Posted by Julia on September 18, 1998 at 20:00:06:
A bright yellow taxi sped by, honking rudely and snapping Louis out of his thoughts. Once again, the lights of present day New York engulfed him.
A large department store came into his view, one of those modern monsters that held everything from leather pants to washing machines inside it’s walls. Louis passed it by slowly, looking at the fancy displays in the large glass windows. He smiled to himself. These mortals had spared no time or money creating an attraction in order to gain customers.
One of the displays particularly intrigued him. In the middle, sat a mechanized Santa Clause doll, decked out in the old favorite, red velvet. Every single detail has been carefully observed, from the fluffy cloud like beard, to the jolly twinkle in the skillfully painted eyes. Every so often, the mechanized Santa raised a chubby hand in greeting. Around the Santa Clause, there was a display of porcelain angel dolls adorned in snow white garments.
Suddenly, a mortal woman and her small child attracted Louis’ attention. They were standing about 10 feet ahead of him, but neither the woman nor her daughter were paying him the slightest bit of attention.
The little girl pointed at one of the dolls in the display, as her shrill voice demanded that particular doll as a Christmas gift, and further more, she was sick of this itchy hat, and couldn’t her mother please take it off? Louis found himself holding his breath as the woman pulled the colorful hat of the little girl’s head. He almost expected to see blond curls tumble out, but instead, the girl’s hair was dark brown. Louis was surprised to hear himself breathe a sigh of relief.
He clearly remembered a Christmas eve more than 150 years ago. Claudia was no more that 7 or 8 then, in immortal years. She and Louis were strolling up and down the streets of 19th century New Orleans on Christmas Eve, when Claudia became entranced by a toy shop window. She stood mesmerized, just like a mortal child, while carefully inspecting every plaything that was on display. At last, Claudia pointed to a beautiful doll, outfitted in lace and velvet. Tugging on Louis’ sleeve, she whispered, "I want that one." And of course, Louis had purchased the doll for her, as any loving father would.
The memory left Louis as quickly as it came. Slowly, he walked past the store, wondering where to go next. He didn’t want to return to the apartment, but heading back to the glittering streets sounded even less appealing. Louis suddenly chuckled as he found himself wishing for a simple street map, the kind mortal tourists tout around religiously. Despite living in New York in the beginning of the century, and visiting occasionally, Louis still did not know much about getting around the city. He strolled up the street again, and as his gaze fell on a miniature Christmas tree in the store’s window, he knew where he wanted to go.
Rockefeller Center, around 1 am. Few people were there, and Louis was glad. He slowly walked to the attraction that he wanted to see. The gigantic Christmas tree that New York was famous for in the winter time rose before him. It’s majestic dark green branches were festooned with rows upon rows of colorful lights. Louis stood still as a statue, looking at this magical spectacle. He sighed contentedly.
And then, as a final ornamentation, Louis saw a tall figure standing close to the tree. The figure sensed his presence and turned around. There was no mistaking the luxurious mop of blond curls, the tightly fitting jeans, as well as the obligatory dark sunglasses. The figure smiled at Louis.