Once Upon A December

Angel gazed around the hall wide eyed – how could a place be so familiar and yet so unfamiliar at the same time. Every nook and cranny of the building seemed to scream out to her but she couldn’t understand what any of it meant. She didn’t know why.  From what she could remember she had never been here before … had she?

She grazed her fingertips against the vanished wood of one of the grandeur tables that seemed to be placed in every open space she had seen, covered in decorative fruits and cloth. The whole place was regal and elegant - almost royal.

Taking steps away from the table, gracefully swaying as she moved over to the pictures and portraits that hung proudly upon the walls. She studied each one of their faces and then her eyes locked on one couple in particular tilting her head to the side slightly her gaze never wavering.

Chocolate eyes stared back into hers, the woman had blonde locks that tumbled over her shoulders and a warm but soft smile graced her lips – she was stunningly beautiful, every thing about her seemed almost too perfect to be true to Angel.

Her eyes glided from the woman to the man by her side; even in the picture the man’s bright-eyed grin brought a smile to Angel’s face. The smile that so graciously brought a smile to her own lips was so recognizable to the girl that it was worrying.

This was an image of a couple that from her own knowledge she had never even crossed paths with and yet she couldn’t take her eyes away, there was something in those chocolate eyes and that grin that made her think twice about moving on to another picture.

Who were they? Did they live in this place?

If they did Angel decided she’d love to meet them, to know them not just from a picture. Just looking at them brought her great warmth to a heart that had been missing for a long while – she needed to know why and maybe they knew.

She imagined the couple dancing in the great hall, amongst an array of guests and family members. Dancing, feasting and laughing together with no cares in the world.  

She twirled slowly allowing herself to be lost in her own imagination, she imagined herself in a beautiful gown, a crown atop her head as she waltzed from partner to partner until she met with the couple and danced with the man.  She imagined his laugh and the woman looked on with a soft smile just like in the picture but this time it was softened by pride of some kind.

Angel was knocked quite literally out of her dream world when she knocked over a picture frame; she gasped quietly picking up the frame in question. Her eyes softened looking at the girl in the picture, she looked so happy; her eyes bright with innocence. She looked to where it was placed and noticed that the picture was on its own standing proudly in the middle of a small table, it baffled her as to why this child’s picture stood so lone when all the rest of her family hung on the walls.  

She placed it back on the table and then looked at the small jukebox that resided next to it, she picked it up twisting it up, watching the couple dance as the tune played quietly.  

Her eyes widened immediately, the only ounce of childhood memory she had played proudly out of the tiny box and Angel started to believe she had imagined the tune as she had the dancing with the couple but looking around the room everything was how it should be and so she gazed back at the music box.

Humming softly along, twirling with it clutched in her hands and then she sung along to the tune without really knowing how she knew the lyrics

“Dancing bears, painted wings, things I almost remember and a song someone sings, once upon a December. Someone holds me safe and warm, horses prance through a silver storm, figures dancing gracefully across my memory.”

-

Trevor stirred in his sleep upon hearing what he swore was singing, sitting up in his bed. He glanced at Elle and smiled softly admiring her in her peaceful state. He kissed her forehead and then got out of bed walking out of the room closing the door behind him, he walked down the corridor and sure enough the singing was still there. Clear as a bell.

He walked closer to the sound and his eyes softened, his jaw gaped open recognizing the soft and gentle angelic voice. This had to be a dream. That sweet voice hadn’t been heard in this house for so many long and painful years. She sung it with her mother, along with that music box that he had brought her as a gift on her birthday the year she disappeared.

He picked up his pace, scared that she would slip away again. He needed to see her. To know she was there, his little girl singing again.

“Far away, long ago, glowing dim as an ember, things my heart used to know, things it yearns to remember …”

-

Her voice grew quieter as the music box started to slow “and a song someone sings, once upon a December”. She heard footsteps approaching her and her eyes widened placing the music box back down on its table and she ran quickly out of the hall afraid of disturbing someone she shouldn’t have at such a late time of night.

-

He almost leapt into the hallway, an expectant grin spread across his face finally he would see his daughter again. His face immediately fell seeing only an open music box, the couple dancing around in it slowed to a stop as the music did and Trevor let out a defeated sigh.

He closed the music box and stroked his finger gently across the picture.  Too many times had he imagined her coming back home but this time it felt so real, her voice sounded too real.

“Where are you my Angel?”

He shook his head looking around the hall and then grudgingly headed back to his room.