Beyond My Lenses

Prolouge

24th December, 1999
Christmas Eve
17th Pearce Street, House 298A
Chicago, Illinois

Dear Santa,

Are you well?  Is everything alright in the north pole?  I'm doing fine, in case your wondering.  I didn't get sick this year either, which is a good thing according to our neighbor. He's a doctor, but I guess you already knew that. Miss Kelly says that you know everyone and what they are doing every day. I guess that's how you make up your list of the good and naughty kids. It must be hard trying to remember all their names.

Did you get my previous letter? I was sad when I didn't see any presents under our tree last year so I wrote to you to see if everything was okay. Mother said that you forgot to come to our house then, but I didn't believe her. All the other kids got their presents, even Steve and he pulls my hair every time he sees me. Anyway, I hope your okay now. Tomorrow is Christmas and my birthday is coming soon too. I hope you get my letter in time before this year ends, otherwise Mother will find this somehow and scold me again. I don't like it when Mother is angry. She calls me names like the kids in school do whenever they see me, but hearing it from her just hurts really bad.

Victor is my only friend. He doesn't call me names and he doesn't make fun of my glasses. He also doesn't pull my hair like Steve does, either. He listens to my stories and plays hide and seek with me too. Whenever it would be recess, I would go to the maple tree to see if he was there and he always was. He never left that spot and would always be sitting there drawing into the ground with a stick with a a sad look. Victor always looked sad and I try to make him happy everytime we play.
                                                                                                                  
I think it's because the other kids don't notice him.                
  
Mother says that Victor isn't real and that I made him up but I just know that Victor is there. He helps me draw and taught me how to climb on that maple tree. He stops the other kids from calling me names and tells me stories about dragons and knights. He even gave me a birthday gift and taught me Oragami. How can he not be real?

It's winter break, so I couldn't meet Victor and Mother doesn't let us out much. So far, the only thing I can do all day is just stare out of our window in the grand room and draw. I tried to draw Victor at first,  but it seemed stupid so I draw random things now. I think I've gotten better but I still need more practise according to Nate, my older brother. Nate's always out and Mother doesn't say anything to him which I find unfair. I see our neighbors building snowmans out in their lawns and laughing often. I wish I could play outside too, but Mother doesn't let me. So all I could do is watch them from my big house.

It's getting late and Mother might come in any minute to check on me and my younger brother Issac. He is sleeping right now in his cradle and I could hear laughter from downstairs. I should go to sleep before Mother comes and finds me writing this to you. But before that, I should probably tell you what I want for this Christmas.

So Santa, for this Christmas and year before a new century, I want you to grant my one wish. Please let the world I see be beautiful once more.

I also put some cookies for you down in the drawing room next to the window. If your hungry, you can go eat them if you want. I'm going now. I hope you reply soon, Santa. I'll be waiting.

Goodnight & Merry Christmas

Lisa Brown

☆☆☆

  As the little girl put her pencil down on her desk, she let out a breath as if she holding it for a long time. After a pause, strange male laughter sounded from downstairs once more and the little girl started. Getting up from her desk quietly, she took the piece of paper she had been writing upon a few minutes earlier and tip toed to the windowsill. She heaved her tiny frame up the window seat and tried to open the window's lock without causing too much noise.

A smaller figure in the cradle near the girl's bed shifted and the little girl stilled, staring at the cradle with a look of horror before realizing that her brother was still asleep. She gave a sigh of relief and then opened the window and breathed in the smell of night air.  The little girl peered at the glimmering night sky above through her glasses with a curious expression. She raised her tiny hand up, almost unconsciously,  and connected the stars into figures with her fingers.

"Each star tells a different story," somebody had once told her. "After a person dies, they become a part of the sky. Not the sky you see during the day, but the one at night. Their souls shine in the darkness like these stars, retelling their story to those who gaze upon them" he had a far off look in his eyes when he had told her this.

"That's what I believe, anyway. The sky is a part of our past and tells us tales of those who once lived here, in this world underneath it. Often, I would just look at the sky and connect the stars into stories. Sometimes, I can see them play out infront of my eyes like I was there." He paused for a minute before continuing, "It sounds crazy now that I say it out loud, but to be honest, it just seems like time has stopped and it's just you and the world."

The little girl had pondered his words for a moment before asking, "Is it like reading a story?"

The boy had turned his head towards her and smiled. "Yeah, but the only difference is that they aren't read often. Not that many people look up at the sky anymore."

His words echoed in the girl's ears as she brought her hand back to her side and turned her attention to the piece of paper in her hand once more. Slowly, she started folding it with her small fingers with a practiced grace. First she folded it in half, the paper crinkling under the applied pressure before finally obeying her fingers commands. The paper was folded, then opened, and then folded again. The scrawled words stood out on the white sheet as the girl folded the paper to it's final form with a triumph expression.

Her small hand gripped the paper airplane from the bottom and she looked down at her neighbourhood's empty streets. Closing her eyes, she threw the airplane out of her window just as a small breeze picked up the still night air. The sound of shaking leaves and the smell of night invaded her senses as she opened her eyes and watched the airplane glide over houses and through streets, following the wind into the chilly night.

The sound of somebody stomping up the stairs reached the girl's ears and she quickly shut the window and ran across the room into her bed, pulling the sheets above her head after putting her glasses on the side table and turning off the lamp just as the door opened. The girl squeezed her eyes tightly and heard her mother's slurring voice from the doorway. She was mumbling something, but the girl couldn't hear hee as the sheets muffled any sound.

"Are they asleep?" a man's voice called out from downstairs and her mother replied quickly, shutting the door behind her as she descended down the stairs. The girl waited till the noise ceased and let out a long exhale. Pulling the blanket off her face, the little girl stared at the glowing stars glued to the ceiling of the room she shared with her younger brother.

Now that her glasses were off, she could see shadows moving on the inside of the walls from the corners of her eyes

~~~

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