Erstwhile: A Collection Of Short Stories

Christmas Eve

Walking down the streets with her hands in the pockets of her coat, Linda shivered in the cold weather of Christmas Eve. The stars were shimmering and there was snow everywhere around her. The street was alive and active as people embraced their loved ones.

Moscow was always a lively place during this time of the year. There were fairs and celebrations around every corner and people rejoiced before the beginning of a new year.

Linda continued walking without thinking about her destination. She looked around and smiled at the kids who made snowballs and threw it at each other. She saw the people in love, kissing under the sky of Christmas Eve.

The beauty was vibrant and her mind couldn't settle at one place. In spite of everything, she couldn't figure out if she was really happy or not.

The fact that everyone was supposed to be exceptionally happy on Christmas Eve irked her and made her feel like an outcast. She wasn't sad, but she wasn't very happy either.

After months of staying inside the house and doing nothing, Linda had finally decided to come out of her shell. She always found reasons to stay in even if her friends or relatives called her out. The people in her school had lives of their own to deal with. She would always be an outcast for them.

She wasn't a victim of bullying or harassment; she was just herself. She had around three friends who mostly knew how Linda was and therefore, they gave up on forcing her to come out.

When Linda's parents heard that Linda wanted to go for a walk around the city, they clasped their hands in joy and set her up with money and a fuzzy coat to go with. She wasn't surprised at their joy.

Her footsteps stopped when a little boy blocked her way. He was short and looked up at Linda like she was a huge tower. His brown eyes stared at Linda and Linda was befuddled for a moment.

"Hello," Linda said politely in a voice as soft as a cuckoo with a small smile forming on her face.

"Hi," the boy replied with his eyes still large and adorable.

"What is your name?" Linda asked.

"Will you play with me?" the boy asked, ignoring Linda's question.

"Uh," Linda was confused for a second, but she had no plans so she replied, "All right."

The boy was in a brown coat which covered most of his hands. He was in a pair of blue jeans and his t-shirt was invisible with the coat and muffler around his neck. His black hair was set on his forehead and he looked very simple and adorable.

He looked down at his boots for a second and then turned around. Linda stood for a second, but then assumed that the boy wanted her to follow him.

"Where are we going?" Linda asked as she walked behind the boy.

"To the playground," the boy replied without looking at her.

"Playground?" Linda asked, baffled. "Who goes to the playground on Christmas Eve? Don't you want to build a snowman or throw snowballs around?" she asked.

"No."

The walk didn't seem long, but Linda was a little confused by the boy's dull yet beautiful aura.

"Here," the boy spoke as they stood in front of the gate of a playground where there were swings and slides.

"Do you want me to open the gate for you?" Linda asked as she looked down at the boy.

He nodded.

Linda pushed the black and slightly rusted gate so that they could enter. It was chilly inside, too. And a bit more dark. After all, everyone was out there playing in the snow and eating candies. There were no lights and only darkness covering the ground.

They walked inside quietly and Linda waited for the boy's lead. "Um, what do you want to do now?" she asked.

The boy looked around for a bit and then said, "The swing set."

Linda walked with him through the darkness, looking at the boy tentatively.

When the boy went closer to the swing set, he hopped on on one of the two still swings. Linda followed him and sat on the other one.

"Why aren't you roaming outside and playing with your friends and family?" she asked.

"Why aren't you?" he replied while swaying his leg back and forth slowly enough to swing just a little. His eyes were fixed on the ground while Linda's were on him.

"Uh, I don't really like coming out and doing all that," Linda replied and expected him to answer the same question, but he started something new.

"No one lets me play here," the boy said in his normal voice. There wasn't sadness striking his words, just his plain monotone.

"Why?" Linda asked, feeling a little dejected.

"I don't know. No one really ever gave me the reason. So, I stopped looking for it," he replied.

Linda never connected with anyone, but a invisible string of attachment to the soul was felt by her between them. She didn't really like going to parties and celebrating life with drinks and friends, but a time had come in her life when people had stopped asking her to join, too. The feeling of not being even invited and cared for enough had hit her and left a cold patch in her heart. Being at least wanted was something she had always wanted.

"Why don't you go around with your family?" she asked.

"Sometimes I am better off alone," the boy said and paused before finally looking at Linda, "Let's swing! This will be my first time here."

Linda felt a little numb inside. The boy didn't cave in and feel left out in spite of everything. He stuck to his enthusiastic ray of hope that one day he could play, and that was enough to warm her heart.

"Okay."

And they pulled back with force and let it go with one deep breath. The cold wind hit their faces and they kept on flowing with it. It was a different kind of feeling. The feeling of being so warm inside that the cold could not affect them.

Linda looked at the boy who, for the first time, had a slight, satisfying smile.

They didn't stop. They felt like they could fly, and capture it all in. They felt their hearts beat in their chest loudly. No one could notice them in the darkness of a shut down playground.

It definitely was, the best Christmas Eve.

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