New flash fiction. đ
The Snow Globe
âOh, no!â I said.
âWhatâs wrong, Hope?â My sisterâs voice floated up to me.
âItâs our old snow globe,â I said. âIt doesnât light up.â
I heard Kristenâs footsteps stomping up the stairs to the attic.
âWhat are you doing up here anyway?â she said.
I brushed some dust off a box and set the snow globe on top of it.
It was oldâprobably an antique by now, and it held a little snow-covered house with Santa and his reindeer flying over it. The water inside it had started to evaporate, and Santa, who hung from the top of the globe, was no longer submerged.
âIâm getting out Mom and Dadâs old decorations,â I said.
âI can see that,â Kristen said, surveying the dusty artificial wreath and Christmas ornaments I had unearthed. âWhat I mean is what are you doing up here right now? Youâre supposed to be getting ready for a date.â
âI know,â I said. âI just really wanted to put this snow globe out before I left. I always believed it was magicâit brings Christmas cheer.â
âWhy do you need Christmas cheer right this moment?â Kristen said.
âI just need it,â I replied.
âYouâre stalling.â
âIâm not.â
âYou are.â
I didnât reply. I turned my attention back to the snow globe. I turned it over and checked the little box on the bottom. It still had a batteryâit just didnât light up.
âHope,â Kristen said, âMark Frye is the most eligible bachelor in the city. Youâre super lucky that he likes you. You need to get ready.â
I still didnât move.
Kristen took the snow globe out of my hands.
âWhat do you want with this old thing anyway? It was Momâs, wasnât it?â
âYes, it was Momâs,â I said. âAnd it was her momâs before that. Itâs an heirloomâand it reminds me of our childhood.â
Kristen set the snow globe down on a dusty shelf.
âWell, Mom and Dad moved to Florida,â she said. âThey moved on. You should, too. If you really want a snow globe, Iâll get you a new one.â
She steered me toward the attic stairs. âNow you need to go.â
Kristen sighed as I skirted around her and grabbed the snow globe. Then I let myself get dragged out of the attic.
An hour and a half later, I was as ready as I was ever going to be, and I was just leaving the bathroom when the doorbell rang.
I hurried downstairs.
Kristen was already waiting by the door.
âItâs him,â she said. âYou look great by the way.â
âThanks,â I said. âDid you seriously come down here to watch me as I answered the door?â
âOf course not,â Kristen said. âI just happened to be here.â
I shooed her away as I opened the door.
Tall, dark, and sleek, Mark was waiting for me on the doorstep.
âYou look lovely, Hope,â he said as we headed out into the night.
We went to a new, trendy restaurant, and everybody there seemed to know Mark.
We were ushered to a great table, and the food was excellent. We fell into conversation easily, and as the evening progressed, I realized that Mark was fun to talk to.
Eventually the conversation turned to Markâs political aspirationsâhe was going to run for city council and maybe even mayor someday.
âForgive me,â he said as dessert arrived, âbut you donât seem very excited about my upcoming campaign. Most people really light up when I mention that.â
âIâm excited for you,â I said. âI really am. Itâs just that I canât stop thinking about something sillyâsomething small thatâs bothering me.â
âWhat is it?â Mark asked.
âItâs this old snow globe of my Momâs. It used to light up and now it doesnât. I feel like the light has gone out on my childhood Christmas memories. Thatâs not true, of course, but itâs how I feel at the moment.â
Mark nodded. âI understand. You remember how things used to be, and you feel nostalgia. What Iâve learned in my career is that itâs better to let go of the past and keep moving forward. Get yourself a new snow globe. Or better yet, forget about it and move on.â
âMy sister said something like that, too,â I murmured.
âSheâs right,â Mark said. âLook to the future. Thatâs what I do.â
The rest of the evening was pleasant, and I returned home in a good frame of mind.
As I walked into my house, my sister pounced.
âHow was the date?â Kristen said.
âIt was good,â I said. âNice.â
âNice?â Kristen said.
âYes.â
âBut?â
âBut somethingâs missing,â I said.
âI knew it!â Kristen said. âYou find something wrong with every guy who takes an interest in you.â
âThereâs nothing wrong with Mark,â I said. âHeâs wonderful. But somehow I donât feel a spark.â
Kristen shook her head. âAny girl in town would kill for a date with Mark. I would kill for a date with him. At least tell me youâre going to see him again.â
âI donât know,â I said. âIt didnât come up.â
Kristen opened her mouth to answer, and the doorbell rang.
She looked around. âI bet thatâs him. Heâs come to ask you on a second date. Answer it!â
She pushed me toward the door.
âAll right, all right,â I said. âIâm going.â
I opened the door, expecting to see Markâs tall, dark silhouette, but instead there was a scruffier figure dressed in jeans.
âOwen!â I said.
Owen had just moved back to town after several years awayâhe was working for his dadâs construction company.
âHey, Hope,â he said. âI was just in the neighborhood, and I noticed that youâve got a string of Christmas lights out. Iâd be happy to take a look.â
âSure,â I said. âThanks.â
I grabbed my coat and followed Owen outside.
The night was cold and crisp and very dark. But there was plenty of light thanks to the bright Christmas display in my yard. Owen was rightâthere was a string of lights out in the middle of an evergreen bush. The lights were still on above and below it, so the dark spot was pretty noticeable.
Owen began fiddling with the darkened string of lights.
âIâm pretty good with these,â he said. âIâll find the broken one in no time. It only takes one bad bulb to put the others out.â
I watched Owen as he worked. I had known him just a little in high schoolâand lately I had been seeing him around town. There was something intriguing about him.
After a moment, the string of lights in the middle sprang to life.
âVoilĂ !â Owen said.
âHow did you do that?â I asked.
âYou just find the burnt-out bulb,â Owen replied, âand replace that one. Then the others will be good as new.â
âWhere did you find a replacement bulb?â I asked.
He ran a hand over his hair. âI might have had one with me. I noticed yesterday that those lights were out, and I thought Iâd stop by some time and see if you were inâsee if I could offer some assistance.â
âIt looks great,â I said. âThanks.â
Owen nodded. âWell, I guess Iâll be going. Itâs cold out here, and I donât want to keep you.â
He turned to go.
âOwen,â I said.
He turned back.
âIâve got an old snow globe,â I said. âIt has a battery in it, but it no longer lights up. Maybe itâs silly, but itâs important to me, and Iâd like to get it working again. Would you mind taking a look at it for me some time?â
âI donât think thatâs silly at all,â Owen said. âIâd be happy to take a look at it. I can stop by tomorrow if youâll be in.â
âIâll be here,â I said.
Owen smiled and ducked his head. âGood night, then.â
âGood night,â I said.
I went inside.
âOkay,â Kristen said as I closed the door behind me. âTwo gorgeous guys come looking for you on the same night. How lucky can you get?â
âItâs no big deal,â I said. âOwen was just being nice.â
My phone buzzed then, and I went to pick it up.
âItâs a text from Mark,â I said. âHe wants to meet again.â
âYouâre going to have to choose,â Kristen said. âWhich one is it? Mark or Owen?â
âI donât even know if Owen likes me,â I replied. âAnd I barely know either of them.â
âJust humor me. If you had to choose based on first impressions, who would it be?â
I smiled at Kristen and turned for the stairs. âGood night. Iâm going to bed.â
âYou drive me crazy sometimes,â Kristen said.
Up in my room, I got ready for bed, and as I went to turn off the light, I picked up the broken snow globe that sat on my bureau. It was still dusty, but I gave it a little shake and watched the snow swirl around the house as Santa and his sleigh flew overhead. Kristenâs parting words came back to me, and I smiled to myself. Though I had given her a hard time, I knew whom I would chooseâif I had the chance.
âI choose Owen,â I whispered to the snow globe.
And just for fun, I flipped the broken switch to âon.â
The snow globe instantly lit up, illuminating Santa and the house.
âGuess I chose right,â I murmured.
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Thanks very much for reading!