•Writing Contest•
1B Reward
I haven't been reading much lately, so write me a story about winter. Unlike the avatar, the story doesn't have to include snow (even though I really like snow). The writing can be anything—a short story, flash-fiction, a poem—as long as it has to do with winter. It can be an ode to snowmen or it can be a detailed story about a winter celebration, but winter has to be part of it. All genres are welcome.
PM entries to Punderstorm.
Winner: Flickering Hope
Flickering Hope's Entry:
A Cup of Hot Chocolate
It was a cold night, but it was Christmas Eve so what did I expect? Every year on Christmas Eve I did the same thing. I walked a short distance away from the house, the snow crunching beneath my feet, to a place where I could see the stars. The Sun set around 4:30, because it was only a few days past the winter solstice, so the stars came out before it was too late. I walked into a vacant field, away from any city lights so that the stars would be very visible, and looked up. There they were, thousands of twinkling lights in the sky. This was where I made a wish. I made a wish upon these thousands of stars, the same wish every year, hoping that it would one day come true. As I looked up at the stars I closed my eyes and wished,
Please let me find true love this year. Let me meet my knight in shining armour who will come and sweep me off my feet. I opened my eyes and looked at the stars for a few more minutes before I went back home. I wished for the same thing every year but I was sure that this year he would come.
A few days had passed and my knight had not yet shown up. I was not going to let it get me down though. It was still a few days before the New Year. I was sure that I would have a boyfriend by New Year’s Eve. Figuring that I would not meet someone if I did not socialize, I decided to head downtown to the coffee shop. As I was about to enter I noticed someone down the street. There was a woman with long white blond hair that glowed in the sunlight like all of the snow around. Her coat matched the colour of snow that I was sure there were several snowflakes falling where she walked. She was no knight but she was beautiful that when she approached I just had to ask her, “Would you care to join me for a cup of coffee?”
She looked at me with beautiful blue eyes that looked as if they were made of ice and said, “Thank you for the offer, but I’m not much of a coffee drinker.”
“I’m not really either. I find the taste of coffee too bitter. How about a cup of hot chocolate?”
I eagerly awaited her response. She then smiled and said, “That sounds delightful.” I happily took her into the coffee shop and purchased two cups of hot chocolate.
I gave her a cup and we sat down. I then asked her, “I don’t think I’ve see you around here before. What brings you to this area of town?”
“I’m new to town,” she said, “but I thought it would be good to get out and meet people. I think moving to a new area will be good for me though. Every year on Christmas Eve I wish on the stars to find my true love but I wasn’t meeting anyone back from where I came from. I don’t know, you probably think it’s ridiculous to wish on stars.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Had I met myself? Had I met an identical twin I did not know I had? “I don’t think it’s ridiculous at all. To tell you the truth, I make the exact same wish every year on Christmas Eve. I look up at the stars and wish to meet my knight in shining armour. I have a good feeling that I’ll finally meet him this year. I’m sure you’ll meet your true love this year as well.”
She smiled a beautiful smile and said, “I hope you’re right. I long for that day.”
I enjoyed talking to her so much that I was disappointed when I finished my hot chocolate. “I’m out of hot chocolate but I really enjoyed talking to you. Would you like to meet me here again tomorrow around the same time?”
“I’d like that,” she replied, “but you have to let me pay tomorrow.”
“Great! I guess I’ll see you tomorrow. I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name.”
“Oh, of course. Where are my manners? My name’s Alice,” she said.
“It’s nice to meet you Alice. My name’s Rachel. I look forward to seeing you again tomorrow.” I watched her walk away.
Wow is she ever beautiful, I thought.
Guys must ask her out all of the time. There’s no doubt that she’ll have a boyfriend by New Year’s Eve. My knight’s coming too though. I went back home and eagerly awaited for the next day to arrive.
Over the next several days I continued to meet with Alice. We took turns paying for the hot chocolate and talked about various things. We talked about our favourite movies, favourite bands, favourite books, favourite foods, etc. We were so alike in many ways, yet she was also her own person. Many of our likes and dislikes matched but she had her own likes that did not match mine. By the time New Year’s Eve came around I did not have a boyfriend but I could settle over having made such an amazing friend.
“So it’s New Year’s Eve,” I said to her when we met that day. “I guess my wish didn’t come true this year but at least I met you.”
“That’s right,” she said, “but I think I may have found my true love.” My heart sank. I was happy that she may have found someone but I wanted us both to find someone. I also wanted to continue meeting with her the same way we currently were. “You may not realize it but maybe you’ve found your true love as well.” I wasn’t entirely sure why she said that but she just smiled at me. I loved her smile. “Let me give you my phone number.” I took out my cell phone and added her into my contacts list. “Give me a call sometime,” she said and then left.
Later that day, shortly after sunset, I couldn’t seem to stop thinking about her. I didn’t know why I was thinking about her so much. I took out my phone and thought about calling her but I had no idea what I would say.
If I had my knight in shining armour I’d call him. I stopped to think about that for a few seconds.
What if I wasn’t looking for a knight in shining armour? What if I was looking for a glistening snowflake? There was no doubt in my mind that Alice was that glistening snowflake. When she said that she might have found her true love it didn’t occur to me that she might have been talking about me. I tapped on Alice’s name and gave her a call.
“Hey Rachel, what’s up?” I was so happy to hear her voice.
“Can you head on over to the coffee shop right now?”
“Sure, I’ll head on over but what’s this about?”
“I’ll tell you when you get there. See you soon.” I had always assumed that I would end up with a man but I couldn’t deny that I was attracted to Alice and that she had surely swept me off of my feet. I had fallen in love with Alice and I wasn’t ashamed to admit it.
I headed over to the coffee shop and purchased two cups of hot chocolate. When Alice got there I gave one cup to her. “There’s something I want to show you,” I said. “It’s a little cold out and it takes about five or ten minutes to walk there but I think the hot chocolate will help you keep warm.” We walked until we came across the vacant field where I made a wish every year. “The stars are very visible here. For the past several years this is where I have wished to find true love.”
“Wow, it’s beautiful!”
“I’m glad you think so. I think so too. I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather share this spot with. Like you, I think my wish may have come true too. I was so intent on finding a knight in shining armour that my true love almost passed me by. I was attracted to you from the moment I first saw you. I couldn’t let you walk by without inviting you to join me for a cup of hot chocolate. Alice, I have fallen in love with you. There is no doubt in my mind that you are my true love.”
“I was hoping you’d pick up on that,” she said. “When I said that I may have found my true love, I was referring to you.” It began snowing at that moment. The snowflakes glistened beautifully in the moonlight. I looked at Alice and imagined her as one of the snowflakes. She must have once been a beautiful snowflake that manifested itself into a beautiful woman, the beautiful woman that had become my girlfriend. I grabbed her hand and leaned in close until our mouths made contact, leading to our first kiss. After spending a few more minutes in the field we headed back to my house to spend New Year’s Eve together.
That night we cuddled close together and, before we fell asleep, I whispered in her ear, “I’ll love you always, now and forever, my little snowflake.”
