'Tis The Season: A Wattpad Christmas Countdown

Remembrance At Christmas

Day 23
{written by the sincerest AnjealouscaSchuyler }

Walking around the coffee shop, you see all the smiling faces

Happiness, joy, and love

Are in the air this season

But you can't feel it anymore

Every year it gets worse

Since he left...

His promise to you shatters into a thousand pieces

Warped fragments of glass
And broken love
Pierce your heart

Yet you still wait for him
You wait to see if he will come back

You remember how
You used to feel like
Promises were made to be kept

But not anymore

That flew out the window
When they arrived at your house

With a flag
And an empty coffin

"Missing in action since last year." they said
"Most likely perished."
"I'm sorry." they said

But sorry doesn't fix a broken heart;
A broken soul,
A broken mind...

For seven years, all anyone could say was "sorry"

Yet you still hold onto hope

Hope
That tiny ball of light
The only warmth
In your artic heart

The hope that family would never
Abandon you...

Tears roll down your cheeks as your hot cocoa grows cold

"Wait for me," he had said
"In the coffee shop on Main St."
"I'll be back by Christmas." he had said

But today was the 23rd

And that was seven years ago

Suddenly, the door creaks open
A bell clangs

In walks a man
The very man you once knew
You run up to him

Seven years
Seven years you had waited

"You're back!" you cry
You reach around to hug him

But your arms touch nothing
Nothing but air

The man smiles;
A sad smile
As you stumble backwards
He motions for you to sit down
And you do

He pulls out a piece of paper
And to your surprise, a pen
A pen you had given him
Before he left

And he begins to write:
"I didn't want to leave you
But I had to
I love you, and that is exactly why I'm here
I can't stand
Seeing you like this
You need to live your life,
Not wait in vain for me to return to mine
You don't have to forget me,
But you shouldn't forget anyone else either
Remember the family you do have
And remember
Friends are the family we get to choose.
They will never abandon you
So don't abandon them."

He vanishes,
Leaving you with the paper

Silence

Your thoughts swirl around you,
A tornado that sweeps you away

Silence

And your heart beats
Once, twice

Then everything
Hits you at once

Family
Friends
Christmas
Love
Remembrance

You finally realize
That sometimes
When you lose someone they don't come back,
But
That doesn't mean you should let the family and friends you do have
Fade away
Right before your eyes

You stand up
And your heart unthaws

Walking around the coffee shop,
You see all the smiling faces

And the promise he made to you
Reshapes itself
From a thousand shattered pieces
Into one whole, brilliant star
Where every piece represents
Love
Togetherness
And family

There is happiness, joy, and love in the air
This season
And you can finally feel it

You walk outside
The bell on the door rings
As you step outside

The cool, crisp air
And the spirit of Christmas
Floods your senses

You look around
Viewing your world
With new eyes

And you set off, for the first time in seven years
To your parent's house

For the family Christmas party,

Where you know you will
Find joy
And love
Among those who are close to you