivery", here's a sample output from ChatGPT:

Sara was a young woman who lived with her mother Lisa in a small town nestled in the mountains. The winters were harsh and bitter, with snow and ice covering the ground for months on end.

As a result, Lisa was extremely protective of her daughter and was always nagging her to dress warmly. Sara hated wearing turtlenecks, snow pants, snow boots, and long down coats, but her mother insisted that they were necessary to keep her safe and warm.

Sara often chafed at her mother's strict rules and would often try to sneak out of the house wearing just a light jacket and a pair of jeans. But Lisa was always one step ahead and would catch her before she could make it out the door.

"Sara, you know the rules," Lisa would scold. "You have to wear warm clothes when you go outside in this weather."

Sara would roll her eyes and grumble under her breath, but she knew better than to argue with her mother. Lisa had a system for everything and was not one to be crossed.

If Sara did something wrong, she would earn points that would result in punishment. The punishment was usually something even more inconvenient, like wearing even warmer clothing or adding more layers.

One particularly cold day, Sara made the mistake of forgetting to wear her gloves when she went outside to play with her friends. When she came back in, her hands were red and numb with cold.

"Sara, what did I tell you about wearing gloves?" Lisa asked, shaking her head in disappointment.

"I'm sorry, Mom," Sara mumbled, hanging her head in shame.

"You know the rules," Lisa said sternly. "One point for forgetting your gloves."

Sara's heart sank as she realized that she had just earned another point. She had already accumulated several over the past week and knew that she would soon have to pay the price.

Sure enough, the next time Sara went outside, Lisa made her wear not only her snow pants and boots, but also a pair of thermal leggings and a fleece-lined coat. Sara gritted her teeth and tried to ignore the strange looks from her friends as she trudged through the snow in her bulky, overheated attire.

But despite her complaints, Sara knew that her mother was only looking out for her best interests. She may have hated the warm clothes, but she was grateful for the love and protection that Lisa provided. And in the end, she knew that it was all worth it to stay warm and safe in the harsh mountain winter.

Sara grew up with her mother's strict rules, but as she got older, she realized the importance of dressing warmly in the cold weather. She started to appreciate the cozy feeling of a warm sweater and the protection of a heavy coat. But Lisa's punishment system was still in place, and Sara knew that she had to be careful not to earn any more points.

One day, Sara was getting ready to go to school when she realized that she had forgotten her hat. She panicked and ran to her mother's room, hoping that Lisa would let her off the hook. But Lisa was firm.

"Sara, you know the rules," she said. "One point for forgetting your hat."

Sara's heart sank as she realized that she had just earned another point. She had already accumulated several over the past month and knew that she would soon have to pay the price.

Sure enough, the next time Sara went outside, Lisa made her wear not only her snow pants and boots, but also a pair of thermal leggings, a fleece-lined coat, and a thick woolen hat. Sara gritted her teeth and tried to ignore the strange looks from her friends as she trudged through the snow in her bulky, overheated attire.

But despite her complaints, Sara knew that her mother was only looking out for her best interests. She may have hated the warm clothes, but she was grateful for the love and protection that Lisa provided. And in the end, she knew that it was all worth it to stay warm and safe in the harsh mountain winter.

Sara started to take her mother's advice more seriously, she started to dress warmly even before her mother reminded her. She started to enjoy the winter more, and she even started to appreciate the warmth of the clothes.

Sara's mother, Lisa, was happy to see her daughter taking her advice and being more responsible. She started to relax her rules and the punishment system. Sara was happy to finally have some freedom and started to enjoy the winter more.

Years passed, and Sara grew up and moved out of her mother's house. She still remembered the lessons her mother taught her about staying warm and safe in the cold weather. And whenever the winter came, she would dress warmly and enjoy the snow without any fear.

Sara's mother, Lisa, was proud of her daughter, and she knew that her strict rules and punishment system helped her daughter become more responsible and independent. And even though Sara had grown up and moved out, Lisa knew that the lessons she taught her daughter would stay with her forever.

DeviantArt

 Hi all,

I've decided to create a DevianArt page, where I'll be posting my material. I'll still keep posting in this blog, but I want to see if I get a bit more engagement. If you enjoy my work, don't forget to follow me at:

https://www.deviantart.com/winteravery9

Special Delivery (part 1)

 The large box arrived late in the afternoon on December 26th. Maddie wasn't expecting any packages or deliveries, so she found the box laying at her doorway very strange. It had no labels whatsoever. The rush of the holidays had died down. Maddie had recently returned home from visiting her family out of state, and was enjoying the peace and quiet. She hauled the box inside in case someone would come looking for it later. A couple of days passed and no one came to claim the box. Maddie decided to open the box to see if there was any clue regarding the actual recipient of the box.

Inside were three items. A very voluminous black coat, a bottle of wine, and a compact disc. She picked them up and laid then down in the sofa. It was such a weird combination, and yet still no clue who it was for. The wine looked like a nice fancy Rioja. The CD had no markings at all. Maddie picked up the coat, it was long and thick, with a big fur trimmed hood. Maybe a little bit too thick and long for her taste, but definitely warm. Maddie opened up the coat and slipped her arms in. She walked towards a wall mirror. The coat fit her perfectly, even if it wasn't her style. The coat was very plain and utilitarian. It reached down to her calf, and had a large good, but was devoid of any embellishments. Maddie slipped her hands into the spacious pockets and noticed a folded piece of paper. In plain printed letters it read:

"Bundle up in your new coat, relax with some music, and have a nice glass of wine."

Maddie was even more puzzled, it seemed such a bizarre scenario. But a nice glass of Rioja was always a good touch. She took off the coat and threw it back in the box, and went to the kitchen to grab a wine glass and a corkscrew.  Maddie settled down with her glass of wine and noticed the CD laying next to the bottle. It was a burned CD, without any markings. Curiosity got the best of her, and she decided to pop it into her sound system to have a listen. It probably had been years since the last time Maddie played a CD, but her player still worked.

A faint nature soundscape opened, followed by rhythmic drums with a relaxing beat. The beat went on and on. Maddie was starting to relax, just like the note said. She got out of the couch to grab a second wine glass, but felt a slight chill creep up under the pajamas she was wearing. She looked around and grabbed the coat that lying in the box. She slipped her arms into the coat, zipped it up, and curled up with a blanket and her wine. Listening to the nature sounds and repeating beat, she drifted into sleep in no time.

part 2...