The shopping district in the city was full of activities on that cold day. People hastened their paces, as if they were in an unspoken race against time. Everyone, except for a few of them who were walking together with their loved ones. For those people, the world seemed to fade away into the background, while they laughed and smiled at each other with no restraint.
Carefully, I stepped down into an underpass that would lead me to the other side of the crowded street. I avoided the crowd, and entered the underground that was brightly lit by the conspicuous shops. On my left, a group of friends sat down in a café with all their smartphones on their table. The only thing that prevented me from listening to their conversation was a thick glass with my own faint reflection.
‘I’m glad that I’ve decided to wear my glasses today instead of contact lenses. The color goes pretty well with this cap,’ I thought to myself, but I soon realized that I must move on. ‘Better walk away now, or the people inside will start to notice me.’
The end of the underpass was in front of me, and the sliding doors reacted to my approach. It almost seemed that I had stepped into a different world. The sound of Christmas carols was mixed with the noise of the shoppers in the shopping mall, and the smell of fresh bread tingled my nose. My eyes looked around, quickly, while I felt a gentle pressure on my hand.
After walking through the first corridor, a beautiful cardigan that was displayed on one of the fashionable mannequins caught my attention. Its attractive design pulled me towards it, until I was halted by a sheet of glass. A few moments of admiration turned into a hesitant session of consideration. At last, I walked away. Money was probably not the biggest issue, but perhaps I was being pragmatic.
Dragging myself away from the boutique, I took the escalator onto the next floor, and saw many joyful kids inside a toy store. Parents were trying to contain their excitement, while the clerks were busy attending to their potential customers.
‘The season of giving,’ I pondered. ‘Should I buy a gift for myself?’ The cardigan that I had seen just a while ago popped into my mind, but I dismissed the thought almost immediately. ‘There would be no meaning in it,’ I convinced myself.
“Mommy, I want to go there,” a little girl pleaded.
“No! Why won’t you listen?” answered her mother, harshly.
The exhausted mother gripped the hand of her whining daughter, tightly, while her other hand was holding a stroller that had a sleeping baby. Her eyes shifted swiftly between her two children, and met with mine as I walked past beside her.
“Is there anything I can do to help?” I offered, awkwardly. Her lips were opened, slightly, but nothing came out. Her expression began to soften, and her daughter ceased her tantrum to stare at me, curiously.
“It’s fine, thank you,” she replied. “Besides, I can see that your hands are full too.”
We smiled at each other, and the woman walked away, calmly, without a hint of frustration that had plagued her before. Her daughter turned around to look at me with an innocent expression, but looked away immediately when she met my gaze.
‘Did I really intend to help her?’ I questioned myself, silently. ‘But if I didn’t, why did I ask?’ For I knew that there was nothing I could’ve done for her.
My mind tried to answer my own questions, slowly, and steadily, just like the steps of my feet. They carried me towards a modest stage that was set in the middle of the mall, because my ears had heard the lofty melody of a timeless song. On top of the humble stage, a choir was singing in front of an audience, and their voices were able to dismiss any thought that was still lingering in my head. While I was enjoying their performance, I noticed a sign below the stage, and a man was standing next to it.
‘I see, so they are raising a fund for charity,’ I concluded. And so, I took out some money, and dropped them in the donation box. The man smiled and nodded at me when he saw my action.
“God bless you, young ladies,” he said.
Desiring to move away from the crowd, I strolled further away into the other sections of the shopping paradise. The cold breeze greeted me, when I finally stepped into an inner garden that had an open space. The dark sky was devoid of star. But a single star sat on top of a large Christmas tree, which was standing merrily in the middle of the garden.
“Excuse me,” said an unfamiliar voice. As I turned my head to look at the young man who had spoken to me, a woman with a mild exterior gave me a polite smile. She was standing beside the young man, and they seemed like a couple with their matching scarves. “Could you help us take a picture with the Christmas tree please?” he requested, and handed me his smartphone.
“Oh, sure,” I agreed, almost immediately. With some degrees of excitement, they ran under the tree, and smiled for the camera.
“Thank you,” said the young woman, when I returned the smartphone to her partner. “And merry Christmas to the two of you,” she added.
I began to stutter when I heard her greeting, since I hadn’t expected to hear such words from her. Gathering my wits, I quickly replied her, “M-merry Christmas to you too.”
After an exchange of smiles, they walked away with their hands held together. The noise around me started to dissipate, and the wistful evening was left with a mellow taste. It was at this precious moment that the one who had been holding my hand gave me a gentle squeeze.
“Is it beautiful?” she asked me. Her soft voice lifted up the corners of my lips, and I turned to her to regard her endearing smile.
“What is?” I replied her, gently.
“The Christmas tree,” she said. “Is it beautiful?”
Tears began to well in my eyes, as I struggled to compose my wavering voice. Nevertheless, I pulled her into my embrace, and answered her, “Yes, my sister, it’s beautiful, and the darkness of the night seems fleeting before its brilliant light.”
~ Second Edition, by D.S. Rain