Spoiler! :
Christmas Found
I was woken by a tap on our window, causing my heart to thud briefly, but only by reflex. Noises at night may have scared me once, but now I know that it's just Lacey, it's always Lacey. I fumble under my pillow for the torch and point it at the window, the fog disperses as if it's allergic to light. There's Lacey's beaming face, her finger pointing at the latch.
"You're gonna get my whole family sent away." I open the window, ans the smell of factory smoke wafts inside. "Did anyone see you?"
"Yep," she says cheerfully, clambering into the room, "a policeman actually." I feel pure fear at that moment, though I can breathe again when she continues. "But he was on his way to a you-know-what, so it's not like he's gonna say anything."
"You've got to stop doing this, Lacey." I close the window and flick off the torch. My mother stirs in her bed but doesn't wake; my family would sleep through a nuclear attack if they were tired. "Whatever it is, can't it wait till first shift?"
"Absolutely not. We need complete privacy for this." She crosses her legs on the bed and pulls a book from her coat.
"You grandmother's diary?" She nods, fingering the spotted leather. She was given it a year ago, when the old woman was on her death bed. Lacey's been studying it in her free time ever since.
"I was flipping through it, and I found something pretty cool on the twenty-fifth of December."
"That's today," I state, glancing at our shift schedule tacked on the wall.
She settles the diary comfortably in her lap. "Today used to be a work-free day." I chuckle, my parents remember having three work-frees, now we only get one each year. I settle down next to Lacey, curious to hear about this forgotten holiday. "It was called Christmas." The word rolls of her tongue. "This is what Grandma wrote:
Dear Diary,
Today was Christmas, and after the second shift we were allowed to go home for the rest of the day. Billy and I had to wait an extra half-hour for mum to come home because she went to the food-store. Everyone got a big meal as a Christmas gift from the rulers, it was really yummy. There was ham and potato and leeks all plaited together.
My favourite part of the day was playing games. This was my first year working, and I'd almost forgotten what it was like to play. Mum did forget, Billy had to explain all the rules of hide-and-seek. The fog made it easy to hide outside. Mum says she remembers when she was little, and the fog was just a 'sleeping cloud' not factory fumes. I'll have to ask her what that means, I'll get back to you on that.
After games we gave each other Christmas presents. I got a hair pin with a flower on it and Billy got a round glass ball called a marble. Billy and I had searched the stores for something nice for mum, and we found an old photo. We don't know who it is but the people in it look very happy and we thought it would remind her of dad. We had to work an extra shift for it, but it was worth it because she cried of joy and hugged us.
After that we went to bed, and that's where I am now. But I should probably turn off the light. Goodnight, Diary."
Lacey and I stare at each other for a moment. It just seems so absurd, having a day to play games, and getting free food from the rulers, and giving things to people for no real reason. It sounds fun, I can't argue, but very inefficient. "I can see why they stopped Christmas," I say.
"Don't be like that!" She shuts the diary and a cloud of dust appears around it. "Today is Christmas, and I think we should celebrate it!" I watch her tenderly as she pulls something else from her coat pocket. "This is my gift for you."
"A safety pin?" I take the novelty from her open palm. "What do I do with it?"
"Well, if you find something nice, you can pin it to your clothes." She rocks back and forth, expectant. "You've got to give me something now."
"Oh." I lift up my pillow, not wanting to disappoint my only friend, and survey my pile of belongings. I can't decide on whether to give her a blue button or a business card with a picture of the sun on it. Lacey seems to like old things, so I settle on the card, seeing as the sun is no longer visible.
"Thank you," she beams and hugs me. Upon pulling apart, she jumps off the bed just a little too loud so that my mum stirs in bed again. "Now we play a game."
"But we need to sleep before first shift!"
She takes my hand and pulls me onto the carpet. "Shut up, it's Christmas!"
I was woken by a tap on our window, causing my heart to thud briefly, but only by reflex. Noises at night may have scared me once, but now I know that it's just Lacey, it's always Lacey. I fumble under my pillow for the torch and point it at the window, the fog disperses as if it's allergic to light. There's Lacey's beaming face, her finger pointing at the latch.
"You're gonna get my whole family sent away." I open the window, ans the smell of factory smoke wafts inside. "Did anyone see you?"
"Yep," she says cheerfully, clambering into the room, "a policeman actually." I feel pure fear at that moment, though I can breathe again when she continues. "But he was on his way to a you-know-what, so it's not like he's gonna say anything."
"You've got to stop doing this, Lacey." I close the window and flick off the torch. My mother stirs in her bed but doesn't wake; my family would sleep through a nuclear attack if they were tired. "Whatever it is, can't it wait till first shift?"
"Absolutely not. We need complete privacy for this." She crosses her legs on the bed and pulls a book from her coat.
"You grandmother's diary?" She nods, fingering the spotted leather. She was given it a year ago, when the old woman was on her death bed. Lacey's been studying it in her free time ever since.
"I was flipping through it, and I found something pretty cool on the twenty-fifth of December."
"That's today," I state, glancing at our shift schedule tacked on the wall.
She settles the diary comfortably in her lap. "Today used to be a work-free day." I chuckle, my parents remember having three work-frees, now we only get one each year. I settle down next to Lacey, curious to hear about this forgotten holiday. "It was called Christmas." The word rolls of her tongue. "This is what Grandma wrote:
Dear Diary,
Today was Christmas, and after the second shift we were allowed to go home for the rest of the day. Billy and I had to wait an extra half-hour for mum to come home because she went to the food-store. Everyone got a big meal as a Christmas gift from the rulers, it was really yummy. There was ham and potato and leeks all plaited together.
My favourite part of the day was playing games. This was my first year working, and I'd almost forgotten what it was like to play. Mum did forget, Billy had to explain all the rules of hide-and-seek. The fog made it easy to hide outside. Mum says she remembers when she was little, and the fog was just a 'sleeping cloud' not factory fumes. I'll have to ask her what that means, I'll get back to you on that.
After games we gave each other Christmas presents. I got a hair pin with a flower on it and Billy got a round glass ball called a marble. Billy and I had searched the stores for something nice for mum, and we found an old photo. We don't know who it is but the people in it look very happy and we thought it would remind her of dad. We had to work an extra shift for it, but it was worth it because she cried of joy and hugged us.
After that we went to bed, and that's where I am now. But I should probably turn off the light. Goodnight, Diary."
Lacey and I stare at each other for a moment. It just seems so absurd, having a day to play games, and getting free food from the rulers, and giving things to people for no real reason. It sounds fun, I can't argue, but very inefficient. "I can see why they stopped Christmas," I say.
"Don't be like that!" She shuts the diary and a cloud of dust appears around it. "Today is Christmas, and I think we should celebrate it!" I watch her tenderly as she pulls something else from her coat pocket. "This is my gift for you."
"A safety pin?" I take the novelty from her open palm. "What do I do with it?"
"Well, if you find something nice, you can pin it to your clothes." She rocks back and forth, expectant. "You've got to give me something now."
"Oh." I lift up my pillow, not wanting to disappoint my only friend, and survey my pile of belongings. I can't decide on whether to give her a blue button or a business card with a picture of the sun on it. Lacey seems to like old things, so I settle on the card, seeing as the sun is no longer visible.
"Thank you," she beams and hugs me. Upon pulling apart, she jumps off the bed just a little too loud so that my mum stirs in bed again. "Now we play a game."
"But we need to sleep before first shift!"
She takes my hand and pulls me onto the carpet. "Shut up, it's Christmas!"
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