Tom

It was the beginning of December. Christmas was getting closer and closer. It was cold and snowing outside. Anna stood at the big house’s window, watching as people passed by, dressed for the holidays and carrying bags full of groceries. She felt her heart warm up when she saw some children playing in the snow.

She continued to watch the rest of the passersby. A young girl bumped into some men, and she fell. One man helped her get up. The girl apologized profusely before moving on. Suddenly, a strong gust of wind blew in from the street and made her shiver. Her breath came out in foggy clouds. Anna closed the window and went to the fireplace. She put a log on the fire and warmed up her hands. She sat down on the couch and watched the smoke rise above the flames. She didn’t notice that she had fallen asleep until someone shook her shoulder.

“Anna? Are you alright?” the man standing above her asked. He looked like he was in his late forties, with brown hair, freckles across his face, and hazel eyes. His features were soft and kind-looking. He wore an old-fashioned suit with a white shirt tucked into a pair of black slacks.

She quickly rubbed the sleep from her eyes before responding to him. “Oh! Yes, I apologize; I was just resting a little,” she explained sheepishly as she pushed herself back up from the couch. She stood up on wobbly legs. “Sorry, Mr. Jameson.” She laughed lightly, trying to lighten the mood.

He chuckled slightly. “No, no. It’s okay. I know how tiresome keeping my children safe can get. Don’t worry about anything.”

Anna blushed. “Well… Okay.”

“Now, come. I need to give you this week’s payment.”

He gave her a smile before turning and going into the living room. She followed him into the living room and looked around curiously. There was a large oak desk in the corner. Aside from the desk, there were several bookshelves. There were several framed paintings on the left-side wall, which she assumed belonged to the man or his wife. On the right, there were many picture frames filled with photographs. She noticed one photo in particular that caught her attention, and she slowly made her way over to it. When she was close enough, she noticed a photo taken of Mr. Jameson’s children sleeping together. Krista had wrapped her arms tightly around little Jacob. They looked so cute. Anna gently ran her fingers along the edge of the frame, as if hoping the photo would somehow come alive.

A hand suddenly reached out to gently touch her arm, and she jumped a bit. She turned toward the man who had called her name and found him smiling kindly.

“Are you okay, dear?” he asked her.

Anna nodded shyly. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

Mr. Jameson nodded. “Well, I just wanted to thank you for everything. It means a lot to us. Here is your payment. You can also take this to Krista’s room. Oh, and please try to get some rest later today; you deserve it.” Mr. Jameson handed her an envelope and a smartphone. He smiled once more before heading back out the door.

Anna headed up the stairs toward Krista. She knocked quietly on Krista’s door, not wanting to wake her up if she hadn’t already gotten up. She heard shuffling inside and then the sound of a lock being undone. The door opened slowly with a crack, revealing Krista wearing nothing but a pink oversized T-shirt and blue shorts. In her hands were a half-eaten piece of toast and a glass of orange juice.

“Are you feeling alright?” Krista nodded, still not meeting Anna’s eyes. “Are you sure?” Another nod. Anna sighed softly and moved towards her again, taking a seat next to Krista. With one arm around her shoulders, Anna pulled her close. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Krista sniffed. “Not really…”

“Come on, you know you can trust me.”

“Yes,” Krista said.

“It’s just... my father. He is so strict with his damn rules. He took my phone just because I was texting a boy.”

“I understand, but you know that he is trying to protect you. He loves you very much.” Krista silently nodded. “And I love you very much, too. You know that, right?”

“I know...” Krista whispered.

“That boy… He is not good news. That’s why your father took your phone. By the way, here it is.” Anna handed her the smartphone, and Krista grabbed it like a hungry wolf would grab its prey.

“Thank you, Anna,” Krista said, hugging her.

Anna rested her cheek against Krista’s head. “I promise you that I won’t judge you for your troubles.” She paused for a moment. “I may not understand exactly what you’re going through. But I am here for you.” Anna kissed Krista on top of the head, causing Krista to giggle softly.

“Thank you…”

“How about we go downstairs for a bit and talk by the fire?” Anna suggested. Krista agreed and grabbed her plate. Anna offered her hand, and Krista held onto hers, letting her lead her downstairs.

They sat down on the couch. She was surprised to see Krista smiling as she observed the fire. The flames danced and spread their light and warmth throughout the house. Yes, there was something magical about fire.

“How is school?” Anna asked.

“Fine,” Krista said, and Anna smiled.

“Good!” Anna exclaimed. She then looked out the window with sad eyes.

“Hmm? Is something wrong?”

“Nothing really, it’s just...” Anna glanced down at her fuzzy slippers before looking up again. “I miss my home.”

“Oh, I understand,” Krista said. Anna sunk into herself and released a small but visible tear. “Maybe we should change the subject? This seems like something you don’t want to talk about.”

Anna bit her bottom lip. “Um… yeah... I suppose you’re right.” Anna gave her a bright smile, and Krista returned the gesture. Neither of them spoke for a few minutes. Eventually, though, Krista decided that it was time for her to go back to her room and text her friend about something. She kissed Anna on the forehead before heading up the steps.

Anna focused her eyes on the fire and thought about her life. Everything appeared to be both okay and not okay. She had a nice job, but this wasn’t what she wanted. She also missed her home, but most importantly, she was feeling all alone.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of her cellphone. She answered the call and placed the phone on her ear. “Hello?”

“Hey, sweetie,” came the familiar voice of her mother.

“Mom!” Anna exclaimed. “How are you?”

“I’m fine. How are you?”

“Good. Is everything all right?”

“It’s okay. I just wanted to hear you,” her mother told her. “When are you coming home?”

“Three to four days before Christmas.”

“Okay. I’ll see you when you get home. And I’ll call you again later get home. And I’ll call you again later. Your father just came home. Bye,” she said before hanging up.

Anna got up from the couch and went to the living room. Her gaze fell on the photograph again. She picked it up and looked at it carefully. She put the photo back in place, grabbed her coat, and pulled on her shoes. She wanted some fresh air. She left the house and found herself on the street. She took a deep breath of cold air. It pleased her. She decided to take a walk.

Anna walked through the streets for a while before turning a corner and arriving at the park. She could hear the wind chime as she approached. She stopped for a moment and watched the snowflakes. A few seconds passed before she heard the sound of a cough behind her. Turning around, she saw a short, elderly woman walking in the opposite direction. She smiled politely as the old lady passed. Anna continued her stroll until she arrived at a bench beneath a tree. She sat down on the end, leaning forward and propping her elbows on her knees, staring down at the pavement.

She then lifted her head and looked out into the distance, seeing a family laughing and having fun in the park. She watched as a couple of older kids jumped around and tried to catch snowflakes. Then she spotted a young boy running across the playground with his sister, giggling and throwing snowballs at each other. As they played, Anna couldn’t help but feel homesick. She wanted desperately to run across the field and join in on the fun and play in the snow with them. She missed her home terribly. She felt like crying again.

Anna stood up and began wandering through the park. She walked aimlessly for a while before finally settling down under a large oak tree. She leaned her back against the trunk and stared at the dark sky. Slowly, she began to cry. Tears streamed down her face as she buried her face in her palms. She sobbed uncontrollably and did not stop. Soon, the tears flowed nonstop. She had no idea how long she cried. But she eventually stopped. She wiped away the last of her tears and gazed up at the sky, trying desperately to find some comfort. After a few moments, she decided to leave the park. Walking briskly through the streets, she began making her way toward home.

She kept quiet as she walked. Even the wind seemed to become hushed in her presence. Her thoughts wandered aimlessly. She wondered what her mom was doing now. Was she watching a movie, reading, or eating? She hoped she was having a nice day. Anna shook her head, clearing her mind.

Soon enough, she was standing in front of the bakery. She hesitated for a second before opening the door. Immediately, she could smell the delicious smell of baking bread wafting up to meet her nose.

Anna made her way into the bakery, where she spotted Elsa working behind the counter. “Elsa,” she said.

Elsa’s sweet, melodic voice rang throughout the bakery, “Anna!”

“Hi.” Anna approached her, her arms folded over her chest. “What are you doing today?”

“Making cookies. What about you?

“Me? Oh, nothing special. Just enjoying some fresh air.”

Elsa smiled warmly as she placed a cookie on the tray. “Is everything alright?”

“Of course,” she replied. “Why do you ask?”

“Well... you’ve been acting strangely lately. You barely smile anymore. Are you sure everything’s okay?” A sudden silence filled the room, making Elsa worried and slightly concerned. “You know you can tell me everything, right?”

Anna took in a shaky breath before nodding. She quickly composed herself. “Yes, yes. I’m fine. Promise. Nothing happened. Nothing is troubling me.” She slowly smiled.

Elsa furrowed her eyebrows and nodded. “Well, if you say so...”

The oven timer rang, signaling that the cookies were ready. Elsa removed the tray from the oven and placed it on the counter. “Would you like any, sweetheart?”

“Yeah, please. I might as well eat some chocolate chip cookies.”

“Coming right up,” Elsa replied as she poured a cup of milk into a glass for herself. After filling the glass with milk, she put three cookies on the plate. “Here you go,” she said as she set the cookies in front of Anna.

“Thanks. You always make the best ones.”

“I know. Want some milk?”

“Sure.” Elsa poured her a full cup. Anna took her drink in both hands and took a sip after eating the cookie. It was delicious. She sighed happily as she savored the taste. “Yummy.”

“So, how is work? Are the kids alright?”

“Yeah, they are great. Well, Krista has stepped into those years when she feels ashamed of her parents and wants to run after boys.”

“Really?” Elsa tilted her head, intrigued.

“Mhmm.”

Elsa smiled. “Well, you know how we were when we were teenagers.”

“Yeah, I know,” Anna said.

“Anyway,” Elsa paused for a moment, “I wanted to tell you that I’m engaged.”

Anna’s mouth fell open and she nearly choked on her drink. “WHAT?!”

Elsa smiled. “Yeah, Mario proposed to me yesterday.”

“That’s great!” she exclaimed before she lowered her tone. “Sorry. That was rude.”

“It’s okay.”

Anna sighed and rubbed her hand against her forehead. “Well, I want you all the best!” she said.

Elsa smiled. “Thanks,” she said.

Anna looked at the floor for a moment before looking back at Elsa again. “Well, it’s time for me to go. Bye.”

“Bye.”

Anna left the bakery. She stepped out into the cold, cruel world. As she walked, she thought about Elsa’s marriage. Mario was a great guy, and he always made Elsa happy. She wondered if she would ever find a man like Mario. She hoped she would on a lovely day in the near future.