We had been walking for ages. I had left the house at ten, and now it was nearly half past eleven. Only half an hour left before Christmas Day arrived.

As we went walking through and around the forest, I couldn't help but picture ourselves as we were walking, as if I were a passer-by.

What would I see?

Apart from a man walking with a living corpse.

I would see…a couple…who looked very much in love, regardless of the differences between them…gazing at one another like they were the most beautiful thing in the world. Like they were inseparable. Not even the end of the world could come between them. They were caught up in the moment of loving one another too much to notice or even care what everyone else thought.

That's what I would see.

Maybe I should've wished for that instead? Could I change my wish? Was it possible? Oh god, did I do the right thing? My head was spinning from thoughts of if I was doing the right thing. I swallowed these thoughts. What was done, was done. If the wish came true tonight, that would be enough for me to accept. But if I wanted more?

We neared the bridge, the moonlight radiating our path as the trickle of water sounded from underneath. Emily rushed ahead, pulling gently away from my grip as she caught sight of the moonlight on the ice cold water flow.

"It's things like this that I miss. The little things. The smell of blooming flowers. The feeling of water on my fingers. The sensation of the wind through my hair."

"You really miss them?" I asked, catching up with her, watching her eyes scan the river.

She nodded.

"I do." She swallowed, before a little smile crept on her face, accompanied by a childish giggle. "I've heard those words before." I glanced over the river, following her gaze as she watched entranced at the sight. Silence came between us, before I recalled the package in my pocket.

"I got you a present" I said, breaking the silence.

"I got you one too."

"You didn't have to do that."

"It's Christmas, it's compulsory to give loved ones presents."

"You consider me a loved one?" I asked, touched at her generosity and kindness.

"Of course. I don't know why you wouldn't be" she answered, turning to face me, her arm appearing from behind her back, revealing a packaged parcel. I mirrored her movements and brought out the box from my pocket, holding it out to her.

"Who opens theirs first?" I asked her as she clasped her neatly wrapped present in her hands.

"You open yours" she insisted. "I want to see your reaction."

"Alright then" I smiled. I balanced my gift to her on the brick wall of the bridge and took her present in my hands. She was smiling with anticipation as I started to remove the wrapping and wonder what she had gotten me. The first corner came away easily and I could see what lay underneath. My heart started racing and my mouth grew to a large smile as I revealed a large book. A sketchbook. A large white sketchbook with my name written across the front cover in perfect handwriting in jet black ink. Underneath my name was a small sketch of a butterfly, fluttering across the page.

"Oh god, you don't like it" Emily gasped. I snapped my head up when I heard her gasp.

"No, no, no. I love it. I do. I really do." I started calming her sudden nerves.

"You do?" she asked, relieved.

"I do" I smiled. "It's perfect."

"I got it personalised so it was extra special. Something to remind you of me" she grinned.

"It couldn't be any more perfect" I added, smiling brightly at her as I ran my fingers over the front cover, tracing the butterfly and its wings.

"OK, now mine" I said, placing the sketchbook under my arm and grabbing her present and handing it to her. She beamed like a happy child, her hands at her mouth in excitement before she gently took the present in her own hands, tracing the paper with her skeletal fingers.

"I hope you like it" I smiled as she began tearing at the paper.

Her eyes met the plush box and she went to start opening it. One hand underneath the box, the other hand opening it, her eyes fixated as the lid lifted.

Her smile dropped, so did my heartbeat.

She didn't say anything. She was speechless. Out of hate or love?

"Emily?" I asked. She stood still as a statue as her gaze was fixed on the pendant.

"Oh god, I'm sorry. I wasn't sure whether you'd like it or not" I started mumbling as her eyes met mine. She shut the box quickly with a slam, before grabbing my hand in hers, dragging me towards the church.

I didn't know what she was doing or thinking. She seemed upset at the sight of this necklace, but what caused that? As far as I know, I had done nothing wrong. Or maybe the wish went wrong and this was the disastrous result?

Emily dragged me to the doorsteps of the church where we intended to wed just months ago. She looked around her, checking for anyone in sight of seeing us together. Then she turned to me, pulling me down on to the steps with her and we sat, on the ice cold stone steps of the church as she held the box in both of her hands, and stared deeply in to my eyes, with such urgency.

"Why did you get me this? How did you know?" she demanded.

"I got it because I thought it would look beautiful on you…How did I know what?"

"How did you know? My mother…my mother had one just like this when I was growing up. I used to admire it in the jewellery box and occasionally take it out to see what it was like around my neck. I completely forgot about it as I grew up, until now…now, I see its look-a-like in my hands and…I'm speechless. How did you know that I would love it so much?"

Now I was speechless. She loved it! She actually loved it! I had never felt so relieved in my life.

"You love it?"

"I love it!" she exclaimed.

"Oh thank god!" I sighed, rolling my head and closing my eyes in relief.

"What made you think I wouldn't love it?"

"Your reaction. You said nothing, then drag me over here like you were going to kill me" I said. Emily simply laughed, placing her hand over her mouth as she did.

"Oh Victor. I could never do such a thing like that to you" she chuckled.

"Good, because on Christmas Eve, that's the last thing I want" I added, starting to laugh myself. We laughed hysterically like our lungs were soon to burst. It felt so good to be having such fun with her again. The last time I laughed that much was when I was a child…and even then, it was only for a brief moment. Not as long as this.

Emily stopped laughing and looked down at her necklace again, her eyes filled with awe.

In that moment, I remembered – the wish. In order for it to come true, it had to be worn. It came to my mind that if my wish was to be granted whilst Emily was still here with me, there was only one thing left to do.

"You still need to try it on" I said.

"Will you help me?" she asked, beginning to lift the necklace from its box and handed it to me. She then turned away from me, lifting her long blue hair up to her head. Taking the necklace chain in my hands, I shuffled forward – closer to her. I then put my hands through the gaps between her neck and her arms and let the necklace find its place around her neck.

I secured the clasp and sat back, watching the necklace gracefully slide in to place as Emily let her hair drop and turned back to face me, the necklace now positioned perfectly.

It glistened like…never before. It glittered like the perfect moonlight on the river, like the two were put together for each other. She smiled as she looked down, her skeletal fingers tracing over the jewel as it continued to shine.

"It's too beautiful to even describe" she sighed, avoiding my gaze.

"I know."

"It really is the perfect present Victor. I can't wait to hear what everyone else thinks of it when I go home."

"Go home" I whispered to myself.

"Downstairs. I can't stay here forever."

"Can't you?"

She looked at me, her eyes filled with concern.

"I wouldn't think it was possible. The dead don't usually stay up here after they've passed on."

"And you've passed on?" What? What was I saying?

"Of course I have. You should know, you watched me fly away."

My thoughts returned to the night when Emily flew off – literally – in to the sky, in the form of hundreds of butterflies.

"In the time between my death and you setting me free, I was…lost. Caught between both worlds, no idea of what was going to happen to me. Would I get my happy ending? Would I return to the grave? Would my afterlife be an eternity of doing the same thing, day after day? I couldn't stay up here. There's nothing here left for me."

"There's me" I blurted out.

"You? Why you? You were the one who let me go."

"I know. I know I did but…"

"Victor. What are you trying to say?"

"I'm trying to say…that…I miss you. I really do. I miss you more than I had expected. The night you flew off, I didn't know what was going to happen next. Was I really going to marry Victoria and would I see you again? You have no idea how overjoyed I was when Bonejangles said you had accepted my invitation. My heart was racing so fast, I thought it was going to burst. What I'm trying to say is I want to see more of you. And by asking you to stay is a way of granting that desire. I've missed you so much, Emily. Haven't you missed me?"

Her eyes were starting to fill with tears. She sniffed one away whilst another slid down her cheek. She turned away abruptly and wiped it away before turning back to me, more tears brimming in her eyes.

"Don't make me feel so guilty Victor. Of course I missed you. I missed you the moment I was walking down that aisle in to the moonlight. Do you think it was easy for me, to see the man I love marry another woman – whether she was dead or alive?! No! It killed me inside to see how happy you were and it killed me that I wasn't sharing that happiness with you. There is nothing more in this world that I want more, than to stay with you. But how would she react?"

"Victoria?"

"Yes, Victoria. How would she feel? If I was to stay here, she would have to go through the same misery as me, and believe me – no woman in this world should feel that pain! It's too horrible. So no, I can't stay. I have go home eventually. It's where I belong."

"You can't even spend Christmas Day with me?" I asked, moving closer to her.

"That would be too much. Besides, we've already exchanged gifts" she answered.

OK, now was my only chance. If this wish was to come true, then I had to grasp at the opportunity, otherwise it would be the biggest mistake of my life.

"If you can't stay here, and you can't spend Christmas Day with me – then at least grant me this one wish." I asked, as my hands took hold of hers.

"What is it?" she asked. Now we were face to face, closer than ever, my hands holding hers that rested on her lap.

And as if on cue, I could feel something growing above us. Something natural. Something magical. I looked up, hoping that what I had wished for was actually coming true in that moment.

It was.

Emily was following my gaze, her eyes looking up towards the bend in the archway of the church. Up above our heads, growing out of nowhere – was a lock of mistletoe. It seemed to grow exceptionally fast, like the process of growth was speeded up and being performed right in front of our eyes. As it finished growing, and hung above us in perfect presentation, Emily and I lowered our heads to see eye to eye. I was so close to her I could see how long her eyelashes were, and the deep colour that radiated in her eyes.

"Mistletoe" she whispered.

"Yeah" I replied.

"How did that get there?" she asked, leaning ever so closer.

"A wish."

With those final two words, I closed the gap between us – and kissed her.

And she kissed me back.

It was perfect. We sat under the archway of the church, between the mistletoe in the Christmas snow, kissing. A perfect scene for a perfect moment. What made it better was the sound of the church bells ringing out, announcing the official arrival of Christmas Day.

We kissed through the church bells, savouring the perfect moment between us.

The magic of the pendant had actually worked! This was what I had wished for. That last and only time we kissed, was when I was on the brink of fainting and scared half-to-death of the sight of Emily. And after our short time together months ago, after she left, I had come to a conclusion.

If I couldn't marry her, if I would always love her, if I ever saw her again, I would kiss her.

That was my one desire. My one wish. That was all I wanted.

At this time of year, I didn't want presents, hot food, family gatherings, trees, decorations and roasting fires.

I wanted her.

Even if it was for a few moments kissing under the church archway, or walking with her through the woods arm in arm. That was enough. I worried if I would ever become addicted to the sensation of being with her, but I put that concern aside. Worry about it another time. In the meantime, enjoy what you have with her.

When the church bells finished ringing, we gently pulled away from one another, our eyes remaining closed. I opened my eyes to see Emily was still close to me, her eyes half open. She blinked and smiled. A smile of pure joy, love and happiness. A smile I would always cherish until my dying day. She gazed at me longingly, before her perfect voice spoke three perfect words.

"Merry Christmas Victor."

"Merry Christmas Emily."

The End.

4