My Glass Angel
My Glass Angel
A young lad in tattered pauper clothing stood on his tippy-toes outside of a storefront window looking in. The windowsill had piled up snow in its corners and from the outside, it gave the inside of the store a gradient blur from the walls to the middle of the room where the young lad's eyes were fixated. His breath made an ebbing ball of white condensation where his face was. Carriages went to and fro. People wrapped up in warm clothes passed by. Some stopped to greet and wish each other a merry Christmas. A thick layer of sounds, from the bustle of activity in the town to the sound of church choirs singing and from the ringing of sleigh bells to the horse hooves that clomped on the cobblestone street, created a beautiful Christmas arrangement of song. The world just passed by unnoticed to the young lad who couldn't take his eyes off of the glass angel that sat atop the gift shop's centerpiece Christmas tree.
The tree was surrounded by kids while the storekeeper donned in a knit sweater made exaggerated facial expressions behind his small, round, old-man glasses which made the kids respond with laughter and excitement. The angels, the tree, and the scene that surrounded the centerpiece seemed to glow with warmth from the view from outside - the window's steamy blurring contributing to the magic. The young lad suddenly felt the harsh night cold he had forgotten about in his moments in dreaming.
He was too lost in thought to realize that the scene changed and the kids were now roaming the store with their parents.
"It's beautiful, isn't it? I spend the whole first day of every December decorating the tree." said the old storekeeper. The startled boy jumped in response. He was so lost that he didn't even hear the door open and the storekeeper coming outside. He looked down at his feet, feeling rude for loitering in front of the window.
"She's beautiful", he responded to his worn boots.
"Oh, you like the glass angel?" asked the storekeeper. The lad picked up on the warm tone of his voice and looked up to see his smiling face. Feeling unthreatened, the lad looked into the window again.
"Yeah. I love how the light above makes it glow like it came from heaven. It makes me so happy lookin' at it. But it also makes me sad too."
"Why sad, young man?" asked the storekeeper.
"Because it makes me feel like Christmas is really magical and colorful and perfect." responded the boy. "I live and work at the docks. Magic don't live there."
"The docks? But that's miles away!" boomed the old man.
"Yeah. I came last year too. I walked all this way just to see your angel, sir."
The storekeeper stared in amazement and pity.
"Why don't you come inside where its warm. I'll show you-"
"No thank you, that's perfectly fine sir. I have no money for presents. I was just looking." interrupted the boy.
"Nonsense! You came all this way! At least come inside for a minute. I've just baked a fresh batch of the best Christmas cookies in town. Wait till you try them!" chimed the storekeeper.
Outside, people walked to and fro in front of the gift shop. Some had gift bags, some walked hand in hand with their loved ones, and some stopped when the Christmas tree caught their attention. Below the angel, the young boy sat at the base of the tree eating a plate of cookies as the storekeeper waved his arms around in exaggeration as if he were telling a story. The young boy, bathed in the light of the tree, seemed to glow to those looking through the frosted window from outside. From outside, nothing inside could he heard. Apparently the two were laughing, but those looking in could only hear the bustle of Christmas activity ringing throughout the street.
"Charlie, you are quite a wonderful gentleman to be acquainted with!"
"Thank you sir." The young boy, Charlie, replied.
"Most kids come in here and point at the things they want and jump around hoping their parents give it to them. You have a highly developed sense of principles for someone your age."
"Well thanks sir. I don't ask for much because I don't have much."
"Which is precisely why I'm going to give you a gift."
The storekeeper retrieved a ladder and climbed to the top of the tree. He removed the glass angel, which immediately loses its glow. He cradled it in his arms and came down slowly, giving off the impression of the ornament's value.
"I want you to have this. As a sign of friendship. She's been mine for well over twenty years and I've been displaying her proudly since."
He handed the angel to Charlie who wasn't prepared to handle the ornament. He hadn't even the opportunity to wipe the crumbs off of his hands. He stood there looking into it, studying it. Feeling its textures, even noticing its imperfections unseen from atop. The lights refracted off of its curves and edges and freckled the pupils of Charlie's eyes. Charlie didn't move for several moments. He hardly even breathed.
"Do you like it?"
"...Sir...I can't."
"Can't what?"
Charlie reluctantly broke out of his spell and handed the angel back to the storekeeper. "I'm sorry sir. I-I can't keep this. Thank you, but I can't accept this. Sir, part of the reason why I love it so much is because it was so...untouchable, like a real angel. On the other side of that window, I felt like I was living in the most beautiful Christmas my mind could dream up. In reality, I'm just a workin' kid from the docks who has never had anything this beautiful in his life. Lookin' at her makes me feel like my world is more beautiful. What if I break it? I'd just plain hate myself for life. It would be nothin' but a burden. I can never mix reality with my dreams, sir. I just can't do it. It would make me real happy if you just kept it on your tree for the whole world to see, for kids like me too."
"Then on this tree I'll display it forever, Charlie!" replied the storekeeper. He placed the angel back on top of the tree where it re-illuminated the store in angelic light.
"Charlie, if there's any one person in this world I know that should be worthy of an angel, it's you." declared the storekeeper. "You don't meet too many genuine people out there who are that selfless."
The two talked into the night and beyond the closing hours. When all was silent: When Charlie went home, when the storekeeper went to bed, when the choir stopped singing, when the horses were back in their stables, when the town was nestled in their beds, when the street lights were snuffed out letting she stars take part in their play, the heavenly glow of the angel remained and bathed the town in holy light.
A young lad in tattered pauper clothing stood on his tippy-toes outside of a storefront window looking in. The windowsill had piled up snow in its corners and from the outside, it gave the inside of the store a gradient blur from the walls to the middle of the room where the young lad's eyes were fixated. His breath made an ebbing ball of white condensation where his face was. Carriages went to and fro. People wrapped up in warm clothes passed by. Some stopped to greet and wish each other a merry Christmas. A thick layer of sounds, from the bustle of activity in the town to the sound of church choirs singing and from the ringing of sleigh bells to the horse hooves that clomped on the cobblestone street, created a beautiful Christmas arrangement of song. The world just passed by unnoticed to the young lad who couldn't take his eyes off of the glass angel that sat atop the gift shop's centerpiece Christmas tree.
The tree was surrounded by kids while the storekeeper donned in a knit sweater made exaggerated facial expressions behind his small, round, old-man glasses which made the kids respond with laughter and excitement. The angels, the tree, and the scene that surrounded the centerpiece seemed to glow with warmth from the view from outside - the window's steamy blurring contributing to the magic. The young lad suddenly felt the harsh night cold he had forgotten about in his moments in dreaming.
He was too lost in thought to realize that the scene changed and the kids were now roaming the store with their parents.
"It's beautiful, isn't it? I spend the whole first day of every December decorating the tree." said the old storekeeper. The startled boy jumped in response. He was so lost that he didn't even hear the door open and the storekeeper coming outside. He looked down at his feet, feeling rude for loitering in front of the window.
"She's beautiful", he responded to his worn boots.
"Oh, you like the glass angel?" asked the storekeeper. The lad picked up on the warm tone of his voice and looked up to see his smiling face. Feeling unthreatened, the lad looked into the window again.
"Yeah. I love how the light above makes it glow like it came from heaven. It makes me so happy lookin' at it. But it also makes me sad too."
"Why sad, young man?" asked the storekeeper.
"Because it makes me feel like Christmas is really magical and colorful and perfect." responded the boy. "I live and work at the docks. Magic don't live there."
"The docks? But that's miles away!" boomed the old man.
"Yeah. I came last year too. I walked all this way just to see your angel, sir."
The storekeeper stared in amazement and pity.
"Why don't you come inside where its warm. I'll show you-"
"No thank you, that's perfectly fine sir. I have no money for presents. I was just looking." interrupted the boy.
"Nonsense! You came all this way! At least come inside for a minute. I've just baked a fresh batch of the best Christmas cookies in town. Wait till you try them!" chimed the storekeeper.
Outside, people walked to and fro in front of the gift shop. Some had gift bags, some walked hand in hand with their loved ones, and some stopped when the Christmas tree caught their attention. Below the angel, the young boy sat at the base of the tree eating a plate of cookies as the storekeeper waved his arms around in exaggeration as if he were telling a story. The young boy, bathed in the light of the tree, seemed to glow to those looking through the frosted window from outside. From outside, nothing inside could he heard. Apparently the two were laughing, but those looking in could only hear the bustle of Christmas activity ringing throughout the street.
"Charlie, you are quite a wonderful gentleman to be acquainted with!"
"Thank you sir." The young boy, Charlie, replied.
"Most kids come in here and point at the things they want and jump around hoping their parents give it to them. You have a highly developed sense of principles for someone your age."
"Well thanks sir. I don't ask for much because I don't have much."
"Which is precisely why I'm going to give you a gift."
The storekeeper retrieved a ladder and climbed to the top of the tree. He removed the glass angel, which immediately loses its glow. He cradled it in his arms and came down slowly, giving off the impression of the ornament's value.
"I want you to have this. As a sign of friendship. She's been mine for well over twenty years and I've been displaying her proudly since."
He handed the angel to Charlie who wasn't prepared to handle the ornament. He hadn't even the opportunity to wipe the crumbs off of his hands. He stood there looking into it, studying it. Feeling its textures, even noticing its imperfections unseen from atop. The lights refracted off of its curves and edges and freckled the pupils of Charlie's eyes. Charlie didn't move for several moments. He hardly even breathed.
"Do you like it?"
"...Sir...I can't."
"Can't what?"
Charlie reluctantly broke out of his spell and handed the angel back to the storekeeper. "I'm sorry sir. I-I can't keep this. Thank you, but I can't accept this. Sir, part of the reason why I love it so much is because it was so...untouchable, like a real angel. On the other side of that window, I felt like I was living in the most beautiful Christmas my mind could dream up. In reality, I'm just a workin' kid from the docks who has never had anything this beautiful in his life. Lookin' at her makes me feel like my world is more beautiful. What if I break it? I'd just plain hate myself for life. It would be nothin' but a burden. I can never mix reality with my dreams, sir. I just can't do it. It would make me real happy if you just kept it on your tree for the whole world to see, for kids like me too."
"Then on this tree I'll display it forever, Charlie!" replied the storekeeper. He placed the angel back on top of the tree where it re-illuminated the store in angelic light.
"Charlie, if there's any one person in this world I know that should be worthy of an angel, it's you." declared the storekeeper. "You don't meet too many genuine people out there who are that selfless."
The two talked into the night and beyond the closing hours. When all was silent: When Charlie went home, when the storekeeper went to bed, when the choir stopped singing, when the horses were back in their stables, when the town was nestled in their beds, when the street lights were snuffed out letting she stars take part in their play, the heavenly glow of the angel remained and bathed the town in holy light.