Kristanna Secret Santa
Love of the Past for a Love for the Future
"Anna slow down, you're gonna kill yourself!" Kristoff shouted as Anna ran ahead of him of the forest path. It was a beautiful spring day and they had decide to take advantage of it by spending the entire day together in the local park.
It was the best time they could have: a nice picnic lunch, a trio to the ice cream booth, and just laying the grass together watching the clouds. By the time they agreed to head home it was close to sunset and they took their usual short cut home through the small forest that connected their backyard to the park, which Anna took full advantage of by challenging Kristoff to a race home. It was about ten minutes in when Kristoff caught up to Anna, who had come to a complete stop and was looking curiously at a small path that branched off on the right of the main path of the forest.
"What are you looking at?"
"I've never seen this path before, I wonder what's done there." Anna began to walk done the path but stopped when Kristoff put a hand on her shoulder.
"Where do you think you're going?"
"I'm going to see what's done there, it's like the number one rule of exploring"
"There is no way you're going down there, this close to dark, alone,"
"Who said I was gonna go alone?," before Kristoff could register what was happening Anna grabbed his forearm and practically dragged him done the path with her.
"Come on, come on, come on."
"Ok I'm coming relax," Kristoff chuckled as they moved done the path.
It was not a long way to the end of the path, though it certainly felt longer than it was. After about fifteen minutes they came to the end of the path and were faced with a two story house. By all appearances it was abandoned. The windows were dusty and the white paint was peeling off the façade, definitely showing the age of the home. For a while they just stared at it in shock until their curiosity got the better of them and they walked up to the porch of the house.
It was by means a scary or ominous place, in fact it had a feeling of warmth and memories that drew them in. Kristoff peered through the front window but could not see clearly through the dust. He then turned to Anna, who was just behind him,
"Should we?"
"I think so", she said as she moved to the door. Laying her hand on the doorknob, ready to throw her weight on the door to open it, she was surprised to find that after a simple turn the door opened, it was not locked. Glancing at each other they give each other a nod to proceed inside. Upon entering the house they were greeted by a fully furnished living room, a sand alone radio by the fireplace, an arm chair and sofa facing it. The whole atmosphere of the room was very inviting.
"I don't get it, it's like whoever lives here, or at least lived here, just up and left yesterday", Kristoff said as he ran a hand over the radio.
Anna remained silent, running her fingers through the curtains that adorned the windows and admiring the simplistic beauty of the room when something caught her eye in the next room.
"Kris, what's that?"
Flowing her gaze Kristoff saw a piece of paper on the kitchen table, which they could see from the doorway. He proceeded to walk, with Anna close behind, into the kitchen. Sitting on the table, next to a smoking pipe, was a newspaper dated June 22nd of 1942.
"Sons of Uncle Sam Ship out Today", he read aloud, "Looks like the home of a soldier…wonder what happened to him….Anna?"
As he turned around he was met with a puff a white in his face, which turned out to be a giggling Anna. She had found a jar of flour and gathered some into her hand to surprise him once he was done reading. Kristoff then, with a goofy smile on his face, began to chase her out the room and up the stairs. They finally ended up in was evidently the master bedroom of the house and collapsed on the bed, breathless from laughter. Upon regaining their breath they looked around the room.
"Oh look!" Anna cried and ran over to the deck that was situated in the corner of the room. She picked up a jewelry box curved with a large heart on the top and brought it over to the bed. They proceeded to open to together and found inside: a photograph.
"It's a wedding picture, oh doesn't she look beautiful"
The old photo showed a young man, no older than Kristoff, dressed in military uniform with his arm around a beaming bride, who remained kristoff so much of Anna in looks and the smile. She was dressed in a ladies suite, indeed the only way you could tell she was a bride was the flowers she held, but the smile and happiness in her eyes was as evident as could be for a bride on her wedding day.
It was then Anna noticed a name and date written in the white border of the photo,
"The new Mr. and Mrs. Farrows, June 25th 1942"
Turning the photo over, she then read the small love note on the back,
"To my beautiful bride, may this be the beginning of our forever, I love you for now and for always, love Christopher."
There was a dreamy quality to her voice as she read it and when she finished there was a lovely silence between them before Kristoff spoke,
"You know I love you the same way right, for now and for always?"
"Every day, just as I love you."
They then shared a loving kiss, with the feeling the love of the past was guiding them towards the love that filled their future.
Hope you guys enjoyed this story, and I'll have another couple one shots this week end, since I have MLK Day off from school. As a final note for my first story of 2015, a happy new year to everyone!