A Shared Scarf and First Snow
Christmas. It arrived quietly yet splendidly. Brilliant lights that hadn't been there the day before now lined the hallway from end to end, draped in long, beautiful, warm glowing strings. The morning announcement was replaced by a softly playing carol, heightening the festive atmosphere to its peak. Stepping out of my room, I looked around with fluttering excitement. If there was one disappointment, it was that it wasn't snowing. It was a shame I couldn't catch those cold crystals falling from the sky in my hands.
"Amy!" I shouted, looking at the large box placed outside the room. I had worried that we wouldn't get any presents because we hadn't hung up giant stockings, but it seemed Santa had left gifts for both me and Shine anyway. Large presents sat right next to our door. On top of them lay a card with small handwriting.
To Jeff and Shine
"Presents!" I reached out and picked up the gift boxes. They were heavy, but not so heavy that I couldn't lift them. Grunting as I dragged the boxes, I managed to safely bring the gifts inside the room.
"Shine!" I called out, puffing my chest out proudly as if boasting. The large gift box was undoubtedly from Santa.
"Did Santa come?"
"I think he snuck in during the middle of the night!"
"I wanted to see him."
"Santa is busy, so they say he's hard to catch."
"Yeah."
I slid the presents all the way into the middle of the room. Amy, who was still half-asleep, watched me and spoke up.
"You got your presents, I see?"
"Yes!" I stomped my feet in excitement as I tore off the wrapping paper. Riiip, rip. The beautiful wrapping paper tore away. I felt a tiny pang of regret for ruining it, but my target was the item inside.
Through the torn wrapping paper, a brilliant starlight peeked out. Behind the stars pouring down from the sky was a sleek wand. The magnificent star at the tip of the wand spun as if rotating.
"Whoa!" Overwhelmed with extreme excitement, I tore the box apart. The sturdy cardboard scattered everywhere, leaving behind a long wand. With trembling hands, I reached out and picked it up. Its cool temperature, the texture pressing against my fingertips—it was all real.
I gave it a gentle wave. Even with the slightest movement, the star spun rapidly, emitting a soft, gentle glow.
"How is it, Jeff? Are you happy with it?"
I nodded vigorously. Because of my sudden movement, the witch hat on my head fluttered.
"It looks like Santa read your letter carefully."
I hung my head low at Amy's words, as the contents of the letter I had written flashed through my mind.
Sitting beside me, Shine quietly unwrapped her present. The gift addressed to her was a gorgeous scarf. The white cashmere scarf looked incredibly soft at a single glance.
She lifted the scarf and smiled with satisfaction. The cashmere scarf, as pure white as her hair, wound around her neck. Yet, even after wrapping it snugly, there was still a massive length of scarf left over.
As I stared in confusion, Shine approached me and reached out. The long, trailing white scarf wound around my neck as well. Shine gently pulled my hair out from under the fabric. Adjusting the scarf around my neck, she took a step back and gave a small smile. The scarf stretched out long between us, linking her and me.
"What is this?"
"I asked for a scarf I could share with Jeff."
I buried my face at Shine's answer. The wide brim of my witch hat drooped down, hiding my face. A burning heat rushed to my cheeks.
"Mmh..." I wiggled my toes, overcome by a strange, inexplicable emotion.
"How about you, Shine? Are you happy with your present?"
"Yes. With this, I can be with Jeff." Shine nodded in response to Amy's question. She toyed with the dangling scarf and gave it a gentle tug. Feeling the slight pull on my neck, I didn't resist and stepped closer to her.
Shine and I sat down on the floor. The tree we had excitedly decorated the night before sparkled with colorful lights. The indoor temperature wasn't cold enough to warrant a scarf, but Shine didn't take it off. Naturally, I kept the scarf wrapped around us too.
The scarf was far too long for her to use alone. If she tried to wrap it by herself, it would undoubtedly swallow up her entire small face.
I didn't realize it at first, but a scarf shared by two people came with many inconveniences. Wherever she went, I had to go. My movements were restricted. Whenever I tried to run off somewhere on my own, the slight tug on my neck forced me to stop.
"Hey, Shine. Can we take this off?"
"Why?"
"It's a little..."
"A little?"
"A little hot..."
"Is that so...?" Shine's expression darkened at my words. I hurriedly added,
"Actually, now that I think about it, I'm not hot at all!"
Shine smiled brightly and tugged the scarf. Unable to resist that gentle pull, I slid closer to her.
"Mmh..." I let out a slightly uncomfortable groan as her arms gently wrapped around me. Being bundled up so tightly did make me feel a bit warm.
"Amy, can we not see snow here?"
"Snow?"
"Yes."
"Ah, that's right. You haven't seen snow yet." At my words, Amy stood up as if suddenly remembering a forgotten fact.
"Let's go see some snow!" Amy said, pulling thick coats off the hanger. Shine and I let her drape the coats over our shoulders.
I looked up at Amy with a puzzled face. There certainly hadn't been coats like this here yesterday. My lips twitched, but I couldn't voice my question. Amy was always looking after us in the most unexpectedly detailed ways.
Armed with our thick coats, we crossed the hallway and headed for the stairs. Of course, we ended up being carried in Amy's arms as we went up. The place she was heading to was the floor with the model park.
A cold wind blowing from afar brushed against my cheeks. The ambient noise faded away. My swaying body was set down onto the ground. My mouth fell open in a daze. A high, sprawling blue sky. The horizon at its edge unfurled another color. White. A blanket of white starting from the far edge stretched all the way to my feet.
Cold crystals scattered by the wind landed on my palm. The crystals slowly melted away. A biting chill seeped into my hand. Suddenly, a feeling that I had forgotten something washed over me. The vanished sounds returned.
"Jeff." A gentle tugging force. Turning my head, I saw Shine pulling on the scarf. Having stepped ahead, Shine was leaving footprints in the white snow. I walked forward to follow her. The crunching sound beneath my feet scattered pleasantly.
"Snow..." Shine said, looking around. "It's my first time seeing it..."
Shine knelt on the ground and touched the snow. Her hands turned bright red, and the snow clutched in her small palms slowly melted away.
"It's cold." Snow is cold. It was an obvious fact. But Shine looked down at the snow with an awestruck face, as if she had only just realized this obvious truth. The melting water dripping down dissolved the snow beneath her feet. The deep hole she had poked collapsed in the wind.
I reached out and took Shine's hand, gently wrapping my fingers around her freezing hand.
"Amy. I think we need gloves." We needed gloves. If we touched this freezing snow with bare hands, we would surely get frostbite. Amy nodded at my words and touched the snow herself. "You're right." She immediately pulled out her phone.
I shifted my gaze back to the edge of the park. The vast, white expanse was filled with people. As if feeling a warmth that shouldn't be there, a corner of my chest grew warm.
Huuu. The breath escaping my mouth cooled instantly. A breath that vanished with a puff of white steam. Shine exhaled a breath right after me.
Shine and I strolled through the park. Holding her hand, there was no room for the wind to slip between us. The soft warmth pushed away the cold snow. The sensation of the snow crunching and scattering beneath our feet was incredibly fun.
Shine and I stopped in front of the fountain. The place where we had hidden to escape Jean's gaze. The fountain had stopped running. Only frozen droplets clung to the spout that used to shoot cool streams of water. The frozen water of the fountain had turned into a wide sheet of ice.
I turned my head to check on Amy. She was sitting on a small bench, tapping away on her phone. Now that her eyes were off us, this was my chance. I hopped up onto the fountain. It was incredibly slippery because of the snow stuck to the bottom of my shoes.
"Come up, Shine."
Shine climbed up onto the fountain just like me. The cold wind blew, pleasantly scattering our hair.
"Be careful." Saying that, I took a step forward. I slid along. The speed was very slow. Moving sluggishly, I gave the scarf a gentle tug. Shine, who had been standing blankly, moved her feet to copy me. Her eyes widened in wonder at her feet slowly sliding across the ice.
"Fun, right?"
Shine nodded without a word. I took her hand and made a bigger movement. We slid smoothly across the icy surface. Once Shine got used to the motion, she quickly caught up to my side. The fountain was larger than expected. It meant there was plenty of room for her and me to spin around and play.
After spinning around for a long time, we grabbed onto the fountain's center pillar to stop. Our breaths came in short gasps. We looked at each other and, without either of us starting first, burst into laughter.
"This is fun!" Shine said with a laugh. I nodded in agreement.
"I want to come back next time too!"
"Let's do that."
"Next year too!"
Next year too. Shine's voice, sounding like a solemn promise, felt distant. The chill of the frozen pillar seeped through my fingertips. My lips felt frozen as well, unable to move.
Shine, who had been holding the pillar, reached out and took my hand. Her cold hand moved gently.
"Let's do that." I forced my lips to move. It was only the beginning that was hard. Once it came out, my voice flowed as softly as ever. Satisfied with my answer, Shine gave a bright, pure smile.
"Jeff! Shine!" Amy's voice suddenly rang out. Without a second thought, Shine and I hopped down from the fountain. Amy hurried over, holding a pair of thick gloves in her hands.