Dear Ash - Or: A Christmas Miracle

A Christmas Miracle

To Eiji, this Christmas Eve felt like the longest day ever. His mom and sister were rushing around the house, cleaning the house, cooking and looking for Christmas decorations, Christmas lights and bulbs for their tree.

Usually, Eiji was looking forward to Christmas and decorating every room with Christmas decorations, artificial snow and candles. He enjoyed turning their home into a winter wonderland and wrapping presents and writing Christmas cards for his family. He always cooked a Christmas meal with his mom and baked some Christmas cookies and delicious cakes together with his sister.

He was usually the one who enjoyed it the most. For him, Christmas was a magical moment where everyone was more cheerful, and the atmosphere was relaxing, and everything around him shone brighter and more beautiful. He had also been the one who had insisted they needed a Christmas tree and Christmas decorations. He also loved the Christmas lights that were always installed around Izumo that were beautiful to look at.

Only this year, his heart wasn't into it. His last ray of hope had vanished. He had clung to the thought that Ash would reply, that he'd at least get an answer that he's alive. A letter. An e-mail. A phone call. Anything. He'd never prayed more for a Christmas miracle...

Maybe he should grow up and stop believing in things like that as his mom had told him to. He had always believed in things adults didn't believe in. Like Christmas as a magical moment. Or miracles. Fate and soul mates. Lucky charms.

But how could he stop believing in miracles when a small Christmas miracle had happened overnight. During the night, it had snowed so much that their garden and all the streets were covered in snow. It looked so beautiful and perfect like in a fairy tale and had convinced Eiji that magic and miracles existed. The snow was proof to Eiji that there was still some hope left. Because the only thing he had wished for besides a message from Ash was a white Christmas, so maybe, his other wish would still come true... Perhaps it was a sign. A smile slowly spread across his face.

He decided to stop sulking in his room and instead help with the Christmas preparations. He had just reached the bottom of the stairs when his mom asked him to help her put up the Christmas tree in the Christmas tree stand.

Together with his mom, he put up the Christmas tree, and they decorated it in gold and red together with his sister. Eiji tried his best to act cheerful and prepare for a perfect Christmas Eve dinner together.

When his mom was satisfied and said that everything looked perfect, he went back to his room and wrapped his Christmas presents for his mom and sister. He wrapped the last gift that was for someone else just in case his Christmas miracle would still come true. He hadn't given up hope yet. Christmas was just beginning, after all.

He looked through one of his photo books he had made with photos from New York. Tears welled up in his eyes again when he saw the many photos he had taken of Ash and him together. He wished he could turn back time and go back there. Even if it had been dangerous, that was where he had been happiest...

Suddenly, his sister called out to him. "Eiji, there's someone at the door for you."

Eiji opened the door and called down. "Tell him to come back later. I'm busy right now." He didn't want any of his friends to see him after he had been crying. He heard his sister, Hana, replying something to the visitor when he suddenly stopped in his tracks and started listening intently.

That's when he woke up from his self-pity instantly. He ran down to the front door at lightning-fast speed, but his visitor bad already left.

"Hana? Why did you talk to that person in English?", he asked her curiously.