"THE CHRISTMAS SPARKLE" written by me in 2005- My first short story/Christmas fantasy

 

*  THE CHRISTMAS SPARKLE   *

 

The woman sat comfortably on the couch with her cup of tea, gazing through the window into the cold dark night.  Outside, snow was gently falling in large flakes, coating the trees and ground in a heavy white, the first of the season.  She pulled the blanket up around her chin, and gave a pensive sigh.... and she remembered……

 

Once upon a time there was a little girl.  She lived with her family in a very small house and she didn’t have much.  Each year when Christmas was almost here, the little girl would write a list of all the things that she wanted.  They were simple youthful things that every little girl dreamed of.  Things like a baby doll, a shiny bicycle, and brand new clothes and shoes that would be just for her.  Her brother was the littlest and so she always asked him what he wanted and she’d wish for more for him because he was so cute.  She wasn’t the oldest child – or the youngest- and the little girl didn’t often get things that were only for her, but because she was so young she never really noticed.  Through the years of her young life the little girl soon came to realize that there was no sense in writing any more lists or wishing for things she’d never have because her family didn’t have the money to buy them.  So each year Christmas indeed was a surprise, and although there were never many gifts under the tree, all four of the siblings would get a few. For a long time her favorite was always that new doll.  She was a good little mommy and when she grew up she would be a real one some day.  For all her tender years, her youthful eyes would sparkle during the Christmas season of twinkling lights and playful snow, and for the most part she was happy. 

As the woman sat there thinking of the past, she realized that through a child’s eyes everything is beautiful until the harsh realities of the world settle in, one by one, pecking away, robbing and destroying that innocence.  She sat wishing she could bottle and sell “Childlike Joy” as the cure for all the worlds’ ills.  She’d make her fortune for sure, toppling technology and baffling science.  For so much of her adult life it had always pleased her and brought her great pleasure to look at life through the eyes of a child - but today…….. today her heart was heavy. 

 

Her emotional state was challenged by all the recent circumstances she faced.  Her oldest sister’s long term illness and then death; a pending divorce after thirty years of marriage, and now her young unwed daughter was pregnant.  She shook her head slowly and pondered the perplexities of life as she reflected on the events of this last year.  As her sister’s illness progressed and neared the end, she had clung to the hope of something happy; the hope of a fairy tale romance with someone who had suddenly stepped into her life during this difficult time.  And so, completely out of character and with caution foolishly thrown to the wind, she filed for a divorce.  Deep in her spirit the warning was there but she chose to ignore it.  Now the man she supposedly thought she had waited her whole life for, said he couldn’t leave his past behind.  All this combined, left her entire family unit weakened and vulnerable and the very core of her spiritual life was thrown into darkness.  Before - faith and family were her safe haven. 

 

The unknown loomed before her and she was trying to hold on as best she could, but suddenly it seemed that she had lost all her zest for life.  On top of everything, the holidays were upon her, and God, how she wished they were over already.  She looked around the room in disgust at all the boxes of decorations strewn on the floor waiting to be put up.  Each year, she’d find a special place for all of them until the last ornament was finally on the tree.  Tonight, she wanted to throw them all away for good.

Within her there was no true peace to be found as too many realities were confronting her.  She stood up and walked past the fireplace to the mirror and looked into it.  Gazing back at her was a fairly pretty face she thought, but upon inspecting it more closely, it was the reflection of her eyes that bothered her and she couldn’t get past the look of emptiness she saw.  There was no real joy in them – there was no sparkle.   

Taking a few steps over to the floor length windows, she leaned her head tiredly on the frame and stared outside into the silent woods.  She closed her eyes for a long moment and just didn’t want to think anymore.  She’d go to bed now to try to put her thoughts to rest.  As she turned to walk away, a curious movement from outside in the distance caught her attention… and she leaned in closer to the glass, trying to focus straight ahead on the night before her.  Unexpectedly, and as if in slow motion, the wind kicked up into great gusts and the snow began to swirl towards her in a huge wall of white.  

As the vision cleared, she blinked in disbelief as she found herself virtually watching a scene from what was a winters’ past. Little children were running and laughing and playing in the snow and suddenly, as one of them turned to face her, she saw that it was her deceased sister.  Her skin was rosy red from the crisp night air and her eyes glowed with great joy, illuminating her face.  The woman at the window stood there frozen in time - glorying in the sound of her sister’s laughter… and then, clear as could be, her sister called out her name.  The woman instinctively started to move forward but stood still, when, from out of the shadows of the wintry trees, walked a little girl.  It was herself as a child once again!  The child ran straight into her sister’s arms and they fell down on their knees together, laughing and hugging.  Suddenly -there were bright and colorful Christmas lights everywhere, on every tree, and it was a winter wonderland filled with snow and song and moonglow, and the beauty of a winter’s eve in it’s fullest.

 

She dared not move an inch, knowing deep inside that this magnificent moment was too good to be true, and at the same time thinking that this must be the effects of the exhaustion she was experiencing  - but before she could turn herself away, her sad eyes met her sister’s joyful ones through the glass… and, in an instant, she was physically transported to that place outside.  This time she truly was the child her sister was holding!  She felt real arms around her and a warmth beyond belief as her sister held her in a tight embrace.  There was no sadness now, only the miracle of heavenly love in its’ sweet fullness - the kind of love she had only hoped existed one day.  Then her sister slowly took her by the shoulders and knowingly gazed straight into her eyes.  She couldn’t look away, and at that very moment when the two pairs of eyes met, a blinding flash of light occurred and she couldn’t see.  Seconds passed and then her vision returned.  She watched mesmerized as her sister softly touched both her eyelids with her fingertips and bestowed on her the special gift she had come to give her.  It was the gift of the Christmas Sparkle.  Her sister took her face in her hands and kissed her on the lips and said from the very depths of her being, “I love you”, then with a promising and knowing smile, ran happily off into the glorious night.  The woods became as still and peaceful as they were before. 

 

The child gradually became the woman again standing at the window.  Her immediate impulse was to run into the night after her sister, but… oddly enough, a calm settled over her and she was content to stay just where she was as she watched the parting figure disappear.  The beautiful vision was gone, as well as the euphoric moment of total bliss - but it was ok … because she knew now, without a doubt, that it wouldn’t be gone forever. 

She had been given the ultimate privilege of entering a new dimension and she had experienced a miracle that no one would ever believe.  It was something set aside in time by her Divine maker, just for her and a true sense of peace and joy that had been missing from her life for so long, now enveloped her.  The burden of her heavy thoughts no longer held her in their grasp and her shoulders dropped to release the tension that had held her captive for so long.

It was all clear now:  The future held the hope of brighter days.  By the grace of God, she had narrowly escaped making a disastrous change in her life.  Her marriage would be stronger than ever, her family life would be intact and strong, and she would never question her faith again. 

She purposefully walked back over to the mirror and instinctively her hands went up to her face.  Happiness bubbled up from somewhere within her and spilled over in an audible laugh.  To her amazement, there, gazing back at her, were the prettiest sparkling eyes she had ever seen and a twinkling smile to match!  Most, and best of all, was that what had given them their luminescence, not only came from within her, but from a very special place above. 

She realized on this blessed night that nothing that happens in life is ever worth losing your Christmas Sparkle over.  For beyond our realm lies the promise of an everlasting joy…….. and tonight her sister proved it.

Copyright 2005-2013  by Elaine Spaziano

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