Sona quickly finished her conversation with her mom and kept walking. It was late and dark and there weren’t many people walking around. Sona shoved her hands in her pockets and stared at her reflection in the rain-wet sidewalk. She stopped across from the Christmas display in the median across the street from her. She looked at the sparkling tinsel and twinkling lights. Every year, the same display, but every year, kids came to see it light up and dazzle them. But this time something was different. Sona tilted her head. The Santa dummy in the big red sleigh was different this year. Had the old one finally been retired? She looked both ways and then crossed the street to get a better look. Then a look of surprise crossed her face. There was a real person in the sleigh! She stopped in her tracks and stared. It was like a dream… An angelic face nestled under a Santa hat and a starry blanket. The lines of that Christmas poem popped in her head about “dreams of sugar plums dancing in their heads”. But this was just an ordinary boy. She shook her fantasies out of her head and walked up to the sleigh. He looked perfect even up close… She reached out to wake him gently. With a twitch of his eyelids and a shake of his head, the Santa Angel awoke. He rubbed his eyes like a little boy and looked at her, which for some reason made her heart jump. His eyes sparkled just like… She glanced down and pressed her lips together.

“Hey, what are you doing here?” She asked. “I don’t think you’re supposed to be sleeping here.”

She glanced over at the other side of the sleigh where the real Santa dummy was lying in the snow and so did he. But he didn’t say anything, just looked around confused, and then looked to her as if she had an answer for his unasked question.

“Who are you?” She questioned.

“I…I don’t…I can’t…”

“Don’t you know who you are?” She said.

He shook his head and mumbled. “No.” Then he rubbed his head.

What has this boy been through?

He looked so innocent, she believed him.

“How did you get here?” She tried. “Shouldn’t you be home right now?”

He shrugged. “I don’t…remember.”

Sona looked at him sympathetically, then reached her hand out to help him out of the sleigh.

“Well, come on, you can’t stay here.”

He hopped out and asked when she didn’t let go of his hand, “Where are we going?”

“To my apartment. You can’t very well sleep outside on Christmas Eve, now can you?”

What the heck am I saying???

“I guess…” He looked down at his hand in hers and smiled.

Sona’s breath caught in . He even had the smile of an angel…

“You’re really nice.” He told her. “Thank you.”

She quickly pulled her hand out of his, and looked away, murmuring, “Thanks…no problem…”