untitled 1

As the sun set over the horizon, a melange of purple, pink, orange, and blue hues painted the aerial sky while flocks of birds flew out of the treetops, almost as if clearing a path for the visitor stepping out of the gloomy forest. She was dressed in all white and had a burgundy silk scarf tied around her head. Adjusting the strap of the duffle bag on her shoulder, she continued traveling down the earthy path until she reached the cobblestone road. 

She halted and observed the scene before her. 

Twilight was a magical time for this village. As the sky grew shades darker, the lights within the village shone brighter and villagers came alive in the communal square, chattering and laughing amongst themselves. Most of them were oblivious to the stranger walking through town. 

Passing by multiple stores with festive lights, her eyes wandered among the displays of the store, from snow globes to ornaments. She is never able to stay in one place too long for it might raise suspicion around her heavenly attributes, but it seemed like this town was the perfect place for her to settle in for the night. Passing by many villagers, she asked if there was a place she could rest, but as she spoke it was almost as if she was invisible, unable to be heard or seen. 

Extremely tired from her journey, she sat at the edge of a marble fountain. She looked up at the square and observed most of the villagers dancing in pairs to the lively jazz band playing. She could see the puff of cold air breathed out of each villagers’ mouth, each of them shivering and tightening their coats, hoping to conserve warmth. 

The breeze picked up, and the girl’s burgundy silk scarf fell to the ground, a stark contrast to the pale snow. Her long shiny hair fell out of the scarf and down her shoulder, finally free from restraints, swaying with the cool breeze. Her face glowed as it was caught under the lamppost, with a hint of pink at her cheeks due to the freezing weather, although she could not physically feel the icy temperature affecting her body. She felt free, and as she took in the crisp air around her, the band had stopped playing. 

Every villager froze in their positions, and their gaze drifted towards the woman. Every pair on the dance floor broke and gravitated towards her, as if she was the center of the universe and they were merely planets caught in her orbit. As the villagers made their way towards her, a magical sensation occurred: each and every one of them slowly removed the layers of coats they were wearing and dropped it to the ground. Amongst the crowd an old man in a dark robe emerged, taking the lead of the group of villagers that were coming towards her. She smiled at him, and for a moment the cold breeze seemed to have frozen in its position as well, and the temperature gave way to a warmth that all the villagers could feel from deep within. 

The old man held out his hand and she took it, slowly leading her down the main path of the village with the mass following behind them. Each step she walked, the brighter the lights from the lamppost glowed, almost as if they were guiding her walk. Illuminated against the darkness, the glimmering lights surrounding her and warmth of the air painted the village in a newfound light that almost seemed angelic. As she reached the inn, the old man and the crowd stood outside, watching her enter the building, and the crowd seemed to fade away into her memories as she entered the inn. That night she took her well-deserved rest after a long day of traveling, dreaming of the serendipitous village in her sleep. 

When the first villager arose the next morning by dawn, she was already gone.