Cast Aside and Found Again

A little Christmas miracle, wrote it for a contest on another site. Hope you all enjoy :) Merry Christmas.

Cast Aside and Found Again

The icy wind penetrated through her thin clothes, worn over the years of her running.  Her ragged dress was made of nothing more than an old potato sack; her leggings from a tattered old tarp she found in a dumpster.  Her ballet flats had long ago been wore down and discarded.  Her once light blonde hair now clung to her scalp, matted with dirt and filth.

Sometimes she regretted running away.  But the sting of the welts on her back and the soreness of every bruise reminded her why she ran.

This time of year often brought others happiness and even good fortune.  But not her.  No, never her.  Her green eyes never sparkled with happiness and joy; never with thankfulness for some good event.

People saw her ragged form and became jumpy, nervously trying to detour their path, sometimes completely changing their route just to avoid walking within arms reach of the small, half-starved girl.  They framed her as nothing but a common thief, only out to steal the presents and food they had worked so hard to earn.

The truth was, she wanted none of that.  What she wanted, more than anything, was for someone to care for her.  To care about her.

She glanced up at the sky, which was littered with stars this cold night.  Far off to the north, a star shone brighter than any others.  Curious, she kept her eyes on the large orb while she continued walking.  It reminded her of something she had seen upon the many evergreens that glowed within the warm houses.  It brought forth thoughts of a happy family, gathered around a tree, eagerly unwrapping presents and singing carols of what a great day it was supposed to be.  A tear escaped her eye as she imagined herself among them, wearing not the rags that she bore now, but comfortable, silken pajamas that caressed her skin gently, unlike the itchy sack she was wearing at the moment.

Without warning, her face hit the icy ground.  The cobblestone walkway brought fresh bruises and scrapes to further mar her skin.  Her bottom lip began to swell and bleed from the injury caused by her unruly teeth.

“Oh, I'm so sorry!" A voice was heard above her.  The kindness in his tone shocked her.  "Are you okay, miss..." the falter in his voice that she was expecting hit her like a ton of bricks.  He was the first person to say a kind word to her in all of her years, albeit her teachers when they praised her work in school, before she dropped out.

Rising quickly, she dusted herself off and took off, trying to pass by the man.  He surprised her once again by reaching out to her, grabbing her shoulder and holding her back without problem.  "Hey, hey, hey, what's the rush?"  He asked, the kindness returning to his voice.  But she heard the shaky undertone that alerted her to his fear of her.

Glancing up, she could tell he was an older man.  Probably in his early 40's.  "I have places to be," she answered vaguely, her largely-unused voice cracking.

“Really?  Then I'm sorry to have bothered you."  His hand lifted from her shoulder.  "Merry Christmas."

As he walked past her, something stirred within her.  Maybe he could help her, or at least give her something to eat.

“Wait!"  The man stopped.  "I lied.  I have no where to go.  I don't even know where I am.  I have no where to go," she repeated softly, bowing her head.

He offered his hand to her.  "Then come on.  At least let me offer you some food and a warm bath."

Jade eyes glimmered with the smallest bit of hope at his offer.  Taking his hand, she spoke with a shaky, anxious voice.  "R-really?"

The man chuckled.  "It's Christmas.  It's a time of giving.  And you look like someone who could use a gift or two."  He smiled in a fatherly way.  "Come on.  It's not too long of a walk."

**~**

Eyes wide with shock, the young girl tried to take in her surroundings without overwhelming herself.  But among the warm, rich reds of the carpet, deep browns of the couches, and the overall cozy atmosphere concreted by a large fireplace, it was very hard not to go into shock, especially given her previous living conditions.

“It's so...and everything's so...there's so much..." she could barely form 3 words, let alone an entire sentence to express just how in awe she truly was.  A large evergreen lit up with multicolored lights and the central fireplace were the only two things giving light into the cozy living room, the heat a welcome change from the outside conditions.

The man chuckled.  "Well, it's all my wife's doing.  She keeps this place spotless and neat.  If it were up to me, it wouldn't be anything close to impressive."  He shed his coat, hanging it upon the coat rack near the door.  "I think you should meet her.  Take a seat by the fire and warm up.  I'll go find her."

She was left by herself in the quaint room, the crackling of the fireplace the only sound to be heard.  She approached it cautiously, eyeing the pictures that were upon the mantle.  It was almost as if she was looking at a timeline.  The first picture was taken at some dance.  A couple kissed enthusiastically while around them, their peers danced their lives away.  In the next frame, a wedding picture of the couple, looking not that much older.

Next frame.  The newly weds picnicking happily in a small forest, holding one another and smiling brightly at the camera.

In the following picture the woman's stomach was appreciably larger, and the man proudly stood beside her, one arm around her shoulders, the other lay protectively across her belly.

In all of the following pictures, the couple only seemed to age, smiling ear to ear in each picture.  There was one thing missing though.  She felt as if there was something missing...glancing back at the picture with the woman's swollen belly, she made the connection.

“Oh..."

“Oh my gosh!  Honey, you need food right now!"  A woman's voice startled her from her picture viewing.  "James, go start a bath.  And I'll find her a nightgown of mine to wear until we can get some proper clothes for her.  Oh, honey, you've had a hard life, haven't you?"  The woman darted over towards her, pulling her into a tight embrace.

She looked similar to the woman in the pictures, except with a few minor details that came with age.  Her once long brown hair was cut short; about shoulder-length now.  A few silver strands occasionally showed themselves from beneath the chocolate river that flowed from her scalp.  Her amber eyes reflected the glow from the fireplace, making them seem more orange in hue.

Her husband, James, simply nodded and headed off towards the back of the house.  The woman took the young girl's hand and led her to the kitchen, where she seated her at a table.

“Tell me honey, what do you like to eat?  Oh, and my name is Celia.  What's yours?"

“Um...I'm not really sure..." What did she like to eat?  She was gracious for any food she could have!  "I'll eat anything, really...and my name is Calla."

“Calla, such a pretty name.  Okay, well I've chopped up some apples for you, and if you want any meat I'm sure we have a steak I can heat up for you.  Oh, you poor dear, what happened?  Why are you out in weather like this?"

Reassuring herself that these people were only going to help her, she took a deep breath.  "I took off two years ago.  I couldn't stand it anymore.  My parents were abusive, and no matter what they never cared about me.  It didn't matter if I made perfect grades in school, or kept my room spotless, or finished all my chores in time.  They still found reason to beat me.  They both drank a lot, too.  They drank so much that they barely had enough money to buy themselves anything else; much less buy me any necessities."  Her voice became shaky as repressed memories flooded her mind once more.  "I finally couldn't take it anymore and I ran.  I doubt they even noticed.  And if they did, they probably had a party to celebrate.  They never wanted me.  I thought life would be easier if I went off by myself.  But at 13, that's a pretty ridiculous ambition.  The worse I began to look, the worse people out on the streets treated me.  They took me to be a common thief.  I've had people chase me all over the place, thinking I was out to steal their stuff.  I never wanted to steal anything, I just wanted help..." she trailed off, tears pooling in her eyes.  She bowed her head and began to cry, her small frame shuddering with the effort.

“Honey..." the woman was beginning to cry, too.  She pulled Calla into a hug.  "Well, we're here to help you.  We will take care of you...you know, I always wanted a daughter.  You're like an answer to our prayers, if you're willing to stay."

Calla glanced up in disbelief.  "You'll let me stay.  Just like that?  You're not worried I'm some kind of killer or thief?"

“I always try to see the good in people."

Happy tears began to take the place of sad ones as she leapt out of her chair to hug Celia.  "This is too good to be true.  Please tell me I'm not dreaming!  Please tell me this is a reality!"

Suddenly, she let go and ran to a window, glancing up at the large bright star that she knew wasn't supposed to be there.  She had seen it in the north sky, and this window faced south.

A story from an old religious book that she remembered reading at a library once came to mind.  It told of a miracle birth, a savior born to Earth to save everyone, from the richest king to the poorest beggar.  What was that book?

“Mrs. Celia, have you ever read the Bible?"  She asked, her gaze still not leaving the sky.

“Read it?  Honey, I live it."

“Then you believe in someone who was sent to save us all.  No matter who we were, he watches over us, right?"

“That's what I believe."  She placed a hand on Calla's shoulder, her expression showing that she understood where she was going.  "And I believe he played a big role in tonight's events."  Clearing her throat, she gave the young girl a light shove.  "The bathroom's just down the hall, first door on your right.  Go take a bath, and I'll bring you something nice to wear.  And get ready to sit down for a while, because I believe we are going to have a long chat about the Bible and what it tells us."

Nodding, Calla quickly rushed towards the bathroom, having no issues finding it.  Passing James, she gave him a big hug.  "Thank you so much, Mr. James.  Thank you."

He chuckled lightly and returned the hug before continuing on to the living room to join his wife.

Before she took her bath, she fell to her knees and cast her gaze up to the ceiling.  She couldn't see it, but she knew that star was still up there, looking down upon her.

“A miracle," she whispered.  "Thank you so much."

Author's Note

Maybe a bit cheesy...I don't know, what do you think?