A Christmas Eve extract

Snow muffled the village beneath a white quilt. In the small kitchen, the fire flickered and painted copper shapes across the walls. Millie stood at the window, listening for the crunch of boots on the path. Her brother Tom had promised to return before the carol singers arrived, but the lane beyond the gate lay silent. A silver moon kept watch above the rooftops. On the table, two mugs of cocoa steamed beside an unopened parcel. Millie’s smile was a candle in the dark: bright, but beginning to waver. Then, far away, a bell rang once, and she leaned closer to the glass.

Inference and language