snow-globe (children s story)

[eclipse]

The cuckoo seemed to come out further than usual, almost
touching the moon that Christmas eve in the living room of
Joan Fishbone who saw a young boy sat on the step, she
invited him in, he was wearing glasses with one prescription
lens and one clear lens, he held a snowglobe in his left hand.
This was Joans first Christmas after her husband died the month
before, she was struck by this child whose hands appeared to be
older than the rest of him.

"What is your name?", she asked, "John" he replied while shaking
the snowglobe inside of which appeared a tree circled by children,
with one boy sat on the branches. John directed Joan to the window
and caught the full moon in a glass of water which was resting on
the table, he encouraged Joan to take a drink, she started to have
visions of a perfect world.

The darkness appeared to embrace the boy protecting him as he
slept in a rocking chair, Joan didn't know what to do about the
child, that night she dreamt of being the captain of an ark, the
sun was coughing out splinters, one of the ark windows was
magnified-red marks could be seen on the splinters, children
were training wind-horses.

It was Christmas morning, Joan could see John in the garden,
he was whispering to a horse built from snow, "he was giving
the winds direction to paradise" John said, Joan was startled
when she wished him a merry Christmas, she noticed both lenses
in his glasses were now clear. "He has arthiritis after traveling for
hundreds of years" the boy laughed, Joan felt the situation to be
peculiar and normal at the same time, John seemed thin as he
leaned against his creation. The sun was unusually close as if it
was listening, "I have been talking to the sun, I told him my work
here is almost done" he said placing Joan's hand on his chest, she
could hear thousands of hearts beating, "can you hear yours?"
he enquired, "I think so" Joan replied. "Watch this" the boy said
planting a seed, a tree grew, Images from history passed by on clouds
above, new born babies, an American indian doing a raindance and
finally Joan and John, she could see the clouds reflected in the boys eyes
as if they were the source.

"I have to prepare dinner" Joan told John embracing him as he settled
in a chair rocking silently, she was chopping vegetable when she muttered
"Is my husband still alive?", the chair and the winds stopped moving, "I have
a gift for you" the boy shouted, Joan found herself inside the snowglobe with
her husband,"I've been expecting you merry Christmas" he smiled getting
out of a rocking chair presenting her with a gift of a heart carved from ice,
"this will never melt" he said, Joan dropped the gift out of shock, "see it's
indestructible" he laughed, everything began to shake, her husband vanished
into snowy mists, Joan found herself back in the kitchen with Christmas dinner
prepared, in her hands she held the heart carved from ice, "you will need it for
the journey with the wind-horse" John said pouring out a glass of wine, "have
a drink this is a special vintage given to Buddha and Walt Whitman, the wine
of human kindness will nourish the fires that stand for each child contained
in your heart of ice" he said. Joan was distracted by a beautiful sphinx like cat
with black fur shaking snow off it's fur outside the window, she looked across
the table, John had vanished, she let the cat in and he sat on her lap.

Joan named the cat snowy and every year it appears beneath the tree on
Christmas eve spending the holiday with Joan,until her wind-horse arrives.