The leaves had fallen, and the world felt desolate. The air was crisp, biting your cheeks when you dared go outside. The world was going through a difficult moment, she knew that, they all knew that, all they could do was shut in and ride it out.
Their world was mostly beautiful, mainly calm, mildly mysterious. A joy. But then, from time to time, it all got dark, covered in fog and shaken by unpredictable weather. That is when it was cold and unfriendly and barely manageable.
At times like these, they would just stay in, quiet, minding their own business, waiting for nature to run its course and for the seasons to change.
Cyril hated the cold, so it was always Alice that had to go to the store through the blistering wind, barely being able to maintain her equilibrium on the icy sidewalk. She could now outwalk any penguin no matter how skilled!
One strange thing Alice had noticed was that there was something beautiful about the world in this harsh and unfriendly state. The plants were covered in thick layers of ice, giving them the look of glass sculptures. One felt like they were walking in a world made of glass, frail and brittle, all life hidden from sight, keeping warm in the bowels of the earth.
Alice had so many clothes on that she could barely move her arms, she just shuffled in her penguin walk towards the store, which was, under normal circumstances, ten minutes away, but now it took her close to half an hour to make it there.
When she finally did and was welcomed by the very warm air and the smell of freshly baked bread, she was pleased Cyril refused to go out, the trip had done her well.
The store still had its Christmas decorations up, although Christmas was done and dusted a few good weeks ago. Stepping inside made Alice feel like walking in wonderland.
‘Maybe this is how she felt!’
Alice had always felt a connection to the other Alice, the one who went down the rabbit hole.
There were so many things in the store that she wanted to take home, but through the big windows she could see the wind blowing and knew that she needed to pick carefully.
‘The ‘bear’ necessities! Bread, milk, butter, eggs! Tick, tick, tick!’ … her eyes drifted towards a large corner of the store where a large sign hung: Reductions
‘Just a peek! That never hurt anyone!’, and she wheeled her trolley to discover a large amount of Christmas decorations on sale, plus some really cheap clothes.
‘Oooo …. Uuuuu …. Weeee …’
By the end of the short incursion in the corner, her trolley was laden with two large candles, a very beautiful, oversized Christmas wreath, one pair of jeans, two vests, and a large squishy Santa.
Alice refused to look out the window, she did not need to know what the weather was like. She would make it, she wanted to.
After paying, and enjoying the low prices of her sale items, Alice stuffed everything she could in her backpack, but the large wreath and the squishy Santa she had to carry in her arms. There was no space for them.
Outside, as the evening drew near, the wind had picked up and it was significantly colder than before.
‘We’ve got this!’, Alice encouraged the soft Santa as they started the journey home.
It is fascinating how in winter the light fades so fast and night comes almost without warning.
Focused on not falling on the icy sidewalk, Alice did not even notice that now her path was covered in darkness. When she did, she hugged the Santa closer and enjoyed the sparkle of the Christmas tree as it caught the light of the fading stars.
The trees that looked like glass sculptures in the daylight, looked like scary creatures in the darkness, and the cracking sound of their branches in the wind scared Alice so much that she decided to walk faster. The first large step she took spelled disaster, and she found herself lying on her side on the ground, trying to protect her load.
‘My eggs!’
The Santa had cushioned her fall so she did not get hurt, but that taught her not to let fear guide your decisions. Alice got up, and with the heart of a mouse, she walked slowly home, pushed by the wind and sliding on the ice.
‘You’re back! That took ages! Cyril was waiting for her with his hands resting on his hips, expressing his dissatisfaction.
‘I needed those eggs an hour ago!’
The house smelled like delicious food and Alice was happy to be back in the safety and warmth of their home.
She dropped the Santa and the wreath in the darkness of the hallway and gave Cyril the food stuffs.
Later on, when all was quiet and settled, she went back and took her precious trophies in her office. The squishy Santa was huge, happily it just had a small water stain from where he supported her fall, Alice had been afraid the damage might be greater.
The sparkly wreath looked even better at home. There was not much space where to put them, but Alice always found room in her space for joy and color, even when the world was harsh and cold.