Christmas Dreams
-anonymous
 

It was a cold snowing day in Seoul on a Christmas Eve, with the white snowflakes casting the whole of the city into a beautiful winter wonderland. Freezing winds sent the lightly falling snow scattering about, the perfect image of a snowglobe subject to the curiousity of a child. The streets were silent with everyone cooped up in their houses and apartments, full of warmth, love, food and family, sharing about gifts, laughing, enjoying the brief respite that festive cheer had given to them.

Sitting only metres from a stranger’s family, Tiffany crouched as she wrapped her arms around her legs, trying to keep the warmth to her core. True it had been only a few metres apart, but a convenient wall to shelter from the cold and a heater to warm the air was what Tiffany sorely missed as she sat out on the street. A cold, lonely soul, during the yuletide season, that begets an even lonelier spirit.

It was a hard life, a life that she did not choose, but instead it chose her. Life had just picked her up and thrown her into the cold. Years of begging, stealing, hiding, constantly seeking shelter, however, had slowly taken its toll on her vibrant outlook. And it didn’t help that each winter was colder and harsher than the one before. Eventually all that was left was a dry husk, grey and empty shell.

Shivering, her fingers grasped tightly at the blanket she had procured months ago, wrapping it around herself in an effort to find more warmth. It was frayed, holed and stained, but it was the best she had.

Perhaps Christmas would provide some luck to find a new one, or maybe even warmer clothes she thought.

‘Yeah right Tiffany, you keep dreaming that’

Sighing, she tried to push herself even closer against the wall. All things considered, this Christmas had been a bit better than the last. The alleyway she called home for the past few days had been a lucky find as she wandered the streets in search of shelter. The air-con unit that sat outside in the alley had been paradise as Tiffany found a small niche in between it and the wall, making for a bearably cold home.

But since it was Christmas Eve, the restaurant had closed for the night, leaving her without a source of warmth, to fend for herself in the snow. Adjusting her position once more, Tiffany tried to wiggle her way tighter into the wall. Struggling for a few minutes to get comfortable, she gave up and brought the ragged blanket up to her chin. Letting her tired eyelids fall, Tiffany’s world went dark and as she drifted off to sleep, on the brink of unconsciousness, moved, sound rushing out like a deathly whisper.

“If only Christmas dreams were real.”






Minutes later, a pair of small feet, covered in warm boots, padded their way down the seemingly empty alleyway. The short figure stopped as she walked by a quivering mass, half hidden away by the wall. Something pulled her towards the unknown element and warily stepping closer, the figure examined further.

Hidden beneath the thin blanket, the figure found a girl. A girl whose pale, thin face spoke of a beauty yet to be shown and of harshness she had to endure. Her unkempt black hair told of poverty and yet hidden splendor. The falling snow had already piled up all around the sleeping girl, turning her cheeks blue, her teeth chattering.

Tiffany, still in a light sleep, heard a soft whisper. The voice sounded dream like, a faraway reality she could never obtain, a heavenly whisper that resonated within her soul and as such she ignored it, because she knew such reality wasn’t meant for her. The soft whisper became louder and louder and Tiffany opened her tear-crusted eyes, expecting to see a figure looming over her, or a mouth in her ear. But through her blurry vision, all she saw was the grey brick wall of the alleyway staring back at her.

However, years on the street had taught her well and Tiffany quickly got to her feet, sending the freezing snow cascading from her lap to her feet.

“Who’s there?”

Rubbing her eyes clear, the alleyway came into focus and she saw more of the same. Empty grey walls and harsh freezing snow without a soul around her.

“You......look....proper....drop....sky...snow...body..”

Alert now, Tiffany looked around her warily, head turning left and right. But still, nobody...although it did sound as if the voice came from her feet. Trusting her instincts, she crouched down and peered at the mound of snow carefully.

At first she thought her sleep deprived, food deprived mind had been tricking her as the top of the mound started to quiver. But the snow gave way after a moment to reveal an extremely small......human?

“You might want to want to look around properly before you drop a sky of snow on somebody!” shouted the small figure indignantly, waving her fist at Tiffany.

Staring blankly at the diminutive figure, Tiffany quickly blinked several times, disbelievingly.

“No...I must be dreaming...That’s right....Just a dream....” she murmured.

Ignoring the impossible, Tiffany leaned away and curled into a ball once more. “Just get some sleep....it’ll go away....”

Cold silence ensued, the only exception being the howling winds that brought more snow. Just as she was about to fall asleep once more, she was rudely startled by the same voice.

“HEY! Are you ignoring me on purpose?!”

Truly startled now, Tiffany backed into the wall as far as possible, her eyes darting around.

“Down here.”

Angling her vision down warily, the figure of her dreams stood atop the mound of snow before her, her expression indignant.

“Bug!!” Tiffany screamed, getting to her feet in a blink of an eye, standing as far away from the figure as the wall would allow.

“What is with you? Bugs don’t talk do they? And I’m offended that you think I look like a bug.”

“Are......are you.....are you real?” Tiffany whispered as she knelt closer.

“Of course I’m real! If I wasn’t real, do you think I’d be able to do this?” She bent down and scraped together a lump of snow. Molding it in her hands, she threw it at Tiffany’s cheek where the dot of snow splattered and melted into water.

“Hey!”

“Well....now that you now I’m real, the name’s Taeyeon.” The little girl bowed formally at Tiffany, who awkwardly inclined her head down and up.

“What....are you?”

Upon closer inspection, she seemed every bit human, except for the fact that she was barely five inches tall with small hemisphere like ears that protruded from the luscious brown hair. Taeyeon wore a seemingly thick, sleeveless red cotton dress that stretched down to her thighs, white fur lining the hem, revealing her silky pale legs with a small ribbon tied around her waist. Her hair was tied up in a bun at the top of her head, her fringe disheveled from her fall while her smooth brown locks cascaded over the milky white skin on her shoulders that the dress exposed.

“Well I’m not human obviously. I’m an elf!”

“An elf......right.....aren’t you mean to be wearing green with red stockings and boots?”

“Green doesn’t look good on me, and besides, don’t you think this red dress suits me so much better?” Taeyeon smiled, spinning on the mound to showcase it.

Tiffany could only smile back awkwardly as she nodded. Things like jewelry, hairstyles and clothes were luxuries she grew up without knowing. Her accessories were plastic bags, hairstyle her bed hair and clothes were whatever she could find.

“Say....Taeyeon...”

“Call me Tae for short. And that wasn’t a pun on my height. Tae’s fine.”

“Tae then. Can I ask why you’re here?” Tiffany queried timidly.

“It’s Christmas, what else are elves supposed to do?” Taeyeon sat down on the mound of snow, letting her legs lounge easily against the cold. “Something just drew me down this alleyway. Call it a sixth sense if you will....an elf’s intuition.”

Scrutinizing the shivering girl before her, Taeyeon angled her head to the side, as if to get a better view.

“Say....you look mighty cold there.”

“M-m-m-me-e-e? I-I-I’m n-n-o-t c-c-c-old,” Tiffany stuttered, attempting to clamp down on her blue lips with the chattering teeth that betrayed her.

“Honestly....” Taeyeon murmured to herself as she got to her feet, brushing the hem of her dress free of snow. “Give me your hand,” she announced loudly.

“E-e-h-h?”

“Your hand!” the little elf shouted.

Hurriedly Tiffany leant her outstretched hand to the girl. Her fingers were at Taeyeon’s head height and she huffed and puffed with exertion, using her thin arms trying to get to her palm.

“Erm....a little help here?” she asked, only her arms and head on Tiffany’s fingers while her smooth legs kicked comically in mid-air.

“Oh sorry!”

Rushing to lower her hand, Tiffany placed it resting on the snow. Arms and head resting on her fingers, Taeyeon’s expression soured immediately.

“What is it?” Tiffany opened her eyes wide in surprise, worried if she had done something wrong.

“You just buried me up to my waist. In. Snow.” Taeyeon’s small eyes glared at her menacingly and Tiffany would swear, in her twenty one years, she had not seen anything to be more fearful of, much less a five inch tall elf with a milky complexion and rounded ears on her head.

Pulling her out of her snowy prison, Tiffany let Taeyeon down gently on her other hand where she brushe