The cold winds blew tufts of powdery white snow in Xander's face, chilling the air inside the hut. The weather outside had taken a turn for the worse, with the cloud cover turning from gray to muddled black.
"Shut shut shut!" the old woman exclaimed aloud, pointing at each of the three windows from left to right.
Her words worked like magic, and the windows slammed shut without needing a human touch. The wind continued howling outside the hut like a hungry wolf, but the dying embers of the half-burnt log in the cozy fireplace kept the place warm.
"It looks like your house obeys all your commands without question," Xander remarked, glancing at the closed windows. "Your husband must have really wanted to keep you safe."
"Of course he did. Herbert loved me to a fault," she replied.
