"Cold..." She whispered to herself, hugging the threadbare blanket around her tighter. "So Cold..."
It was the coldest Thanksgiving in years. Inside, families talked and laughed in the comfort of their fires and hearths. They had no idea the pain of those with no flame to tend to. They had no idea of what it was like for the young girl at the street corner. Snowflakes fell around the young girl delicately, coming to rest in her auburn hair. A gust of icy wind blew by her, almost tearing the worn blanket from her shoulders.
In front of her, people passed by infrequently, all ignoring the freezing child on the street corner. A woman in a fur coat walked slowly in front of her, and the child held out her hands in a plea for something, anything to eat or keep herself warm with.
The woman in the white fur coat regarded her for a moment, then walked on, the sound of her heels clicking on the frozen sidewalk.
The girl wanted to cry with disappointment, but she didn't allow herself. After all, she should count herself lucky. Many others had nothing but the clothes on their back to guard against the cold. At least she had a blanket. She should be thankful, and count her blessings, just like the Thanksgiving spirit.
The red head watched as the snowflakes descended to earth, her breath coming out in wispy sighs. So far, every person she had met had given her nothing but a blank stare and a turned back.
"So much for the giving spirit" She muttered humourlessly to herself.
She stood, wincing at the ice that chilled her bare feet. She clung the blanket closer around her, relishing in the little warmth it provided. She began walking down the street, to hopefully find a more frequented corner or a warm step to rest on.
As she passed by an alley, she heard a whimper. She turned, bleary eyes searching for the origin of the cry. They came to rest on a huddled form next to a trash can. She came closer, kneeling next to the freezing child.
The little boy looked up at her for a moment, then let out a cry and sheid away from her.
"Shh, hey, it's alright. I'm not going to hurt you. It's okay" She assured him, but he only continued to cry. She stopped and looked at the child, huddled into himself, toes blue from cold, not even shivering, so far was he into a state of hypothermia.
"Here is someone who is truly cold." She thought to herself, a different thought occurring to her at the same time. "He needs this blanket more than I do."
She hesitated. This blanket was her only hope of staying warm. But, at the same time, this boy needed it so much more than she did. He was probably dying from the cold as the thoughts swam in her head.
Without any other thoughts, she took the blanket from her shoulder and put it over the freezing boy. Big, bambi like eyes looked up at her curiously. She merely smiled. "Don't worry, this will keep you warm." She tried to keep the shiver out of her voice.
With that said, she stood, clutching her bare arms in an effort to keep herself from shivering. She stood at the entrance to the alley, regarding the boy for a moment.
"Even if I don't have much to give, at least i can help somebody's thanksgiving." She muttered to herself.
She turned, wandering into the snow.
The last thing she saw, as she lay dying in the snow, was the moon, bright and beautiful.
