A Christmas Tale

CEBU, Philippines -  Watching busy shoppers rushing about in the cold breeze of December. It was the 24th of December. The spirit of Christmas widely spread throughout the city.

Families were hurrying along doing last-minute shopping. Everyone was anxious to get home and prepare an elaborate and festive “Noche Buena” ahead of them.

With the flurry of the crowd, a pitiful skinny child begging for food was not noticed. Beside the child was his sick mother coughing every once in a while. She was breathing heavily as she groaned, clutching her stomach.

Time slowly passed by. Each moment added to the agony of the mother; until darkness started to envelop the city. The bright Christmas lights at different houses and buildings started to come to life, adorning the streets.

Everyone seemed busier than ever. True to the lyrics of the song, December nights were colder than usual. The unforgiving chill was intensified by the cemeted area the beggars were staying. It is too much for both the child in his torn dress and his mother lying in the sidewalk. They shivered helplessly.

Kling! Klang!Kling! Klang! At last, the church bell chimed indicating that it is exactly midnight. The Christmas festivity was starting.

With excitement, the boy looked up and the mother lifted her head a little as pyrotechnics covered the night skies. Soon enough the whole city was filled with exalted shouts, cheers and chants. The child could not help but give in to the celebration despite their miserable condition.

Suddenly, there was a soft voice calling from behind him. He turned around and there stood a young lady in her 20s holding something in her hand. She was waving for him to approach. He obliged and slowly came near the lady . As he came close, she offered what she was holding—a budbud!

He shyly took it, murmured a quick thank you and went back to his mother. Not having eaten regularly for almost a week, this one budbud was a celebration.

He was smiling broadly as he excitedly told the mother that they have something to eat at last. But the mother did not respond. He shook her. His mother felt stiff.

While people were loudly celebrating, a tear streaked down the little boy’s bony cheek. The budbud fell as the boy embraced his mother. He suddenly lost his appetite.

The boy could not do anything but look up to the sky, as if praying. There he saw a falling star. It was like a soul returning to the earth as it bade its final goodbye. The boy held her mother much tighter as he eventually fell into an exhausted slumber. (FREEMAN)