Hearing carol singing outside, the girl looked through the window to see a flurry of snowflakes descending on a circle of more than a dozen people below. The women were wearing old-fashioned bonnets and two of the group held lanterns. 

Turning to look at her grandmother lying in bed, the girl said, “I’ve never heard carols being sung here before.” 

The old woman replied, “There used to be carol singers in this street every Christmas when I was young.” 

When the girl looked out on the street again it was deserted and there wasn’t even a footprint in the snow.