Secret Santa 2013 {Georgina Speer}
Dec 31, 2013 19:16:49 GMT -5
Post by Erik Stewart on Dec 31, 2013 19:16:49 GMT -5
The day was bright and merry, though cold; passerbys’ cheeks grew red and their breath puffed out as Georgina passed underfoot. Dirty snow piled up against the curbs, where they’d fallen days ago, and could only shrink into the shadows and wait for the sun to find them; the air was chilly and penetrating and climbed through sweaters and scarves. Still, the city celebrated. Lights were strung up on balconies. Decorations were hung. Novelty horse trolleys passed by, their sides jingling with festive bells and their hooves clopping against the streets.
As she stuffed her hands into her coat, huddled against the chill, a shadow passed over her. Georgina looked up to see a hat, a straw one (or perhaps twine?) flutter down in spirals towards her head. It landed, instead, on the sidewalk a few feet from her. Her first instinct was to pick it up.
It was a finely woven yellow hat, with a purple ribbon tied around it. Its surface was smooth. She ran her fingers over the ribbon-tail.
“That’s mine,” she heard someone call.
Behind her was a boy, puffing visible clouds of breath. He had a head of brown hair and a scarf around his shoulders, and he gave her a crooked (and slightly harried) smile.
Georgina held it up. “What, this old thing?” She glanced at it. “It looks like a girl’s hat to me.”
He frowned. “It is a girl’s hat.”
She raised her eyebrows.
“It’s not for me,” he said.
Georgina giggled. He snatched it from her, but still offered no explanations. His cheeks were hot with embarrassment. Covering her mouth, Georgina stifled her laughter; now that she’d a good look at him, she wondered if she’d seen him before. They were both the same age – twelve, or thirteen or so – and there was a good chance they attended the same school. “So what’s your name?”
The boy perked up. “Me?” he asked.
She nodded, but already he’d moved on: there was a sort of elation in his eyes, and he smiled wide, though it still seemed very bashful. “Oh, you’re – you’re Georgina, aren’t you? I think I’ve…seen you around,” he said, adding in a nervous little laugh. “You’re moving away soon, aren’t you?”
“Yeah,” she said, shrugging.
“Where are you going?”
Georgina shuffled. She was already quite nervous about going overseas, and the discovery of these strange powers she had rattled her, though she was not the type to show it. She was hesitant to tell him, fearful that she might be different, or strange, that he and the others would treat her as such. Georgina decided she didn’t like his line of questioning.
“Nowhere,” she mumbled. “I’ve got to get home.”
He looked a bit panicked then, as if he was aware he’d offended her, somehow, and, clutching the yellow-and-purple hat, he blurted, “Wait,” as she turned away. “Can I come with you?”
They crossed the square on the way back. A large tree stood tall in the center, frosted with left over snow and hung with decorations. It glittered and shone with a hundred lights. There were presents left under it – huge boxes – but these, of course, were only decorations too.
“…We get tellys in every room. And people who bring us drinks whenever we want them.”
“You mean room service?” he asked. “Do they serve cheeseburgers?”
“Every day,” she said.
“I’d like to go there,” he said, glancing upwards.
“Yeah,” Georgina said, smiling, “they made it sound nice in the brochure.”
No amount of good test scores would get him there, unlike what he’d been led to believe. Once she left, it was unlikely they’d see each other again…he’d grow up here, in London, and he’d lead a normal life, perhaps the one she wanted. She supposed she’d no way of knowing now. They stopped next to the felt gate under the tree, where their paths split. He would go down one street and she the other, now that home was close. The crowd parted around them.
The boy was fiddling with the hat, which was still clutched in his fingers. He was looking down at his feet again. No wonder I don’t remember him, Georgina thought; he’s so quiet. She thought to break the silence, maybe to wish him a happy holidays and a goodbye, but he mustered up whatever he had to muster and spoke first.
“I’ll miss you, you know,” he said, after a brief stutter.
Georgina tilted her head. “That’s sweet.”
“I mean…” His hands tightened on the hat. “I’ve always…”
Now she was getting curious. She tilted her head. “What do you mean?”
But he shook his head, growing flustered by the second and shoved into her hands the yellow-and-purple hat. “This is for you,” he said. “M-merry Christmas.”
Just as Georgina thought she understood, he was turning away into the crowd. “Wait,” she called, but he disappeared quickly, his small child-like frame sinking quickly into the thick of the busy street. She started after him, but she couldn’t keep up, and soon lost him. It wasn’t until a few seconds later that her power occurred to her. She closed her eyes and thought, thought hard, of his dimpled face and his brown hair and his smile, but his name – she had never got his name. Her search was like trying to hold smoke. He slipped through her fingers, quickly and easily, and she was left standing under the giant Christmas tree.
She opened her eyes, blinking rapidly to clear her head. It had grown foggy during her search. Looking down, she noticed a peculiar yellow-and-purple hat.
“Now where did this come from?” she mused to herself, and started home.
As she stuffed her hands into her coat, huddled against the chill, a shadow passed over her. Georgina looked up to see a hat, a straw one (or perhaps twine?) flutter down in spirals towards her head. It landed, instead, on the sidewalk a few feet from her. Her first instinct was to pick it up.
It was a finely woven yellow hat, with a purple ribbon tied around it. Its surface was smooth. She ran her fingers over the ribbon-tail.
“That’s mine,” she heard someone call.
Behind her was a boy, puffing visible clouds of breath. He had a head of brown hair and a scarf around his shoulders, and he gave her a crooked (and slightly harried) smile.
Georgina held it up. “What, this old thing?” She glanced at it. “It looks like a girl’s hat to me.”
He frowned. “It is a girl’s hat.”
She raised her eyebrows.
“It’s not for me,” he said.
Georgina giggled. He snatched it from her, but still offered no explanations. His cheeks were hot with embarrassment. Covering her mouth, Georgina stifled her laughter; now that she’d a good look at him, she wondered if she’d seen him before. They were both the same age – twelve, or thirteen or so – and there was a good chance they attended the same school. “So what’s your name?”
The boy perked up. “Me?” he asked.
She nodded, but already he’d moved on: there was a sort of elation in his eyes, and he smiled wide, though it still seemed very bashful. “Oh, you’re – you’re Georgina, aren’t you? I think I’ve…seen you around,” he said, adding in a nervous little laugh. “You’re moving away soon, aren’t you?”
“Yeah,” she said, shrugging.
“Where are you going?”
Georgina shuffled. She was already quite nervous about going overseas, and the discovery of these strange powers she had rattled her, though she was not the type to show it. She was hesitant to tell him, fearful that she might be different, or strange, that he and the others would treat her as such. Georgina decided she didn’t like his line of questioning.
“Nowhere,” she mumbled. “I’ve got to get home.”
He looked a bit panicked then, as if he was aware he’d offended her, somehow, and, clutching the yellow-and-purple hat, he blurted, “Wait,” as she turned away. “Can I come with you?”
They crossed the square on the way back. A large tree stood tall in the center, frosted with left over snow and hung with decorations. It glittered and shone with a hundred lights. There were presents left under it – huge boxes – but these, of course, were only decorations too.
“…We get tellys in every room. And people who bring us drinks whenever we want them.”
“You mean room service?” he asked. “Do they serve cheeseburgers?”
“Every day,” she said.
“I’d like to go there,” he said, glancing upwards.
“Yeah,” Georgina said, smiling, “they made it sound nice in the brochure.”
No amount of good test scores would get him there, unlike what he’d been led to believe. Once she left, it was unlikely they’d see each other again…he’d grow up here, in London, and he’d lead a normal life, perhaps the one she wanted. She supposed she’d no way of knowing now. They stopped next to the felt gate under the tree, where their paths split. He would go down one street and she the other, now that home was close. The crowd parted around them.
The boy was fiddling with the hat, which was still clutched in his fingers. He was looking down at his feet again. No wonder I don’t remember him, Georgina thought; he’s so quiet. She thought to break the silence, maybe to wish him a happy holidays and a goodbye, but he mustered up whatever he had to muster and spoke first.
“I’ll miss you, you know,” he said, after a brief stutter.
Georgina tilted her head. “That’s sweet.”
“I mean…” His hands tightened on the hat. “I’ve always…”
Now she was getting curious. She tilted her head. “What do you mean?”
But he shook his head, growing flustered by the second and shoved into her hands the yellow-and-purple hat. “This is for you,” he said. “M-merry Christmas.”
Just as Georgina thought she understood, he was turning away into the crowd. “Wait,” she called, but he disappeared quickly, his small child-like frame sinking quickly into the thick of the busy street. She started after him, but she couldn’t keep up, and soon lost him. It wasn’t until a few seconds later that her power occurred to her. She closed her eyes and thought, thought hard, of his dimpled face and his brown hair and his smile, but his name – she had never got his name. Her search was like trying to hold smoke. He slipped through her fingers, quickly and easily, and she was left standing under the giant Christmas tree.
She opened her eyes, blinking rapidly to clear her head. It had grown foggy during her search. Looking down, she noticed a peculiar yellow-and-purple hat.
“Now where did this come from?” she mused to herself, and started home.
I LOVE THIS SO MUCH <3
