Brian stared into the moony night, glancing as the imaginary Santa Claus's sleigh faded into the moonlight. He went to bed shortly afterward, his mood as dark as the night sky.
He didn't know what he was thinking earlier that night, perhaps it was wishful thinking, but it wasn't the scene he wanted.
"I am sorry, dear, we just don't have money for Christmas this year." He instantly regretted asking about it as he saw the look on his mother's face that she knew too well about. The look that she really, really wanted to provide but just couldn't. It filled his heart with pain to see her like that.
"It's okay, mom; I am asking just to chat." She knew he wasn't. He blamed his classmates, sorta. They were discussing way too much about Christmas and all their fancy plans with it. They got into his head and he really regretted asking now as all his mother could offer him was gentle strokes atop his hair. It only made him more guilty of hurting his mother. He knew his mother worked hard every day to provide for them and this was just out of her capacity.
"Good night, mom." He didn't want to stay any longer. He forced a smile amidst the disappointment and went back to his room. It was kind of rude, but understandable behavior for a young child like him.
He fell asleep after the short stay at the window, wishing that tomorrow would be a better day.
-·-
-·-
Waking up in his big comfy bed, he heard the nearby door open. It was none other than his lovely wife Natasha, whom he saw as the luckiest find in his life.
"Oh hey, hon, you are up." She said with a warm smile, still holding the doorknob. She looked casual yet so beautiful to Brian, lightly dressed for the occasion yet still looked like the girl next door of his (adjective) dream.
"Oh...yeah, how long did I nap?" He stretched his limbs after giving his eyes a good rub. It was not the time to delve deeper into his childhood memory, more so the bad ones. "An hour, maybe?"
"Probably all the overtime I took before Christmas. I will head down in a minute." He said, still gathering his thoughts. "No worry, hon, your brother is still on the way. Take your time; I will see you down there." She closed the door after him, leaving Brian alone to do what he wanted.
A few moments later, he was greeted with the scene of his dream as he walked down the stairs. It was the Christmas he ever wanted as a kid. A giant Christmas tree glistening with various decorations, a cheerful space filled with laughter from family and friends, and Christmas carols carrying the yuletide spirit in the air.
He worked years and years for a small dream, but it was all he cared about. Brian has always been a simple man, but one with heart and love.
At the dining table, he handed his queen - not his wife, his mother - the grandest Christmas gift in the house. "Merry Christmas, mother, and thanks for taking care of us until now." Her smile was the opposite of the one in the dream he just had. It was heartwarming to the fullest, and his to her was the same.
Writer's Thoughts
My first version was just the night for the child, and I would go more into it. However, I felt like it was just too pessimistic - and yeah, I can be very negative sometimes - for the holiday season, so I wrote it this way. I think the ending is "Hive-esque". We are all here to work hard and achieve our dreams. The dream can be small or big, but the most important thing is that we work hard toward it every day.
May all of us be Brian one day.
I wrote this for a contest/prompt by the Freewriters community. #pic1000
And thanks for the read for my first creative writing attempt on Hive!