by Jakob Lint

Created on: July 30, 2008   Last Updated: December 15, 2008

Probabilities.

"Open up! It's cold out here. Come on!" screamed a voice from the outside, as the exclamation marks suggest. It seemed to belong to a man, a man of about thirty years, maybe slightly less.
"I know there is someone in there, I saw the lights. Please, I'll freeze." once again the same voice, though this time with less vigor and more desperation. She was sitting in her rocking chair trying to figure out what to do. It was rather peculiar that there should be someone at the door at this hour, and not a little strange that he would be knocking on a door of a house removed sixty miles from everything. She sensed that something was wrong, that the man at the door was at the very least a liar, if not something of greater evil. She sensed this with her sight, as she observed, through one of her windows, the man at the door. He was wearing a white winter jacket, the kind that would make it almost impossible to be cold at the North Pole much less a house in northern Canada. He couldn't possibly freeze to death with such attire, thus he must be an actor, a wolf in sheep's clothing, a rascal, a hoodlum, someone with a dodgy disposition. She wouldn't open the door.

"Open the door, please. I need to get warm, my legs are falling off." rang the voice with even greater desperation than before. "The legs," she thought. Yes it was true that the jacket did not cover his legs, and it did seem as though his pants were ill-equipt to handle the harsh wind. Maybe she should change her mind, maybe she should let him in. But there were too many question left unanswered, she couldn't simply open a door to a stranger, not at three in the morning, not at such a remote location, and especially not without an explanation. "Why are you out there?" she asked with a deepened voice.
"I was skiing on the hills not too far from here. I stayed too late and couldn't find my way back to the car. I was lucky to stumble across your house. Please let me in, I'll freeze." replied the voice, this time with a bit of relief.
He was lying, there were no ski hills around her house. Skiing was prohibited in the area due to the harsh terrain, which was barely navigated by professional skiers. "You do know that skiing is prohibited in this area. You couldn't have been skiing." she uttered, this time with her usual voice.
"I did see signs. I thought I could handle it. I'm not lying. I was skiing. Please let me in." he pleaded, once again with desperation in his voice.
That was possible. He could have been skiing. But even if he was, that means he broke a law, and if he broke one what would stop him from breaking others. She concluded that he was not to be trusted either way. "I'm sorry but I can't let you in. You shouldn't have been skiing here. You should have obeyed the law." said she.
"Alright, I do admit I made a mistake. I thought I could handle it, like I said. I'm not in the habit of breaking laws, I'm just an avid skier. Please let me in. Please." said he, emphasizing his desperation with a slight bang on the door. The bang alarmed her, she sensed that he may get violent. "Sir, if you do not walk away right now, I will be forced to call the police. Im not going to let you in, that's final." she uttered sternly this empty threat, as there were no phones in the house, and her cell-phone was long dead. After hearing this the man backed up a little from the door and kicked it as hard as he could. The door flew open and the woman inside screamed with fear. The man looked about, holding his gaze on her for what seemed fifteen minutes. He then walked over and sat by the fireplace.

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