The man who danced with me at midnight.

1

Lofota, 24th december, 1888

'Hi Mariah!' 

'Hi miss Larsen!' Mariah smiled and waved at the old widow who lived in the house across her home. She had a jute bag in her hand and was making her way to the little shop at the end of the street. She was in need of bread, and she'd just made enough money to buy some. 

Mariah didn't live a wealthy life, but she was contented with what she had. The twenty-year-old orphan was very grateful for the smallest things she could get. You would think she'd be unhappy and a bit depressed because she didn't have parents and was an only child -and sure, she did have hard times in life-, she'd always learn how to appreciate the things she had. 

She was known in the little town. Mostly because of her brightening smile and helpful demeanor. Mariah was always up to help people. She worked at a little tailorshop, where she would get a few coins. From that money, she would be able to buy some food at the end for the week for the upcoming days. 

Today, Mariah was in a ultimate happy mood. It was Christmas Eve after all! Christmas was her favorite holiday of the year. She loved the cozy vibes and the colorful candles lit everywhere. Moreover, they would all go and attend the church service which was being held on the upcoming night. 

Mariah wasn't religious, and she wasn't the only one. However, it was a part of the celebration to attend church. If you didn't do that, you were a heartless, cold, boring- whatever. This is how Mariah would call you in any way though. 

'Hi, Jacob!' Mariah greeted the shopkeeper, as he stood behind a little desk. 'Hi, Mariah! What will it be today?' Jacob asked. 'Mmm...,' Mariah looked at the different types of pastries and bread buns on the shelves behind Jacob. It's almost Christmas... Mariah thought, I might as well get something different today. 

'Two sweet dough pastries, please!' She said, to which Jacob nodded and turned to take the ordered pastries off the shelves. Mariah's mouth started to water as he shoved the pastries into the jute bag Mariah had handed him. 

'Thanks a lot, Jacob! I see you next week, and merry Christmas!' She wished the old man. He just smiled warmly and nodded. 'Thank you, Mariah. And you too!' He replied, watching the young woman leaving his shop, skipping down the frozen cold tiles. He looked up at the sky and kept smiling. 'This will be a white Christmas...,' He mumbled. 

•••••

The next morning, Mariah woke up with a smile on her face. Christmas! She quickly hopped out of her bed and opened the curtains, widening her eyes with joy when she saw the world covered in that magical white blanket of snow. 

Not knowing how fast she could be, Mariah got out of her warm nightwear, and soon she was covered in a warm dress. She tied her boots tightly before she opened the door of her small home and stepped outside, in that Winter Wonderland. 

The smile she'd woken up with didn't leave her face for the whole day. Mariah's neighbours enjoyed watching the adolescent admiring and cherishing the natural phenomonon of winter. She was running around with her hands lifted into the sky to feel the cold breeze caress her skin. Laughing and singing songs with joy, she danced and listened to the creaking sound of the snow under her shoes. 

The darkness of the winternight started to fade away eventually, the light of the day filling the world. Mariah started singing christmas songs while jumping in the snow, picking up some of it and throwing it over her head every now and then. 

She filled the morning with this, until the church's clock let everyone know that it was nine o'clock. The deep, nostalgic tone of the clock vibrated through everyone's body, awakening the village completely. More children went outside to play, and Mariah joined some of them as well. She was loved by the children, they liked to play with her. And so on, Mariah almost was too late for church service!

Yes, because even though half of the town wasn't religious, everyone went to attend church service at christmas day. It was a part of their culture, of their traditions. Some of the kids Mariah was playing with were called inside by their mothers, as it was time to get ready for church. That was the sign for Mariah to get ready as well. She rushed inside her small house and took of her coat and boots. Then, she opened her closet and rummaged through it, trying to get her small arm to reach the back of the closet.

As she succeeded, she pulled out a beautiful, velvety red dress. It was designed so uniquely, it mesmerized Mariah every time she pulled it out. She'd only wear this dress when it was Christmas. It was made for Christmas, decades ago, by the grandmother of her grandmother. The dress was given through the family to the oldest daughter. Mariah happened to be the only child, so the dress would automatically be hers. She'd always admired it already when her mother was wearing it. Then she'd feel like a princess, and her mother was the queen. 

Mariah got rid of her current clothing and got into the magical dress. After a few minutes of struggling to close the dress, she put on her cream boots with high heels attached to it. They fit perfectly in the vibe of the dress. As Mariah checked her appearance in the small mirror, she twirled a few times and smiled brightly. 

She stuffed a little bit of the sweet dough pastry in her mouth before she left her house; she was already late! Mariah had to hold herself together to not play again in the snow, and made a small run for the church while lifting her dress. When she arrived, a relieved sigh left her lips as she noticed the doors weren't closed yet. She hurried inside, greeted the parish clerk and wished him a well blessed Christmas, which he returned. 

Mariah found a seat on one of the benches at the back of the building. She quickly sat down and started losing herself in admiration as she saw the big Christmas tree in the front of the church. The candles on it were dancing around, sharing the joy of Christmas. Only a few minutes later, the pastor entered the parlor and after praying together, the service started. But as much as Mariah wanted to concentrate, she couldn't. Her happy mind couldn't help but wander off to think and dream about the magic of Christmas.

She let her eyes roam over the big crowd that was sitting and listening to the pastor as he preached about the miracle of Christmas. Suddenly, Mariah's eyes were caught by someone sitting at the other side of the church. The lights of the chandeliers and candles were illuminating his face, pointing out his perfectly sculped features. His eyes were so... warm, as he watched the cozy decorated tree. Mariah didn't realize she was staring at him until she heard the pastor ending the service. 

She'd never seen him before, so as she was walking home, he was occupating her mind. That was until a voice pulled her out of her thoughts, 'Hi, Mariah! Merry Christmas!' Mariah turned and saw Alva, Jacob's wife. She smiled brightly at her as she passed by. 'Hi, Alva! I wish you the same, and more good luck with your store!' Mariah said happily. And even though she was supposed to be astonished with the snow and Christmas spirit, the foreign man from church invaded that room in her mind.

He was beautiful as a snowflake, and warmly handsome like the halogen lamps...