Hello again, Story Club members. I'm Ivy, your ghostly host with the most and keeper of the

strangest, spurious, tales on earth. Today is another Ivy's chilling tale. This icy tale

story club members might make you want to bundle up. It's deadly cold outside. It's one I call afterlife party. Hurry up, Rosamond. We're going to be late. Rosamond's mom was tapping her foot outside of the elevator. Rosamond Weathers was texting her friend, and it accidentally dropped her phone.

They'd taken the elevator down to the parking garage from the theater.

They'd just seen a wonderful holiday-themed musical, Afterlife, which was the most beautiful thing Rosamund had ever seen.

Her mother was good friends with the stage manager of the production, and they were invited to the Afterlife Party, which was at a remote mansion in the country. Rosamond hoped she could meet the star of Afterlife, Kate Nettles, who was absolutely phenomenal in the show.

The production was about a girl who woke up dead one morning and then tried to get back to her physical body,

but she had to go through this grand adventure in her afterlife before she could return to the living.

It was funny and sad, and the actress Kate, who was only a few years older than Rosamond's 11 years, had captured her imagination.

Wow, to meet Miss Kate Nettles would be absolutely incredible. Maybe they could even get a selfie together.

Rosamond climbed into her mother's

Mercedes and they were off. It had snowed earlier in the day and the temperature had dropped,

so the dark night seemed still frozen. It was December 21st, winter solstice, the shortest day

of the year. Rosamond noticed how the winter nights had become oppressively dark.

Her mom's car skidded on the ice. Mom, slow down. I want to arrive at the party alive.

Well, Kate Nettles is only showing up for a brief moment at the gathering before she flies home

for Christmas. He don't want to miss her, right, Rosamond? Rosamond shook her head no and held on.

The shiny highway resembled an ice skating rink, a solid layer of frosty glaze.

A moment later, a deer hopped across the road.

Rosamond's mom whipped the wheel to avoid the bounding animal.

Their car almost collided with a truck roaring the other way and crashed into the guardrail.

The airbags in the car inflated. Rosamond felt all right, just a little shaken up, but her mom had a

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