Abiel,
Happy holidays! I have counted the holidays I did not get to spend with you and also all your birthdays. I know I have missed much of your life, and you must blame me for that. I understand if you do not wish to see me.
There are so many things I want to tell you.
Sincerely,
Hannibal Lecter
Merry Christmas!
To be honest, I don't know what to say to the son I haven't seen in years. I know you hate me and this must be awkward for you if you haven't burnt this yet.
When I learned that you're in Maryland, I must admit I was thrilled. I wanted to immediately come and see you, but I knew how all these must be difficult for you. It's just as difficult for me.
Chiyoh must have raised you to be a fine young man.
Wishing you all the best,
Will Graham
I purposely read these messages beside a fire, hoping to burn them as Will Graham anticipated. Somehow, though, I have kept the first letters and greeting cards I received from my parents for years to come.
The next morning, the first thing my godmother told me was, "I took the liberty of sending Will and Hannibal Christmas cards on your behalf."
"Did you also take the liberty to write them messages on my behalf?" I asked.
"No. A couple of generic Christmas cards would do." She replied.
I smirked. "Thank you, godmother."
"Do you hate them, Abiel?" She asked, her face never betraying what kind of answer she was expecting.
I shrugged. "To me they're just people who made my life possible via purchase." I replied as I took a pitcher of water from the fridge. "Maybe I should be thankful towards them."
"Your parents can be very cold." Dr. Du Maurier said as she watched me pour a glass of water. "But you, Abiel, are winter. They are autumn compared to you."
"Autumn gives birth to winter." I remarked and drank the cold water. "But I cannot promise spring." I smiled and gave her a curt nod before proceeding to the front door for my morning walk.
It was a particularly cold winter morning and my boots sank about half an inch into the thin layer of snow that had accumulated on the sidewalk. It was snowing heavily earlier, but it had stopped while I was walking. There were only a handful of people who were out of their homes that morning and none of them was in a greeting mood, much to my relief. There was not a single vehicle to be seen driving through the neighborhood, until a black SUV with tinted windows rushed from the direction where I came from. I paid it no heed and kept walking.
From a distance, I saw the SUV stop a few meters from where I first saw it. The driver stepped out and left a box on the sidewalk without ceremony before he returned to the car and drove on.
Alarmed and curious, I made sure that the vehicle was out of sight before I jogged towards the box. It was taped shut. I took out the pocket knife Chiyoh gave me when I was seven and cut through the tape. What I saw inside made me know that my godmother's statement about my coldness was not entirely true.
Cursing under my breath, I quickly took off my scarf and wrapped it around the German shepherd pup that was whimpering breathlessly in the sealed box. I cradled the tiny animal to my chest to keep it warm. It amazed me how it was still striving to live despite the evident attempt of its master to leave it in the cold to die.
"I'll get you home, I'll get you home." I said in response to the sighs and whimpers it was making.
I rose to my feet, careful to hold the puppy close and ran as fast as I could to my godmother's house.
"You are out of breath, have you been running?" My godmother asked when she heard me enter.
I did not reply and rushed to the living room where I could make the pup warm and cozy. I heard rushed footsteps and soon enough, my godmother stood surveying me from the threshold.
"What happened to you?" She asked, looking distressed.
Still breathing heavily, I rose from where I was making a makeshift cot for the puppy.
"I thought you were shot!" Dr. Du Maurier exclaimed, walking briskly towards me. "What have you got there?"
"I, uh, someone left it to die on the sidewalk four blocks from here." I explained, gesturing towards the little thing huddled on my coat and scarf upon the floor.
Dr. Du Maurier examined the pup before looking at me with a deadpan face. "A dog, Abiel? You brought a dog into my house?"
"Yes, well, it was dying." I replied.
She bowed her head and pressed the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger.
"I'll just nurse it back to health, after that I'm getting it out of your hair." I pleaded.
My godmother sighed. "No, Abiel, you are keeping it. It's your responsibility now." She said, withdrawing her hand from her face to reveal a serious expression.
"Really?" I must have smiled without knowing, because she suppressed an immediate smile and sighed again.
"I should have known." My godmother muttered.
"Known what, godmother?" I asked.
"That you collect strays like Will Graham."
When classes resumed, I had talked my roommate into having Tristan stay with us. Tristan was the best Christmas gift I have ever received.