Little Reindeer

He just couldn’t take his eyes off the beautiful late first winter afternoon. He pulled up his winter blanket and corrected his earmuff before landing on the couch by the window in a small attic of his cottage house. He took a last sip of the hot chocolate in his mug, enjoying the beautiful view out the terrace. He immediately spurted the chocolate he just sipped when he saw a big object flying across his view.

He released the grip holding his blanket and ran to the terrace, searching for the object he just saw. It landed right in a forest not very far from his cottage. His vision was locked to the forest and while still looking at it, he moved and used a telescope with tripod just next to him. Glitters of happiness sparkled in his eyes as he saw her. The same girl was walking alone in the outskirts of the thin forest. She was not in a winter clothes and it seems like she was wearing the same outfit he saw few days ago. ‘Isn’t she cold?’ he thought. There was no sign showing she was freezing or she was shivering. Few seconds after the thought, he saw her tumbled in the snow.

Without second thought, he hastily picked up the blanket he dropped and dashed down the stairs to the main door. As he pulled the door open, he could see that she was already on her foot, straggling on her own just few metres away from him.

“Hi!” he tried getting her attention. She didn’t reply nor turn her head. He called again as his feet slowly approaching her. She stopped walking as she sensed a presence and without looking back, she dashed her way far into the forest. He followed her but she was too fast for him that he lost track of her. He tried trailing her but there was too much foot path made by the people living in the area.

“Where are you?” he yelled.

A set of sparkling brown eyes stared at him unnoticed. There wasn’t a single expression on the face, not a beam, not a fear, not even a frown.

“Are you alright?” he screamed again. He walked for more than an hour before his face swollen and his palm froze. He walked back to his cottage in defeat.



He spun the telescope over and took a peek before turning it again. He had been “abusing” the telescope ever since yesterday when he saw her hoping he could catch her in the telescope again. One or two time in less than an hour gap he would look through his camera for her image, the only one he had. He had been thinking nothing else ever since he saw her and without her trying, he had been addicted with the thought of getting to know her.

She walked the same path as she did yesterday. She was skipping happily on the half snow-covered grounds when she noticed a Christmas sock hanging on one of the outer trees. She picked it up and a locket dropped from the sock. She opened it and in surprise she saw her picture was sealed inside.

“Take it. It’s a gift from a friend…” he said. She turned her face around and she saw him standing not very far away from her, smiling softly. She took a step away from him, little by little the locket almost drop from her hand.