We get the help we need

I use the bottom of my fist to knock on the door because my fingers are so numb that they hurt. A man opens the door.

"Hello, sir." I say to him. My jaw is shivering and I can hear it in my voice. "I was wondering if..."

"You're soaking wet!" He interrupts me. "Here, come inside."

I breathe a huge sigh of relief as he ushers us inside. The change in temperature is drastic. We thank him profusely.

"It's alright, girls." He assures us. "I'll get some more wood for the fire, you two go over there and get dry."

The heat radiating off the stove is delectable, and we're drawn to it like moths to a flame. I hold my hands up to it, and the feelings of stiffness and numbness melt away.

"Here we are." The man says as he returns. We step out of his way for a moment. He's carrying a few pieces of firewood, which he adds into the stove. Sasha and I get comfortable again. I take my scarf off and let my hair down.

"Thank you again, mister." I say.

"I couldn't just leave you girls out there in the cold." He says. "And by the way, what are your names?"

"Tatyana."

"Sasha."

"Very pretty names." He tells us. "My name is Yuri."

I'm able to look at him more as we talk. He's a pretty normal looking guy, older than us, but still young. He's tall and skinny.

"It might help if you got out of those wet clothes." He suggests before leaving the room.

Sasha gives me a look of concern, but I counter it with a look of my own. Besides, he's right about the clothes. It's a relief to shed my soaking wet coat, which I lay out to dry. Sasha starts to undo hers. I undo my dress and slip out of it. Sasha takes off her coat, followed by her dress.

Yuri comes back into the room to the two of us in our underwear. I can see his eyes pop and his jaw drop a little as he stops to take us in. He gleefully runs his eyes up and down our bodies, fixating on my long legs.

"I brought you a blanket.” He tells us. “Get comfortable, I’ll go and get some bread, and then the two of you can tell me your story.”