It was three weeks before Christmas and I was in bed, I
stared up at the ceiling but was watching the scenery in my head.
It was
night, the stars in the sky shined brightly from space, twinkling for the world
to see. The ground was covered in freshly fallen snow, it was light but wet
enough to make a small crunching squeak under you foot with each step. Beneath
the snow was grass that still had some green color to it. A stone path cut a
winding shape through the field of grass. I walked across the stone path,
wearing a winter coat and scarf and every exhaling breath was a visible puff of
from my mouth. To my left was a row of tall pine trees, each tree was between
seven and eight feet tall. Bright strings of lights and colorful decorations
covered the trees. These Christmas trees let off a warm glow which was a
pleasant contrast to the cold snowy night of winter.
I continued
walking down the path, the snow was melting away from the stone but was still
sticking to the grass. As I was walking I spotted two pumpkins lightly dusted
with snow. They were to the right of the path and so close that they were
almost touching the stone. The snowy pumpkins sat in the grass and seemed out
of place in the otherwise Christmas landscape that had been spread out before me.
I approached the pumpkins, crouched down and gently touched
the side of one. The pumpkins had faces carved in them. The eyes and mouth lit
up when I touched the first pumpkin. Both pumpkins turned to reveal that they
were Jack-O-Lanterns with a light that glowed just as bright and warmly as the
Christmas trees. “It is much to late for Jack-O-Lanterns” I said, then paused
“Or much too early” I added. The first pumpkin began to move its carved mouth
“We are not pumpkins that celebrate Halloween, we are pumpkins that you keep
around as regret. You carried us into this Christmas and while others walk
right by without notice you always stop and check on us. Halloween is once a
year and you worry you don’t appreciate it when it arrives. Just the same that
you will not fully appreciate Christmas until it is over. When you are walking
alone in January you will find a small tree only a foot tall and covered in
Christmas lights. You carry your regret without being asked and insist on doing
this even if you were told to stop. We are also the fond memory of the recent
Halloween passed. It is not all regret it is also joy. But we are pumpkins in
the snow, slowly getting buried until we are forgotten until the snow melts.
This is just like your memory of Halloween, a beloved holiday that slowly gets
snowed over by the excitement of Christmas and when the snow melts you will be
wishing for Halloween all over again.” Spoke the first pumpkin, its words cut
me to the core and I muttered “sorry” but didn’t know why.
I stood up
from my crouching position and began to walk further down the path. “Don’t
worry we will always be around. You don’t need one day to celebrate the happy
memories. Those stay forever” Called the second pumpkin, who seemed more laid
back and probably took a lot of naps.
A tear
welled up in the corner of my eye as I walked away. I smiled as I thought of
the fun I had in Autumn, no matter how short it was, I enjoyed it. I then
looked forward and took in the sights of the Christmas snow and lights.
My walking
pace slowed to a stroll as I thought about the Holidays passed and the ones
approaching. A small person in green and white clothes was in the field to the
far right. He looked like one of santa’s elves. I didn’t believe in santa but I
gave the elf the benefit of being possibly real. “Hello!” I called and waved to
the elf. The small person looked up and waved back. I continued walking so as
to not risk getting lectured by another Holiday symbol. I didn’t need a
Christmas elf that eating junk food and staying up all night playing video
games was bad, or that I should be more charitable.
As I walked
I saw a small house in the distance. It was brightly lit up and surrounded by
the peaceful scenery of night air, snow and a forest even further back behind the
house.
I continued
moving forward and could see more detail in the house. It was a small wooden
cottage with wood smoke coming from the chimney, snow on the roof, a string of
Christmas lights lined the roof and windows and a porch light that seemed warm
and inviting. My slow stroll turned into a brisk walk as I imaged the comforts
of the cottage and how nice the warm fire would be after walking in the cold
night air for so long. My cheeks started to get read and my toes were cold.
I finally
reached the house, I walked up the two wooden steps that led to a covered
porch, I wiped my feet on a decorative bear statue that had bristles on his
back. The stone bear with the hard bristles seemed to be there with the purpose
of cleaning off shoes. As I walked to the door I was about to knock but felt so
comfortable I reached for the knob and walked right it.
The inside
of the cottage was warm and inviting, I smelled mulled apple cider and a
crackling fire. Soft music played on a record player near by. The crackling of
the fire and the small crackling sound the record player made were just as
pleasant as the music being played.
In the
living room was a big fluffy dark green couch with blankets draped over the
back. Next to the couch was an arm chair which looked just as comfortable. I
sat down in the armchair. As soon as my body rested into the chair I began
hearing voices of happy people playing in the house. I saw a black cat sitting
on the couch, curled up and sleeping. I smiled and reached over to pet the cat.
Before I touched the cat my eyes began to tear up. Tears trickled down my face
though I did not know why. I touched the cats soft shiny fur, it looked up at
me with its big green eyes and then vanished.
I heard a
female’s voice all to me and without hesitation I responded “Yes, Honey?” I
looked around and no one was there. I was confused by the house and even more
confused by my own actions. The house seemed so real but everything disappeared
when I reached for it.
I stood up
and saw silhouettes of children playing and a reading a book while lounging in
a chair. I would blink and they silhouettes would disappear. The smell of fresh
pie lingered in the air and I could still smell hints of the mulled cider from
when I first arrived. I knew these things weren’t real and decided to leave.
I left
through the front door, walked down the two steps and continued walking down
the stone path. I didn’t look back once not even after I walked so long that
the house was out of view. I walked down the stone path and came to a split. I
took the path to the right and followed it into town.
I arrived
in a modern town, it wasn’t fancy, it didn’t have a warm glow and no one went
out of their way to give helpful advice, but at least it was real. I walked to
a three floor house, made my way passed the front door and opened an easy to
miss side door. The door took me up a winding set of stairs that led to another
door, I unlocked the second door and arrived at a small apartment on the third
floor. It was quiet, cozy and except for the landlord, no one else knew it
existed.
I entered
into the living room, to my right was a big window that looked out on train
tracks and the tops of other peoples houses. Sometimes the train would come
rocketing by and I could feel the gentle shake of the building as the force of
the giant machine moved quickly down the metal tracks. Having the train close
to my apartment was an interesting feeling that I have yet to describe in any
way other than “pretty cool”. The muffled sound of the train and the gentle
rocking was a great feeling. I could close my eyes and it felt like I was on
the train, gently rocking side to side as I sped toward another land.
I locked
the door to my apartment and laid down on the floor. I made a kiss noise in the
air and two cats came out from hiding and started to purr immediately. The cats
rubbed their faces on my face and hands, welcoming me home. I pet the cats for
a minute then slowly stood up. The lazy cats plopped over onto their sides like
sacks of potatoes when I stood.
