They sat astride the sled with Erik as musher. Alix was in the front, with nothing between her and the snow-covered Arctic landscape. Behind her was Zac and then Robyn, who was prepared with extra camera equipment.

“Erik’s been hunched over his laptop most of today. He thinks we’re going to be lucky tonight.”

Alix glanced up. On Robyn’s advice, she’d tucked her phone inside her thermals to keep it warm. “Clear skies.”

“That’s an essential, but the northern lights are mostly dependent on solar activity. Erik is obsessed with it. He has even built a computer program to help him predict it. Still, that’s no guarantee that we’ll see anything.”

They raced through snowy forest of birch and pine, and Alix closed her eyes for a moment, enjoying the frozen silence. For a moment she forgot about Zac and what was going to happen next. There was only the panting of the dogs and the sound of their paws on the snow, the occasional rustle of a harness.

And then she opened her eyes and watched the dogs forging ahead, their bodies protected by thick fur and warm coats, their paws encased in little boots.

She lost track of time, mesmerized by the rhythm and the beauty of the landscape illuminated by the powerful headlamp worn by Erik.

Eventually they stopped in a clearing, and Alix clambered off the sled.

“There’s a tent. I wasn’t expecting that.” But she was relieved to see it. It was bitterly cold.

“It’s a traditional Sami-style tepee. It’s called a lávvu. We’ll have a drink here and warm up,” Robyn said, “and then we’ll set up our cameras.”

Erik lit a fire, and they warmed themselves with hot drinks and snacks before venturing back out into the cold.

Here there was no light pollution, just clear skies, and when she looked up the skies started to shift. There was silver and then green, shimmering and sliding across the sky in a slow, sinuous dance.

She took photos until her fingers froze, taking Robyn’s advice on how to make the most of it, but then she decided to stop staring through a lens and simply enjoy nature’s show.

“It’s incredible.”

“It happens when solar particles come into contact with the earth’s magnetic field.”

“I prefer the legends and myths. Aurora was the Roman goddess of the dawn.” Robyn set up a tripod and adjusted her camera. “The Sami people believed the lights were the souls of the dead and should be treated with respect.”

Whatever it was, however it originated, Alix knew she’d never forget it. Emotion filled her as she watched filmy ribbons of blue and green dancing across the sky.

How could she have thought Christmas Eve was ruined? This was, without doubt, the best Christmas Eve of her life.

She wanted to do more of this, she thought. She wanted to travel. And explore. Maybe she’d even take a year off. Was that a wild thought? Was she serious? She lingered on the idea, testing it. Yes, maybe she was. You only had one life. Was she really living hers to the full? She thought about Robyn, traveling north, searching for something and finding it here.