A continuation of a story of mine from last Christmas.

Candle

By Tela

"Asira? Are you up there?" a voice called from downstairs.

Asira paused her rummaging through boxes and stretched. Having spent half the day hunched over and lifting heavy boxes, she officially hated packing. "Yeah, I'm upstairs packing the last boxes, Lynell!" she called back down. Heaving a sigh, she leaned on the windowsill and stared out over Morroc. Despite it being December, the desert was still the desert. Hot and dry.

She didn't really want to leave. She wasn't particularly attached to this city, but there were things she would miss. She plucked a thin white candle from its holder on the windowsill, holding it close to her.

She always kept one lit, every day and every night. It was the least she could do for him. She had a feeling no one else would remember him.

"Well, it's been nine years. You're probably dead," she murmured, laying her head against the window. She had only known him half a day, but he had done more for her than anyone else had. Before she met Lynell and her husband, that is.

Asira would never forget that day. It was both the saddest and happiest day of her life. Sabri had given his own life to take care of her problem.

But...because of him, she met Lynell and Ren.

She had been such a mess that day. Crying, she ran back to Morroc as fast as she could and hid in the first empty alley she found. She sat there for hours, sobbing helplessly as she huddled against the wall. As night fell, a door opened, a sliver of yellow light penetrating the black of the alley. The smell of fresh breads and cakes wafted from the open door and made her stomach growl.

A middle-aged woman stepped out and set a bag of garbage next the door. As she wiped her hands on her off white apron, she looked in the direction of Asira's muffled whimpers. The thief tried to be quiet but it was impossible. The woman took slow steps toward her and gasped as she squinted to make out Asira's thin form.

"What in the world are you doing out here? It's dangerous! You should be at home."

The thief remained silent.

"Oh my. What's wrong?" The woman crouched in front of her, examining the young girl. "Do you have a home?" she asked gently. Asira slowly shook her head and wiped at her eyes. "Why don't you come inside? I'll get you something to eat."

From then on, Asira remained under Lynell's care. Ren seemed just as happy to take in the little thief. She couldn't have asked for two better people. Still, for the longest time, she worried for Sabri. She never did tell Lynell or or Ren about him. She always harbored a tiny hope that Sabri had lived somehow.

Turning away from the window, she placed the candle and holder in a small tin, picked up a box and made her way downstairs. She had made peace with Morroc and her new home, Alberta, awaited her.

---------------

A week after Asira, Lynell, and Ren moved into their new home, in the port city, something happened that Asira had never experienced before. Lynell had called her name and she ambled down to the kitchen to see her surrogate mother looking out the window to the street. "Look out there, Asira."

She moved next to Lynell and peered through the glass. For a moment, she didn't know what she was looking for. Then she noticed. Thick white flakes fluttered down from the overcast sky, sticking to whatever they landed on. "That's...that's snow!" she gasped. She had read about it, and dreamed about every winter before this one. Still, she had never seen snow before!

Lynell beamed at Asira's reaction. "Oh, just wait until it really gets going and we get a few more inches of it. I was--Asira! Don't go out without your coat!" Asira was just steps before the door when she stopped. the whole cold weather and coat thing was still new to her. It was a nice change though.

"Oh, okay," she laughed and grabbed her coat as she ran out the door. "Be back later!" she said as she shut the door behind her. This was perfect. She still had shopping to do and it gave her a chance to enjoy the weather.

After a while, she stopped in front of a shop window and readjusted the packages in her arms. She still had one more gift to pick up for Lynell. She wasn't sure what to buy.

Suddenly a hand was ruffling her hair. She groaned, figuring Ren had spotted her and come to tease her. Turning she opened her mouth to throw a playful insult but no words came out. Her packages fell from her suddenly weak arms into the snow. She was at a complete loss. She hadn't been prepared for this particular situation.

"I almost wasn't sure it was you. You're not a scrawny runt anymore."

She must be dreaming. She had to be.

He laughed. "You do remember me, don't you?" He leaned heavily on a cane as he kneeled and picked up her packages. She was still frozen in place. He was probably close to thirty but he still looked the same as she remembered. The cane just didn't suit him. "Here," he said, offering her the boxes. It was then that her eyes began to fill with tears.

With a sigh, he set the boxes back on the ground and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Asira, don't cry. I thought this would be a happy meeting."

She buried her face in his shoulder and hugged him tightly. She wouldn't have guessed she'd react this way to seeing Sabri again. "I-It is a happy thing. I just thought...I didn't think I'd see you. I thought they..."

"Well they didn't, but they weren't exactly gentle," he motioned to the cane. "Took me a long time to recover. I think it's better this way though. I had to figure out how to make a living like normal people do and I'm happier this way. And what about you, little thief?"

She grinned. "I didn't steal any more. Not since that day. Oh! Come with me!" She grabbed her slightly soggy packages and tugged Sabri down the street and back home. There, she introduced him to Lynell as her big brother.

As night fell, Sabri left, but not without a promise to come back and visit for Christmas. Asira had gone to her room and pulled a small tin from under her bed. She sat on floor and pulled the lid free. Inside were her white candles. She smiled as she ran her fingers over the candles. Then, she placed the lid back in place and slid the tin back under the bed.

She didn't need them anymore.