One +
little + wet + lonely + crab… Small pieces of metal with random meaning. Katie
laid them out again and again on the white, dusty radiator. Mom gave her this Word
Magnet Set for her eight birthday two years ago. She was born like in a
fairy-tale – just on the Christmas Eve.
And every year she waited eagerly for this holiday full of wonders and
presents. She wanted to grow up as tall and beautiful as their Christmas tree
decorated with sparkling silver balls and little candy canes. When it got dark
and white flakes were slowly covering every building in Denver, her mom lighted
the tree and their room turned into the wonderland. Katie closed her eyes very
tight. When mom let her look, she always had something marvelous in her hands,
something that Katie dreamed about. To be honest, Katie was sure that her mom
knew some magic. Otherwise, how did she guess what Katie wanted to have?
But the real magic always arrived when Katie having
her teeth briefly brushed hurried up to her bed. That was time for a Christmas
fairy-tale she waited for during the whole year. It was a special story not
like the others that mom read her in the evenings. The Christmas tale was about
fat and fickle kings and poor princes, about lonely ducklings and speaking
bottlenecks, about smart and brave tin soldiers and silly princess. Everything
was possible in this enchanting world…
The
headache was unbearable. There was nothing to do but look at the frozen
hospital yard through the small window warmed up by her hot forehead. And wait.
Katie knew how to wait. Nevertheless, today was the third day in a row that
Marie hasn’t showed up. Snow at the hospital yard remained fresh-fallen,
without any tracks. Meant that she wouldn’t come today, she wouldn’t smile Hello, Miss Katie! with little wrinkles
in the corners of her tender eyes. Nobody ever called Katie Miss and it was so pleasant that this
adult woman (well, Katie would even say old
woman) addressed her so respectfully.
She met
Marie, a kind Mexican woman with soft, swarthy hands, accidentally. At that
time she didn’t have headaches every day and spent her evenings leafing through
a big, beautiful book that mom gave her for her last birthday. It had amazing
paintings of emerald sea and gold, sunny beaches, of fearless captains and
morning, transparent haze, of beautiful women and bustling seaside cities. Of
course, Katie’s favorite painting was the one with the sea. But it looked
different from other paintings. This sea wasn’t scary dark as it becomes during
the storm or sparkling and green as it becomes during the calm. There was the
morning sea. It was carefree and playful; it was kissing a fresh wind and
mirrored the waking up sun. The same carefree tenderness colored the delicate
dress of a girl standing near the water and greeting the sun. The same silly
tenderness was in the eyes of a big, white dog that was looking at the girl…
She is
so pretty, huh? – Katie heard a hoarse woman’s voice from behind, - Interesting, what she thinks about? You
know, I also like pictures. Sometimes I go to museums and watch some pictures
and statues for hours. Everything is so beautiful there, in museums. When I was
kid, I liked watch my brother painted… He was really good!
They got
into a conversation. Marie turned out to be a wonderful story-teller. She made
up exciting stories about people on the paintings. She told Katie about poor,
beautiful girls who were in love with poor but well-mannered boys and their
greedy fathers who wanted to marry their daughters to old, ugly merchants. She
told Katie about white sailing boats fighting the storm on the horizon; and
brave captains who always came back home after violent tempests.
That
evening Marie left the hospital very late when Katie had to go to bed. But for
a long time after she left Katie’s imagination painted on the silent hospital
walls battles and kisses, sea wind and scorching sand.
Next day
Marie came to Katie’s room again and they spent the whole day talking about
people who speak different languages, about different countries all over the
world and certainly, about ocean. Marie grew up in Mexico, in a city next to
Hermosillo with a beautiful name “The City of Sun” (La Ciudad del Sol). Most of all she liked reading. She read all the books
that she found in the library of a priest in their local church who was very
kind to her and often invited her to his home. She had a big family. All her
relatives wanted her to marry an old man and to live as all other women in her
family which meant having a lot of children, cooking and looking after the
house the whole day long. But Marie was born very stubborn so after graduating
from the middle school she ran away from home and went to America, right to the
ocean, to Florida.
She told
Katie how wonderful was to meet a rising sun every morning and to wander on the
wet sand every evening. Unfortunately, life in Florida was way too expensive
for her tiny salary which was usually all spent up on apartment rent fee and
some food. She stayed in Florida for about ten years so it was very sad for her
to leave it. Nevertheless, one day she packed her little suitcase and took the
bus to Denver. Her apartment owner had a friend there who can help Marie to
find a job in a hospital.
Her
apartment owner in Florida was a very kind woman and they became great friends
with Marie. In the evenings she made a soup and put a big pot on the darkened
of time, wooden table in the kitchen. They
talked about their work, life and men while fishing out big pieces of potatoes
and cabbage from the pot. They decorated together a bushy Christmas tree in
December and planted flowers in the old, lopsided flowerbeds in March. When
Marie was leaving her apartment owner gave her a very beautiful (and most
probably, very expensive) jewelry with a silver chain. She said it would help
Marie if everything falls apart. Since then every time when she had problems,
Marie took it out of her suitcase, stroked it and asked it to help a bit. It
always worked!
Katie was
catching each word of Marie’s story with enthusiasm. It sounded so much like
her Christmas tale…
But Marie
had no idea about Christmas story! So Katie told her everything about a tall
tree glittering with hundreds of lights, about lovely presents from mom, about
her birthday and how one day she would become beautiful and slender like their
Christmas tree. She also told her about magical Christmas story. Finally, she
got a great idea.
-
You should come to my birthday! I’m inviting you. I’ll
ask mom and she’ll let you listen to a Christmas story too.
Marie smiled and said that she would be glad to come
and to meet Katie’s mom.
But then
everything went bad. The closer Christmas was, the worse Katie felt. She had
headache every day and doctors were saying such ugly words as meningitis and puncture. These words were unfamiliar to Katie but according to
doctors’ faces they didn’t promise anything good. Talking to mom was allowed
only by phone. Sometimes she came to hospital yard and Katie waved to her while
hiding tears. The whole day long Katie lied on the bed looking at the
snowflakes sparkling in the sun and dreamed about warm summer and sea waves. She
cheered up a little only when Marie passed by.
One evening
the headache was especially unbearable despite of Katie’s efforts to obey all
doctors’ prescriptions. She wished she could just take the head off and put it
somewhere on the top shelf. When Marie looked into the room and said her usual Good evening, Miss Katie, Katie broke
down and cried. She told Marie that there wouldn’t be wonders anymore, that
there were only three days left till Christmas, that there wouldn’t be any
candies and there wouldn’t be a Christmas tree. Her mom wouldn’t kiss her
saying Happy Birthday and wouldn’t tell her Christmas story.
-
Will I die like the girl with matches from this sad
tale my mom once told me? She froze to death just on New Year’s Eve.
Marie
stroked her head without saying anything. Then she turned off the lights, told
Katie to muffle up properly and to listen to Marie’s Christmas tale.
One nice, warm evening my mom told me that story, - started she. – There
live not only beautiful girls and brave captains at the sea. There also live tiny
creatures that we rarely notice because they hide in the sand or swim in the
water. I want to tell you about red Little Crab who lived at the ocean, right
on the water edge. He was a very brave and kind crab. But he was very lonely:
in the mornings he met the rising sun, cleaned up in his hole, smoothed out the
sand near the water, drew flowers on the sand, and decorated it with little
seashells and starfishes. But he didn’t have anyone to enjoy the sunset sitting
at the flat, wet pebbles; he didn’t have anyone to show his treasures that he
found in the ocean; he didn’t have anyone to tell jokes and to splash each
other in the breaking wave.
Once, after the storm Little Crab was strolling home
along the shore pulling out his tired legs from the algae. Suddenly, he noticed
a big grey seashell in a damp pit that breathed with effort opening and closing
her valves. Little Crab had met seashells before but he had never seen them
with opened valves. At that moment he realized that the seashell was just dying
without water. So he asked her politely if she needed some help. The seashell
suddenly opened her doors and a pretty, tiny Pearl looked out of it. She
whispered confusedly: “If you don’t mind… I’d be very thankful…” The heart of Little
Crab began to beat of happiness.
The seashell was very big and heavy for the Little
Crab and he was dragging it to the water through sand and algae. It took him
the whole three days. Though, these three days were the happiest in his life.
At first, the Pearl was very timid and worried about Little Crab spending so
much energy. She gingerly looked out of the seashell, said hello and hid inside
again. But hour-by-hour she got used to Little Crab and they started discussing
everything in the world when Little Crab had a respite. They laughed and joked around;
Little Crab brought her little flowers from the shore and even sang her pirates’
songs that he heard from his father-traveler.
One day Little Crab completed his mission and the time
to say goodbye had come. That evening the setting sun seeing off they talked
for a long time and kept silent even for a longer time. Finally, the Pearl
confusedly looking aside kissed Little Crab and slid into the water.
First time in his life he didn’t want to go home. He
spent the whole night on the wet pebbles without even shaking off the splashes
from his legs. When the morning came he decided to find his Pearl at all costs and
to tell her words that he didn’t dare to say the night before. And he gamely
rushed into the deep water…
“Marie, where are you? I’m locking the
entrance” – heard they the voice from the hall.
“I’m sorry, Miss Katie, I gotta go. I finish story
next time, ok?” – Marie bent and kissed Katie on the forehead.
One +
little + wet + lonely + crab. Silly magnets don’t have any sense. After that
evening Marie didn’t come any more. And today was Christmas Eve. Katie turned
to the wall and pulled knees to her chin. A blizzard was raging outside, and the
wind was throwing snowballs onto the windows. Sea was rocking Little Crab from
side to side; and he wearily paddled with all his legs…
Katie woke
up from the rustle in the room. It became completely dark outside so it was
dark in the room as well. But in the opposite from her bed corner shone
hundreds of little lights. “Miss Katie”
– heard she. There was a little tree with colorful candies, tiny toys and
bright garlands on its branches. And near the tree there was Maris in her big, baggy
hospital gown. She approached Katie, took her in warm and smelling the snow
arms, and whispered: “Happy birthday,
Little Crab! And happy Christmas!”
The hospital
room suddenly turned into the fairyland with wonders, enchanting shadows and
kind kings, brave captains and amorous princess. Even the artificial tree
seemed to smell like the dark forest and Katie heard toys on the table
whispering to each other about a kind fairy that came to Katie tonight.
-
I came to finish my story.
-
Did he find her? – This question disturbed Katie for last days.
-
Close your eyes…
Katie
closed her eyes as tight as possible and suddenly felt a small, cool ball being
placed at her palm. She opened her eyes and saw a tiny pearl in her hand.
-
He found her and told her everything he had to say.
Every little crab if he is not afraid of storms finds his pearl. This one is
yours…
Long time
after that night Katie believed that Marie was her Christmas fairy from the
Christmas tale. She never met Marie again. Next morning she woke up from the telephone
ringing. It was her mom asking Katie to look out of the window. She ran to the
window and saw a dear figure on the white, snow canvas. Her mom waved her and
screamed in the phone “I love you,
sweetie! Happy birthday, my little girl! Happy Christmas!” Holding her
breath, Katie took a list of paper and quickly scribbled a couple of words. She
made a paper plane and sent it to the middle of the hospital yard. The woman
downstairs dragged off her fluffy gloves and hastily unfolded the plane. There
were big, clumsy letters inside “Mom,
don’t worry, I’ll get better soon! I love you. Your Little Crab”.
On her way
to the bus stop, the woman in the grey, winter coat stopped by the little café
to buy coffee and fresh New York Times.
She unfolded the newspaper only in the warm bus. She tried to read but her
thoughts were far away from there, somewhere next to a small paper plane diving
from the hospital window. She absently followed newspaper’s lines. The article
talked about the results of 2011. Fiscal
2011 saw 396, 906 deportations, the largest number in the history of the USA.
Most of the illegal immigrants in the States are from Latin American countries,
including 6,7 million from Mexico, 530 thousand from El Salvador, 480 thousand
from Guatemala and 320 thousand from Honduras.
Sometimes
when Katie feels snowed under with work or just has a bad day, she takes out a
little pearl. She strokes her and remembers tender brown eyes. And it’s amazing
how all the problems just fade away…