Solitude

CHRISTMAS OVA

❝A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle.❞

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CHRISTMAS OVA:

THE LAST COOKIE

In the village of Suna, winter never brought snow to the streets. For the citizens, no big changes could be appreciated: sand, blown by the scorching wind coming from the desert, still covered the ground and assaulted those rounded houses; sunlight kept shedding warmth to every reachable nook; and the days remained long and hot.

During the night, however, a cold breeze would slide across the sandy pavement. Not many people would be seen when the moon reached its highest point in a starry sky, but those who dared to come outside were forced to wear furry, warm clothes to keep the chilly weather at bay.

For the people of Suna, winter was not as important as other villages seemed to venerate it. And so, that special date called Christmas was but another day—they worked hard during the day, went home before sunset and got ready for the next morning. Nothing special.

Or, at least, that was the case for most of them.

In the Koizumi's house, a fireplace had been set and gave the atmosphere a cosy feeling. The flames made sparking noises as they danced in front of her orange eyes, and the little girl watched in utter captivation and silence. A small smile was drawn on her face, her brown locks seemed to glow under the reflection of the flames.

"Don't get too close to it, Rei."

With a shake of her head, Rei turned to grin at her father, who was sitting on a sofa and reading a boringmagazine.

"Don't you think it's beautiful, dad?" she commented softly as she turned back to stare into the fire.

"It's also dangerous."

Rei hummed in thought.

"But that's what makes it so alluring," she whispered, then sighed dreamily. "And it moves so freely—like dancing in the wind."

Behind her, her father shared a tender look with his wife as the latter dried her hands with a towel. Rei had always been a curious child, but over time, her mind was developing into something marvelling; and sometimes, she truly spoke like someone way more mature than she was supposed to be.

"Why don't you come over here, Rei? I think it's time," her mother called.

At once, Rei looked at her with wide eyes.

"Are they done?" she asked, her voice gave away her excitement.

Her mother winked at her in return, eliciting a gasp from her before Rei quickly got up and rushed to the oven.

"Careful, you don't want to burn your hands," her mother warned as she handed her a pair of mittens.

"Wouldn't be the first time," her father casually added.

Rei pursed her lips and blushed, but she took the mittens and put them on without a word. As her mother helped her put the cookies in small, plastic boxes; a map was gradually forming before her eyes—she had a lot of people to visit.

"Do you think I should give one to Maki's brother too?" she pondered aloud.

"He is too young to eat cookies," her mother pointed out—and she was right; he wasn't older than a year. "But you can give one to her mum; I'm sure she'll appreciate it."