Holiday Rush (ota)
Christmas wasn't an entirely foreign concept back home. A lot of people still celebrated it in small ways. Kyla remembered one J-Day survivor commenting on how the Christmases now were far more genuine and 'real' than the ones people used to have. Kyla never understood that until she came here to the village. This was the first year she ever felt the need to go out and buy something. Last year she had simply given Leoben something that meant a great deal to her. This year, she had Leoben, her father, and most of all, a son. Children, she learned, were meant to get several gifts.
She left her two dogs, Ginger and Ripper, outside of the toy store and ventured inside with John sleeping away in the stroller. It still fascinated Kyla that John could sleep for so long, so peacefully while also being so 'exposed'. It made her heart ache a little at the thought of him going back home to their world where he'd have to sleep lighter and more vigilante in years to come.
Kyla pushed the thought away from her mind and headed down an aisle. The store was packed with shoppers. It was hard to move with a stroller and with other women and men doing the same thing, getting from one end of an aisle to the other was a chore in and of itself. There was a frenzied energy about the store as if the shoppers had a time limit to shop. Even the Christmas music in the background seemed to be urging you that time was running out. By the time Kyla made it to the end of aisle number One, she was overwhelmed.
She glanced down at John who was still fasted asleep and Kyla felt the sudden need to leave. She made a B-line for the door and only stopped to breath once she was back outside in the crisp air. She moved to sit down on the bench a few feet away from the store and breathed out, eyes closed. Ginger nudged her hand as if to provide support.
Kyla had no idea how people did this.
She left her two dogs, Ginger and Ripper, outside of the toy store and ventured inside with John sleeping away in the stroller. It still fascinated Kyla that John could sleep for so long, so peacefully while also being so 'exposed'. It made her heart ache a little at the thought of him going back home to their world where he'd have to sleep lighter and more vigilante in years to come.
Kyla pushed the thought away from her mind and headed down an aisle. The store was packed with shoppers. It was hard to move with a stroller and with other women and men doing the same thing, getting from one end of an aisle to the other was a chore in and of itself. There was a frenzied energy about the store as if the shoppers had a time limit to shop. Even the Christmas music in the background seemed to be urging you that time was running out. By the time Kyla made it to the end of aisle number One, she was overwhelmed.
She glanced down at John who was still fasted asleep and Kyla felt the sudden need to leave. She made a B-line for the door and only stopped to breath once she was back outside in the crisp air. She moved to sit down on the bench a few feet away from the store and breathed out, eyes closed. Ginger nudged her hand as if to provide support.
Kyla had no idea how people did this.