A/N: This is my entry for my Fairytale Prompt in the Village Square Forum!
"Matches! I have matches for sale!" Mary chirruped with forced cheer, holding a single match in her shaking hand for anyone to see. Yet again, nobody bothered to stop before the shuddering figure standing in the snow. People walked to and fro, too preoccupied with their own lives to notice a girl with unkempt braided hair, cracked glasses, and wearing nothing but torn rags. Not even the light of the street lamp was enough to make her stand out to the crowds around her.
By the time the moon rose into the sky, her exposed feet were almost purple from stomping on so much snow day and night. Frigid winds cut through her skin, chilling her further. Not even curling her fingers or toes would help them regain feeling. Knowing this was yet another day of no match sales, Mary shuffled away from the square, turning a corner and returning to her cardboard box. She was the sole occupant of said box, which tilted to the left from too much use and exposure to rain, sleet, and snow. Cardboard boxes weren't made for proper shelter, after all. However, it was all Mary could find.
It was her home.
Then again, home was never warm and happy to begin with. Cold snow still melted through all sides of the box, making it wet, soggy, and uncomfortable. The only thing protecting it from the elements were two metal trash cans sitting on both sides of it, and even that couldn't be considered proper protection from the elements. Nevertheless, Mary curled into the box and waited. Waited for the inevitable. Her eyesight blurred, even with her glasses on.
Not long ago, Mary did have a good life. Watching the people shop at the market stalls and buy groceries reminded her of the times when she and her parents would do that very same thing. Mary always looked for books. If books were food, Mary would be so full she would be overeating every single day, and was proud of it. Any book she could find was like flames roaring in the deepest of darkness. Romances, fairy tales, adventure books, fantasy stories, murder mysteries, history books, and tales of civilizations and events from long ago. Nothing could have been better.
Unfortunately, a car accident took both of her parents. She had no other relatives and was only eighteen. Too old to be in the system, so she was cast out, told to strike out on her own. But how could she do that? She knew nothing of how to get a job, how to keep it, and she certainly had no access to proper clothing or clean bathrooms. No showers, no shoes, no socks, no warm clothes, no experience in anything...getting a job was about as likely as seeing a UFO in the sky.
That was Mary's life, day in and day out, every day.
A shaking hand pulled the matchbox out from her torn dress. "I'm cold...so cold…" Mary's throat was hoarse, and continued to become more so every day. Little food and drink could do that to one's throat, especially if one hadn't had such luxuries for weeks, possibly months. She peered inside the matchbox. Only two little matchsticks remained.
She flicked one match on the box twice. A tiny flame sparked to life. It was merely a blip in the darkness, barely able to light the darkest of nights. Memories flooded Mary's mind. She and her family sitting by the hearth, sharing funny stories about the day's events, reading books together or watching a favorite movie, watching the snowflakes fall in huge droves during the winter.
Those were the happiest, warmest times of her life.
It didn't take long for the flame to disappear. Mary exhaled a large sigh, watching as her breath materialized into a thin white cloud.
"Mother...Father…" How she yearned to be embraced by her loving parents once again! But alas, it was not to be.
She slid the final match out and lit it up. Yet another miniscule flame appeared. It seemed to be taunting her, flickering and dancing happily as Mary shivered with cold. 'I'm everything you wish you had,' It said, mocking her miserable existence.
Then, out of nowhere, everything was bright and white. Mary could see her parents' faces, their loving, warm arms open and ready for her.
"Mary! Come with us! We've been waiting for you!"
With a joyful smile, Mary's trip was now one way. She joined her parents and left.
"Ugh! I can't believe he's asking me to run the errands this time!" Gray trodded through the snow as he exited the smithy, blue eyes bright with anger, voice rising in frustration. "He has two legs! Why doesn't he do it?! He always goes shopping!"
The keys he carried on his person jingled and chimed with every movement. But stomping through the snow as it soaked his pants and chilled his legs was yet another source of his many frustrations. With a loud grunt, he turned the corner, reminding himself of what he needed to get. Carrot seeds, gold ore, and some herbal tea leaves. Easy enough, he thought. The heels of his boots soon clacked against the stone pavement, crushing any leftover snow that lay in his wake.
As he got closer to the store, he noticed a lone figure lying inside a cardboard box. A set of black feet greeted him. Gray stopped in his tracks, eyes shrinking in alarm. A loud shriek pierced the cold morning air. It didn't take long for someone to notice. Doctor Trent and his assistant, Elli, came racing to the scene. They had been outside at that moment, so they heard Gray's scream.
"Oh goodness…" Doctor Trent's eyes furrowed in pity for the cold figure in the box. "She's already dead," He didn't need to look too much in order to come to that conclusion. Her entire being was blue. Her lips were ice cold. Elli could see a tiny box. A matchbox.
"She must have been trying to warm herself. Let's call someone," Elli told them. "We can't just leave her here."
Ironic how Mary was only noticed after death. No matter. She was back with her family once more, and she would never be cold or hungry again. In heaven, she was warm and happy.