9/12- Mistletoe- A Kiss Goodnight

Contemporary

Within a snowy plain, where no creature dare stir, lay an abandoned hotel. It sat, sad and melancholic amongst piles of white goodness that wouldn’t clear until Spring. The brick walls held firm, despite the paint slowly chipping off, making the sign hardly visible. It was just as well, because no one had visited the hotel for over a decade, because a rumour had spread that it was overgrown with poisonous weeds.

 Well, never mind the rumours. Even if they had ever been true, now the hotel had a shovelled driveway, welcoming guests, and the leak in the roof had been repaired, meaning that guests could sleep comfortably, without the worry of drowning in a snowy and frost-bitey nightmare. The smashed window (probably caused by some bored teenagers) hadn’t been replaced, as there hadn’t been time, but it was covered over with cardboard on the inside, and layers of bin-bags stapled onto the outer wall. Yes, it looked odd. But no attention was paid to it.

Little twinkling lights smiled up at the night sky, flashing every colour as Peter couldn’t decide which was best, until he finally settled on them being multicoloured. His wife made a sound of annoyance, but then kissed him on the cheek and told him it looked wonderful. And it did! As every guest entered, they gazed up as the lights smiled dow at them, whilst also guiding them into the hotel with gentle care.

Inside, however, the peace didn’t continue. The ancient furtniture had been rearranged, and the unusable pieces had been tossed and replaced with the best replicas that could be found. The room was a masterpiece of art, and antiques that hadn’t been collected before the old owner had evacuated this hotel. But amongst this beauty, a party was in full swing, all friends, family friends and friends of friends of friends were all gathered in the lobby, talking and sharing chaos and whatever they had brought with them.

There had only been one rule to attend: bring some food, Christmas gifts, or anything else that would help hold this party together, and keep it blossoming with fun, generosity, and a sense of escaping reality.

Jessica brought just a small box; half the size of a book. She wouldn’t have even used that much, but she was worried it would get soaked, or worse, lost in the snow. Many gave her sidelong glances for not bringing what they believed to be the ‘right amount’.

She opened it in the privacy of one of the bedrooms, which, sadly, hadn’t been renovated in time for the party. She opened up the box standing in a thick layer of rubble, and revealed to the empty room twelve branches of leaves.

No, they weren’t leaves. They were Mistletoe. Freshly picked off her apple tree this morning, the parasite had leeched onto her precious tree for far too long before she realised it had been there. Hopefully, inside of sparking trouble in her garden, it would spark the life of the party.

So, she snuck around, almost like a criminal, hanging up the Mistletoe by every doorway downstairs, and somehow even managed to get it on the front door without anyone noticing her. She had them all pre-tied with red ribbon, with a little tape on the back, ready to put up at a moment’s notice.

When she was done, she returned to the party and acted equally as mesmerised by the magical appearance, just like the other guests.

*

Peter and his wife were the first ones to kiss beneath the mistletoe. The stress that had accumulated thanks to organising this party was tremendous. They were both worried about money, about their dream: to get this hotel up and running again. They had met and had their first kiss here, before it had fallen into disrepair. And since then, they've never spent a night apart.

Their kiss was below the first mistletoe, beneath the front entrance. After all the guests had flooded in, they stood wrapped up in each other's arms, hearts full of hope. Their dream was coming true.

Bill and Deloris were the second pair to kiss under the mistletoe. After weeks and weeks of waiting on Deloris' part, Bill finally noticed what had been in front of him all this time: a girl who'd give him her full heart, and take care of his in return. It was their first kiss; awkward, and both of them laughed it off afterwards. But both of them had a warm glow inside them for the rest of the evening.

Clarissa and Robin were next, kissing below the mistletoe hung by the stairs. They had simultaneously looked up after meeting up to make up after their argument. Both of them had said things they didn't really mean, and the guilt had been gnawing at them for far too long.

But something about seeing each other in this new light made Clarissa move up a step to be face-to-face with Robin, and with tears in their eyes, they kissed for what felt like the first time. But it could have easily been their hundredth. Without any more words, they were both healed.

Maverick was the fourth, and fifth, and sixth to kiss under the mistletoe. He moved with no grace, his head spinning from the wine, kissing every woman he saw on the cheek.

Then, on the other side of the hotel, Mrs Anderson took her husband by the hand, and they looked into each other's eyes deeply. Forty years of marriage, and almost five years before that, they had been together. They never wavered in their love for each other, and now had four kids and four grandkids. Their lives couldn't have been more perfect. She had retired a couple of years ago, and he was going to join her soon.

They had to drop some dreams along the way, but the important ones stayed. And they were going to fulfil the last one when he retired: going to Turkey, and living lavishly for once. As she pecked him on the cheek, they remembered all they had lived through. Together.

Kuro and Nonnie were newlyweds, trying to figure out what marriage means and how to navigate it. The world was their oyster, and they were ready to take it on with a glint in their eyes.

They'll travel, they'll have a family, but most importantly, they'll enjoy life and all it has in store for them. Their kiss was young and free, just like their souls, and their contagious energy that floated through the party.

The night was splendid. Even the loneliest of souls found company, and everyone was content.

Or so it seemed.

Only two rooms had been repaired in time for the party. One was for Peter and his wife, Amelia. The other was for Amelia's younger sister, Tavia. She was just thirty, but already a widow. As of a week ago. The army had let her know that James, her brave and selfless husband, had saved two soldiers instead of himself. He was always so kind.

Tavia refused to skip the party, but she also hid that he was gone. She just said that he was happy and being his giving self as usual. She didn't have it in her to even tell little Amy, who was now playing with the other kids at the party.

James, many weeks ago, had written that he was coming home for Christmas. Home for good. He said that they'd go to the Christmas party together, the three of them.

Tavia sat on her own, on the bed of her lovely hotel room. The architect within her couldn't help but admire it, despite the flood of emotions she was sure was about to drown her. She hung his picture on the wall after much deliberation with herself, and it suited the room. Like he belonged there, with the rest of the family.

As her daughter came bouncing in happily, Tavia wiped a tear from her eye to hide her misery. "I really miss him," Amy whispered, hugging her mother around the waist.

"Me too, darling." Tavia did her best to stop her voice from shaking.

"But like this, it's almost like he's with us." The daughter comforted her mother as she was tucked into bed. Dumb! Comforting wasn't meant to be this way round.

"I guess you're right." Tavia gave an actual, genuine smile before giving Amy a kiss.

But the little girl wasn't satisfied. She begged her mum to let her give a kiss to portrait-dad. So they both did it.

They fell asleep peacefully, letting lie on their lips the last kiss goodnight.

Thank you for reading. I hope you got a little Christmas joy from this story. Here, for anyone who wants it, is the maintenance.

If you enjoyed this story, please, please, please (I can add a cherry if necessary) like, comment, rate and share. It really helps me out and allows others to see these (hopefully decent) stories. Thank you, and Merry Christmas.