HOME | DD
objectiveexpression — Rage and Romance, Part 2
Published: 2008-11-29 23:01:04 +0000 UTC; Views: 93; Favourites: 1; Downloads: 0
Redirect to original
Description
Chapter 1:The day I met him was the Festival of Lights.
Why else would someone meander from thier homes, leaving behind thier toasty fireplaces and warm, ruffled bedding to sit in the snowdrifts and gape at the trees? Why else would anyone in thier right mind leave thier own houses far behind to stay in our town in the mountains? The Lighting Festival is a sacred tradition in Leavenworth, when the entire community gets together to make the town sparkle and shine like a new penny.
People from all over the state of Washington load up thier minivans and turn on the four-wheel-drive for the first time just to watch on a larger scale what they normally will do in thier living rooms anyway; light up the trees.
It's not just the trees, of course; otherwise this would be a pretty lame day. The whole idea is to celebrate the beginning of the Christmas Season (or Suicide Season, as I so lovingly put it). Everyone in town pitches in on the celebration by opening the doors to thier shops, helping hang up the lights, salting the roads, whatever they can find to do. It's the one day a year that the streets are flooded with tourists and we have to close down roads for them to walk.
On the day of the Lighting Festival, businesses like my father's get so many customers, the lines leak out of the front door. Folks are leaning against the side of the building, shivering in thier thick rubber boots, waiting just to get a peek inside. The longest line, fifty feet or so, is always outside the Hat Shop, where they sell peculiar looking hats of all shapes and sizes. I have a few myself.
It is on this day that I had been assigned the duty of running the cash register at my dad's shop. He sells stupid little nicknacks; ceramic snowmen, plastic santas, you name it.
The cool thing about that job is I didn't have to sit outside with the rest of the town. I got to stay in there, nice and warm. Hell, I got to wear jeans and converse shoes! I didn't have to watch the damned Festival go down, the Festival that no one in thier right mind would care about. I just had to ring up perchases, bag things up, listen to the band play from the center of town...
I'm telling a portly older woman with faded red hair to please come again, and thank you and have a nice day, when the band stops and a man with a squeaky voice comes on. He started talking about how great Leavenworth is, and talks about the Lighting Festival a bit, mostly just to let the tourists know what it's all about. Pretty soon I figured he's gonna introduce "Santa Claus," who, by tradition, will sing Silent Night, then the stupid lights will come on and all that.
When he does finally introduce "Santa Claus," who is being played by one of my dad's friends this year, I audibly moaned and roll my eyes. A little boy no older than seven gaped at my lack of spirit from behind the counter. A guy about my age stood by him laughing his ass off; I was thinking how they must be brothers, they look pretty similar.
They both had a square face, curly black hair and thin red lips, but the older one was built tall and muscular, whereas the child was scrawny and short. He gazed up at his brother with worry. He was probably thinking how I was going to hell, or that I looked scary and uninviting, but I didn't mind; it's something that you get used to as time wears on.
The older one whispered something in his ear, and the little one left immediately, without question, admiration in his shining gray eyes. With a bitter laugh, I began ringing up his choice of perchase.
"A santa hat, huh? Are the lines at the Hat Shop really that long?" I didn't bother with a bag, just handed it back to him.
He handed me a five dollar bill. His nails were painted black like mine, and for the first time I noticed he was dressed more like me than anyone else in town, even if he was wearing a big winter coat and boots. Black coat, black boots, dark gray skinny jeans and a black and white striped shirt underneath it all. If I wasn't so concentrated on making change, I would've probably gaped.
He laughed at my pathetic excuse for a joke. "Yeah, well, it's not for me anyway. For Danny, my little brother."
I tilted my head to the side a bit, one of my many stupid little quirks. "That kid who was with you earlier, right?"
He let out a dismal laugh. "Yeah, that little pest was Danny." He holds his hand out for his change, and I slip it into his hand. Of course, our fingers make contact, and I can't help but notice it... I bit my lip and pulled away. Human contact is not exactly common with me.
He smiled and looked at me with these eyes... the colour of the ocean on a clear day. Then he's gone.
