Snowed Inn

The thick blanket of snow all but covered the entire town in a layer of white. Even through the frigid cold that came along with it, it was hard to deny the absolute beauty of it. It was at least two feet deep, in the streets of the sleeping town. The deep snow choked off most of the roads in town, but the town's people did not really mind though. Most were happy to be able to have an excuse to stay at home for a few days.

The storm had come earlier that day. It was cold to be sure but in the days leading up to it the skies had been clear. It crept up on the town silently and quickly. Then, clouds rolled in and the snow began to fall almost immediately. It did not take long for it to start to bury the town. The storm blew itself out by nightfall, but it left its mark on the town. All businesses were shuttered as everyone decided it would be best to weather this in their homes  

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The only business that remained open throughout the entire storm was the inn. In fact, the only road that remained clear was the road to the inn. It was near the edge of town and the old innkeeper asked a few of his regular patrons to help him keep the path clear in case anyone ventured into town looking for shelter from the weather. The old keeper looked fondly out the window in front of his inn and over the path that had been cleared on the road that led from the edge of town to the inn. He loved this town and it showed. He was always first to help anyone that needed it. Many times he had offered his lodgings to the local populace for free when times got tough. This was how his town showed their love for the old man. While he was generally healthy clearing snow was a tiring job and the townspeople saw to it that the old innkeeper did not have to even lift a finger. If this was all he asked in return, then the townspeople were only too happy to oblige.

Instead clearing the road the innkeeper got his rooms ready and kept the cooking fire lit in case it was needed. He sent his help home, so they could be with their families. He, like most people in town saw this snow as a blessing. It will virtually shut the town down for the next few days so as many people as possible were going to take advantage of this little winter vacation. The old innkeeper did not have any family, but if anyone were ever to ask him he would say the whole town was his family.

The snow outside the round building sparkled in the moonlight. The clouds had obviously cleared and allowed a full moon to shed its light on the sleeping town. It was a shame that there likely was no one awake to see this sight, he thought to himself. It was truly a beautiful sight. It looked as though the stars themselves had descended from the heavens and lay spread out before him. He sighed to himself, walked over and sat down behind a table near the fireplace in the center of the inn. He had fallen into the habit of staring into the fire late at night when everyone had gone. The dancing flames soothed and relaxed him. He would often stare into them for hours and not even realize it. The only sign he made that he was even alive was when he got up to put another log onto the fire, or the occasional movement his hand would make to bring his mug of hot tea to his lips. He rarely drank anything stronger and he always drank it out of the same kind of mug that he served his ale in. No one really knew why, and he would never give a straight answer when asked, he would always say "for atmosphere".

The old man glanced up, thinking he heard a noise he took a quick look around the common room. It was totally empty except for the well worn comfortable, wooden chairs, and tables. No, there was nothing there he thought. The round room was still empty.  

The inn was an odd building of sorts in the town. The entire three story building was completely round. It was actually an ingenious design. A single central fire place was built into the center of the building. It too was built round like the building. It was also almost completely open at the bottom, except for four pillars that provided support, so that no matter where anyone sat in the room they could see the fire. A central chimney rose through the center of the building. It was made of thick stone so that the heat from the chimney would not set fire to wood of the inn itself. The guest rooms were also ingeniously designed so that they each had their own fireplaces that also fed into this central chimney. On the ground floor where the common room was, the bar was built against a wall close to the main entrance. A door in the back wall of the bar led to the kitchen area where the inn's famous food was prepared. The building was almost an oddity. Many in the town wondered out loud why the old man had built it this way when he came to town years earlier. Just like when he was asked about his tea, when he was asked about the building he simply said "for atmosphere".