Frame story

One morning, a man awoke late, somehow having slept through the cacophony of roosters, dogs, and songbirds saluting and urging on the sun that usually served as his alarm. Ice. He must get ice. The stifling heat of midday had already started to creep into his bedroom and would soon break through the barricades of shut doors and closed blinds that he had so steadfastly erected. He got up lazily, but with purpose, and fetched the keys to the car, preparing himself mentally for the day ahead all the while. As he was driving the fifteen mile stretch between his house and the nearest store, he glimpsed alongside the road a great disturbance in the roadside vegetation, and saw pieces of twisted metal in the undergrowth, but didn't dwell too much on thoughts of what had happened. He pulled into the parking lot of the small general purpose store that served much of the surrounding region, the nearest large city being about 50 miles away. When he asked the store's proprietor and sole employee (with the exception of his sons who helped out when necessary) for his daily bag of ice, the proprietor said that unfortunately there would be no ice today and started to relate the story of his morning: “I had been busy setting up shop, early in the morning, before the animals reveille. The store phone rang, and I wondered who could be calling at such an hour. It turned out to be Doctor B___. He had called to tell me that there had been an accident today. Mr. M___, who usually brings in the Ice, had slid off the road. He was badly injured and had been brought in to the Doctor, his injuries being urgent and the Doctor being the closest medical professional by a long shot. The doctor explained that Mr. M___ had asked for the shopkeeper, and that he had better hurry, because Mr M___ although stable at the moment, was in a bad way. Naturally I hurried to the Doctor's house and office. When I walked into the room and Saw Mr. M___ I was mystified as to why he, being so bad off, had asked for me, since I barely knew him outside of our business relationship, but I guess he was a shut-in more or less. He said he was sorry about the ice, and I told him not to worry. He then said that that was what he wanted to talk to me about – the ice. He started in on a very strange story. He began: “When I was younger, just having moved out here looking for opportunities for work and trying to build a life, I was walking through the forest and glimpsed through the trees a strange woman. I ran toward her and asked what she was doing on my property. She said that she was a witch and that this was her home, but that she would allow me to live here as well, and even bless me, provided that I told no one about her or the blessing. Now there were two wells on the property, and after that day, the second well produced not water, as it had before, but ice. I was shocked by this, but took advantage of the opportunity that it presented and started my business selling ice. I have told no one of this, but I figure I might not last much longer and the secret is too much to bring to the grave” The Shopkeeper said: “I found this story and the whole situation to be very strange. I had known this man as a capable business partner and did not suspect that his sanity might be so questionable.”

Not sure what to make of the story, the man walked out to his car, iceless and dejected, and most of all puzzled. He had seen Mr. M___ driving and knew vaguely where he lived, so he started off in that direction, having nothing to do this morning and his curiosity being piqued. As he drove into what he knew to be the man's driveway, he saw the two wells out in front of the house. When he investigated, he found that it was true, the well contained ice. He raised the bucket from the well and took the ice back to his house, mystified, but happy at least to have ice. As he raised a glass of iced water to his lips, thinking of the strange events of the day, he felt his consciousness leave him and collapsed dead on the kitchen table.