Waltz of the Flowers

O~o~O

There was snow.

The snow was so thick that it seemed to swallow the whole land. A frigid hush fell over Christmas Eve night, shutting out the sun until the world was nothing but blue snow and black sky.

But, to the East, just over the horizon, was a glimmer of gold. Warm light that blazed bright through the night. Upon closer inspection, the light was actually from a house. The soft orange washed over the snow through shadows cast by the windows. From within, a fire roared, like all the songs and tales tell. The entire house was decorated with green and red and white and gold. An angel doll smiled knowingly from the top of an evergreen. Dinner had been hearty, and the children inside laughed and played. They cast continuous glances to the shiny gifts that sat below the tree.

There was a girl who wasn't playing with the other children. Instead, she sat upstairs in her room, gazing out the window to the cold world below. Her blue eyes reflected the silvery glass. She could hear the others, but she felt no desire to join them.

She wore her best dress, and her hair was all done up with a big pink bow. Her feet were tucked daintily underneath her, and her arms were crossed over her chest while she shuddered every once in a while. The house was warm. But the night was cold.

The decorations had not excited her like they once did. Her heart no longer pounded at the thrilling thought of a generous man appearing in the dead of night to leave gifts. She did not desire to join her cousins and family friends who played endless games downstairs. No, she had not felt that childish anticipation and glee for a long time. But she didn't want to ruin anyone's fun. So she sat alone, wondering why Christmas just didn't make her feel so happy anymore.

The snow blanketed the world, completely obscuring the lands she should have known by heart. There was no sign of life anywhere, as far as she could tell. Just complete white desolation. She felt just the same.

"Hey! Peach!" a voice cut through her musing, and Peach turned with a start. "What are you still doing up here? Uncle has presents for us!"

She blinked. "Oh, Daisy."

The younger girl stood in the doorway, barefoot, and having already managed to require a bandaid on her elbow and knee. Her yellow dress was rumpled. She was breathless. Peach assumed she had been chasing the boys and showing them who was the boss. She smiled faintly at the thought.

Her best friend really was something else. "I'm sorry. I'll come down right away." she spoke, but her voice had no energy in it. Seeing the excitement sparkle in Daisy's eyes, she felt bad for not trying a little harder to smile.

Daisy tilted her head with a small frown. "Are you okay?" she asked.

With the worry lines in her forehead, and the way she clutched her small hands close to her chest, Peach instantly felt worse. "Yes, I'm fine." she answered quickly, and came close so she could lead Daisy back downstairs. "I'm just a little tired. Here, let's go see what Uncle has for us."

The man they both knew as Uncle was not actually hers or Daisy's. Peach was never quite sure about his relationship to anyone in her family. Daisy was fairly certain he had no direct relation to her family either. Regardless, they had both known Uncle for as long as they could remember. Uncle came for every holiday. He brought the most wonderful gifts and always inspired the fondest memories in all of the children.

Perhaps a little bit of the Christmas spirit Peach had lost would be brought with him again. So, taking Daisy's hand, she skipped down the hall and down the stairs.

Her face lit up when she spotted him. "Uncle!" she called to him, but he didn't appear to hear her. He was speaking with the other children, both hands held behind his back. Surely he was hiding wonderful gifts, preparing to surprise everyone? Peach and Daisy quickly joined the others to see. Seeing that mischievous little grin on his face, the excitement that stirred among the others, Peach felt a hint of that Christmas Spirit that so eluded her.