After the lady left the café, I resumed cleaning. From the counters, I turned my attention to the corner. Winter was resting now, his eyes closed and arms crossed. He looked peaceful, but my mind was anything but. With my heart beating rapidly, I trudged over to Lindy, who was wiping down tables.
"You REALLY don't see anything there?" I pointed at the place where he was sitting.
Lindy stared at me with an incredulous expression. "Caroline, you're acting really weird. There is NOTHING there. Not even a shadow."
I gulped, lowering my arm awkwardly. "I...I think I need to sleep. Lots of it."
"Okay then..." Lindy nodded slowly, suspicious.
I turned around, still in doubt. I must be seeing things...I need to see a psychologist...
"OH NO!"
"W-what!" I jumped back a step.
"I have a date with Tony tonight!" Lindy cried. "It's—what time is it?!"
"7:30?"
"I need to go!" Lindy gasped. "But—cleaning! Tatiana would kill me!"
Suddenly, I got an idea. "Calm down," I grabbed the towel from her. "I'll do the cleaning for you as a small thank you for what you did for me today."
"Are you sure?" she was already undoing her apron.
"Completely sure. I need some time to, uh, stabilize my mind," I looked over my shoulders at Winter. He was fully awake, rubbing his eyes like any normal human and blinking at me innocently.
"You're the best, Caroline. I owe you!" Lindy shouted as she rushed out of the café with her coat and bag.
I waved after her, my smile remained frozen on my face as I watched her run. Once she was out of sight, I quickly locked the front doors and whirled around to face Winter.
"What are you?!" I stormed over to the table, confronting him. "Why can't they see you? No...why can I see you?!"
"What?" he widened his eyes slightly.
"Are you a ghost? An evil spirit sent to take revenge on me?" A flurry of gibberish spilled from my mouth, but I was too scared to make sense of myself.
The corners of his mouth curled up slightly, as if he was about to laugh. "That's an interesting theory..."
"Don't try to evade the question!" I exclaimed shakily. I am definitely going to a psychologist. There is nothing left for my sanity.
"Actually, you're wrong," Winter looked into my eyes with a serious expression in his violet eyes.
"Huh?" I frowned slightly.
"I'm actually an elf sent from the North Pole to confirm your Christmas present."
His face was completely void, his mouth pulled into a firm line. His eyes didn't betray anything, and I felt a surge of joy enter me.
"Really?!" I slipped into the chair across from him and leaned in closer. There was so much I wanted. A new boss, a puppy, a plane ticket to Hawaii, a boyfriend—
YOU ARE READING
Into Your World
Short Story"Where are you from?" "It's a secret." Sometimes, you don't know what an impact someone will have on you until they walk into your world and change everything you know. One snowy day, I watched as he materialized in front of me. He was alluring, pur...
