Be Merry and Bright

Photo by Ev on Unsplash

Sam sat against a cold cement wall, watching people walk by. They smiled and laughed as snow lightly dusted their warm jackets, until their gaze met his, shutting them up like a scolded child.

He pulled his blanket tighter to gather more heat and tapped an upturned Broncos cap with his toes. “Merry Christmas,” he muttered as they passed.

A clinking sound echoed from his hat as they continued on their way to the Christmas Festival of Lights downtown. His arm struck like a cobra and snatched the hat before frozen fingers pawed at the evening’s return — two quarters, a dime, one dollar, and a parking receipt.

“Merry Christmas,” Sam muttered before standing up and shambling away from the bright people around him, afraid their light would diminish the darkness that served as his only comfort. The light was just too painful.

Before long he was away from the lights and the crowds and deep into the shadow of downtown. Where whispers of drugs, crime, and violence caused good people to find another route. Another neglected neighborhood, forgotten when something shiny came along. A place like Sam.

He turned down his familiar alley and passed the pallets that marked his home. They were always there for him. Sheltering him from the light. He dropped to the ground and wrapped the blanket tighter as the chill deepened…