Marson

Song : Margaret by Lana Del Rey ( listen to this song on loop till you finish reading this story )

### A Cold Winter Night in Paris, 2001

Marson, a failed writer, was walking home, wanting to end his life that night. He was a middle-aged man, filled with the wounds of his failures and scars of his regrets. Saddened that he couldn't fulfill the promises he made to Papa, Ma, and little Marson, he could see the reaper waiting at the end of his walk. So his steps became slower and slower with each step he took. The streets seemed to stretch longer, as if by magic. At first, Marson thought he was walking slowly to live a little longer, but it seemed like the streets had actually lengthened. He couldn't understand why.

It had started to snow. Though it initially made Marson feel good, minutes later it started getting colder and colder. Marson walked miles in the freezing temperature just to reach his home, which was on the next street. It was so late that there were no humans in sight. The phenomenon grew weirder and weirder, and Marson was slowly losing his senses due to the kind and soft snow that had turned into a harsh snowstorm. He could see the snowmen moving and waving at him. They didn't seem like a threat; it was like they were pointing him in a direction, trying to guide him somewhere. He followed their directions, hoping to find a way out of this phenomenon. Unable to walk any further, Marson fell, slowly closing his eyes as he saw a warm circle of light in a narrow pathway between two big buildings.

The light was coming from a window of a house in one of the buildings. That warm yellow light, replicating an oasis, made him crawl his way to the circle of light falling on the ground. To him, it was like a spotlight at last. It was so warm and comforting that he never wanted to leave that place. He sat on the ground under the light, leaning on a huge dark green bin. He couldn't help but notice that "Throw Waste" was written on the bin he was leaning on, and that made him smile. Moments later, someone threw a box from the window where the light was coming from. Intending to throw it in the bin, but unfortunately, it fell on him. It was a small box, so it didn't hurt much. He picked it up to put it in the bin but stopped as he got curious to see what was inside.

He opened it to find it filled with letters and postcards. He opened a letter and instantly realized it was a romantic letter. Marson was a romance writer, so naturally, he wanted to read it. Those yellow-tinted papers were filled with love and lies that promised a smile at the end. They were full of failed promises, tears, miseries, and a lot of sweet memories. The lipstick kisses that refused to fade away from those fading papers proved their dear love forever.

He couldn't understand how someone could throw away such beautiful memories. He got upset thinking about this. He then read all the remaining letters. The letters were addressed to Cara from Lauren. It was from Cara's window that the light was falling on Marson. Marson continued to read the letters, and it was not a happy ending. Marson always gave sad endings in his romance novels, but for some reason, he didn't want this one to be sad. He wanted to do something in the little time he had left.

That's when he remembered something from the letters. Cara and Lauren had promised that if they ever decided to part ways, both would send the other person a farewell letter that should make them smile and move on without regrets. Marson went through the letters again and found a half-written letter and realized it was Cara's farewell letter. Cara waited for Lauren's letter that never arrived. Soon she gave up waiting, unable to finish her letter, and threw everything away, not wanting to bother Lauren.

Marson thought maybe these people who loved each other still existed in those dying pieces of paper, making them immortal as they were made with this stupid thing called love. Marson knew what he had to do. He removed a pen from within his coat and started writing the unfinished letter, wanting to complete it. It was the least he could do as a failed writer. He wrote it carefully, just as Cara would have. He finished the letter, and when he was about to address it to Lauren, Marson wondered why Lauren didn't send his letter, so he decided to deliver Cara's letter himself.

The weather was tolerable, so Marson walked to Lauren's place as the snowmen guided him. The night grew longer and longer, and it seemed everyone else was sleeping as if under a spell. Marson noticed so many things he had never noticed before; even the most boring-looking houses looked beautiful to him. He walked further and found a similar light coming from a toy store. He instantly realized that was the place. He walked towards the closed doors. He was surprised to find them unlocked, so he walked inside. It was dark, and the only source of light was the golden serial lights hanging all over the store. He walked around the store to find a boy sleeping at one of the counters.

Marson realized he was Lauren. Lauren was working part-time night shifts at the toy store. He was supposed to arrange the toys that night as Christmas was nearing. Marson went towards Lauren, who was sound asleep. He then looked around the counter, hoping to find something. Then he realized something and looked into the bin near the counter. Looking through the bin, he found a crushed paper, which happened to be Lauren's letter. He opened it to find it unfinished. He just smiled and started writing. He knew those letters were going to be his last piece, and he didn't want his last piece to be a failure. He felt as if the toys were cheering for him as he wrote. After he finished writing, he put it in his sling bag and kept Cara's letter on the counter where Lauren was sleeping.

As he was leaving the store, he saw something on one of the shelves. He walked closer and couldn't believe it. It was a toy he had lost when he was a kid. He cried so hard that day as all his childhood memories came flooding back. Seeing it again made him happy and sad at the same time, but he decided to take it with him. He left the store with a part of himself that he had lost long ago.

Marson went back to Cara's place, but the window was closed. Not knowing what to do, Marson decided to sneak in. He climbed the roof, opened the window, and went inside. He walked quietly, making sure he didn't wake her. He then went to the living room where a Christmas tree was mounted. Marson looked around and found a calendar. He saw that it was Christmas that day. He thought for a while and wrapped his favorite toy, placing Lauren's letter in it and putting it under the tree. He then went back the same way and found Cara sleeping. He whispered, "Merry Christmas," smiled, and left the place. The weather had improved, and the streets grew smaller. He saw the snowmen, but they were melting. It was as if they were dying, their purpose completed.

Marson reached his home sooner than expected. As he opened the door, he saw a shadowy figure standing in the corner. It was the reaper, waiting for him. He was not scared. He walked into the house as if he were ready to go. He wasn't sad; he was actually happy. The reaper walked towards him with his sharp and bloody scythe. As the reaper approached, Marson asked, "Was my final piece worthy?" The reaper whispered, "This was your biggest failure," and added, "Its purpose was not fulfilled as they weren't their last letters to each other."

Marson, upon hearing that, realized what the reaper had meant. He smiled and said his last words, "Who would've thought that my last piece was a happy ending," and closed his eyes forever.

### 11 Years Later

A cold winter night in Paris, 2012. Cara is now happily married to Lauren, and they have two beautiful kids: an 11-year-old boy and a 4-year-old baby girl. That night, Cara was busy in the kitchen baking a cake as it was Christmas Eve. Lauren was busy watching soccer in the living room, where he was supposed to be taking care of his daughter Bella. After a while, Cara called everyone for dinner. Everyone showed up except her son. Worried, she went to his room to find him writing. She yelled at him and told him to go have dinner with everyone. Unable to bear her yelling, he told her to wait for a minute and continued writing his story. After a minute, Cara yelled at him again. He told her he was done and finished his story by writing,

"Written with love by Marson," and closed the book.

~The End~