Her temporary relief at having found the turnoff faded.
Centuries of harsh weather had stripped this terrain of all, but the hardest of spruce, and without a windbreak, the blasts roaring in from the ocean caught the suitcases like spinnakers. Emma turned her back to the wind’s force without losing either one. Emma had bowed so far into the wind that she nearly missed it. Only as the corner of a suitcase bumped against a low snow-shrouded stone wall did she realize she’d reached Moon Cottage. As soon as she dragged the bags in, she switched on the lights. The cottage was cold and musty. The readings in the thermostat were as expected, given how cold it was. Emma tried to restart the heating device, but it still didn’t work. She lit the fireplace, and the cottage warmed up a bit. She gathered as many blankets as she could, changed into pajamas, and immediately fell asleep. When she woke up, the first thing she did was call the heating company. It has been a while since the furnace received any heating maintenance. She had not been to that cottage for four years, but there was a caretaker, or so she thought. When she got a hold of the heating dealership, she was relieved to hear that she would be getting assistance by noon. The HVAC professional arrived on time and inspected the heating equipment thoroughly. The HVAC installation was in bad shape, but the heating specialist was optimistic. After a while, the heating technician told Emma that a heating repair would solve all its problems. Emma did not have the finances to replace the electric heater, and her heart danced when she heard this.