Snow Globe

Colin awkwardly shifted his position and pulled the fleece tighter around his knees. It was an old baby blanket that he’d picked up from the Sally Ann the previous week. It wasn’t very big or waterproof like his last one, but it was warm and reasonably clean. He lifted his harmonica back to his chapped lips and continued to play Stairway to Heaven. A young lad, couldn’t have been more than five, cautiously dropped a shiny fifty pence piece into the margarine tub in front of Colin. He nodded his head and winked at the small boy and was rewarded with a huge grin before he ran back to his mammy. The boy looked like his wee lad Liam. Colin felt the familiar pang of pain reverberant inside as he remembered his dead son. His hurt changed quickly to annoyance as the thunderous skirl of ‘Flower O’ Scotland’ started three doorways up Union Street.

“Bloody Malcolm on those bagpipes.” thought Colin. He decided to call it a day. He had enough change to buy a cottage pie from the discount supermarket at the end of his street. It had started to drizzle and the cold December chill seemed to penetrate right through his clothes and skin and into his bones. He carefully gathered what little he had. Put his blanket and tub in his worn satchel beside his last can of marked down brand cider and eased his stiff legs to standing using the outside of the charity shop window to support himself.

As Colin pulled his tired legs upright a small glittering snow globe in the shop’s Christmas display caught his eye. It was a pretty alpine scene with a row of snow covered thatched cottages and a decorated tree. But it was the two small figures beside the tree that mesmerised him. The boy was painted blue and appeared to be dancing around the tree. The bigger g...

... middle of paper ...

...t he could hear Matt calling his name telling him to hold on. But his whole attention was taken by his snow globe as he watched it roll gently towards him. Miraculously, unlike him, it was still intact.

The globe grew exponentially in front of his eyes and Colin found himself encased in the scene. The snow white peaks were soft and fluffy like freshly whipped meringue coated with a dusting of sparkling glitter. In the valley before him Colin could see the small village with the little row of thatched cottages draped with tinsel and strings of lanterns. Right in the middle was the towering Christmas tree decorated sparsely but elegantly and topped with an oversized bright star. And there beside the tree, stood the girl, Leah, as she always stood; with her full red knee length skirt and her black ankle boots with her arms outstretched waiting to welcome him home.