Once long ago, there was a little girl rabbit named Cream. She lived with her abusive father after her mother died of illness.
On one cold, dark New Year's Eve, she was told by her father to sell matches in the town, or she will get another beating. She tried her efforts to sell citizens matches, but her efforts were failing. She began to freeze badly as winter gets colder. But she was afraid to go back home to her father because she knew she would already be beaten for not selling matches.
As the streets get darker, Cream took shelter in the alley, continuing to freeze to death. She shivered and shivered in the cold wind. She believed she would be kept warm enough by lighting a few matches she carried in her box. She lights one match, and in its glow, she began to see beautiful visions. She sees a vision when one Christmas morning, she was by the Christmas tree, unwrapping presents to receive toys she always wanted. She giggles with happiness until the vision suddenly disappeared. The fire on the match was blown away by the wind.
Cream took another match and lights it. She began to see another beautiful vision when her family were gathered around the dinner table for a holiday feast. There were delicious turkey, ham, potatoes, vegetables and other food you could even imagine. She was always served a biggest piece of the turkey, and how she always loved to have a biggest piece. But suddenly, the vision went away as the match went out.
Cream quickly took out another match and lights it. A vision appeared when she and her deceased mother were sitting by the fireplace. Her mother read her Christmas stories, and she would fall asleep after the end of the stories. She loved to be held in her warm arms when she fell asleep until the vision had vanished again. The flame went out once more.
It is getting colder and colder as Cream shivered sadly. She began to cry in the darkness, feeling all alone, helpless and hopeless. She knew she would not last long before her unknown fate. She looked up in the sky, praying for a miracle. Then, she discovered a shooting star, flying in the air. She looked back down and remembered one summer night on Fourth of July when she and her mother were once at the park, waiting for fireworks to go off.
They sat on top of the hill, watching the starry sky, eating their favorite snacks. Then, they saw a shooting star.
"Mommy!" Cream replied, "A shooting star!"
"Did you make your wish?" her mother asked.
"I am," Cream answered with a giggle, "But I'm not telling you."
Her mother looked back at the sky and told her, "The shooting star has another meeting, you know."
Cream looked at her with a curious face. "What is that?"
"It is a sign which means someone so precious had just passed away," her mother said, "And he's on his way to Heaven."
"Mommy?" Cream asked, "What's Heaven like?"
"It's a lot more beautiful than you could even imagine," her mother answered, "You'll see it someday when the time comes."
Cream didn't fully understood what 'the time comes' meaning is, but more of her curious questions were interrupted by the sound of fireworks.
She stopped remembering and continued to freeze. She looked into her box and saw two more matches left. She took one and lights it, beginning to see a vision when she and her mother were riding on the snow carrige through the park on Christmas Eve. She was wrapped in a warm, red blanket and was given hot cocoa with marshmallows to drink. She was held by her mother as she embraced her until the vision has left her again when the match went out.
Cream wiped tears out of her eyes and lied down on the snow, shivering and freezing to death more. As her time drew near, she picked up one last match and lights it, seeing a vision of her and her mother in her old bedroom. Her mother read her more of the Christmas stories as Cream was laid in bed, listening. She gave her daughter a kiss on the head goodnight, and when she was about to walk out of the bedroom, she turned back at her, saying, "Good night, my little angel."
Cream smiled weakly, holding onto the vision as the flame began to die out.
"Good night...mama..." she whispered weakly. She closed her eyes, gave out her last breath and died in a cold darkness along with the match.
The light shined on Cream as her mother's spirit appeared, walking toward her. She scooped her soul up and carried her in her arms.
Cream's spirit woke up and saw her mother with a shocked face. Her mother smiled at her, stroking her head with one hand. Cream smiled at her back and embraced her.
"It's time to go home, my angel," her mother told her.
Cream nodded with agreement and slept in her arms as she was carried toward heavenly light.
"Home..." Cream's voice said, "It's where I wanted to be..."