The room is a rectangle, with a bed in one corner. The bed is tiny and has two pillows on it. The bed has a very thin blue blanket folded at the end of the bed. The door of the room opens into a bland hallway, painted a hospital shade of beige. The walls of my room are a soothing pale blue, like the blanket. The temperature is neutral, and a faint breeze washes through the room. The room smells like Lysol. A painting of a snowy countryside hangs on one wall. In the painting, pine trees bend under the weight of a heavy snowfall and a reddish, setting sun peers through the tree brances. Other than the bed and the painting, the room is bare.
The forest matches the painting in my room. The trees are covered with snow. The pine trees are tall, and the sun is bright. The shadows are deep and the forest is silent except for the occasional thump of snow falling from a branch.
The path is narrow but clearly-marked. Someone has been here recently, since it snowed. From the edge of the forest, I can see only a few feet before the path turns. The path leads deeper into the forest. Animal tracks appear on the path, but I hear no sound of animals.
The path breaks at a small but deep stream. The stream hums quietly as it moves through the snow-deadened landscape. There is no bridge, although the path continues on the other side. The water is clear, deep and cold. I reach down to touch the water. My fingers make tiny ripples. Downstream, rocks disturb the smooth calm of the surface, but here at the path the stream flows unchallenged.
After wading through the hip-deep water, I find a silver goblet half-lodged in the snow on the riverbank, tarnished with age. The goblet has a fluted rim and a narrow stem. There are words etched illegibly on the side of the goblet.
The key, like the cup, is silver with gold, ornate filigree. It is obviously old, but curiously intricate. It unlocks a trunk or box, perhaps a secret drawer in a mahogany desk. Unlike the cup, the key lies on top of the snow, placed carefully parallel to the direction of the path.