The Light in the Window
The Light in the Window
Across The Street
December 23, 2019
The Tree
Stan Merriam stares out his window at his neighbor's house across the street, so glad they finally put up their Christmas tree.
It's a huge tree that fills the bay window of the spacious, gray brick home, which is the nicest on the block. The tree has red, green and blue lights and its appearance each December signals, to Stan, that Christmas time is here.
But this year for some reason which he does not know, the tree did not arrive until just a few days before Christmas whereas in yesteryear it was up - or so he thought he remembered - seemingly within hours of Thanksgiving's demise.
Stan does not know the neighbors who live in the house except for an occasional wave or nod but even that has been absent in recent weeks. Where were they?
Across the neighborhood Stan has noticed that a lot of homes are not decorated this year. Fewer lights and mangers. Smaller reindeer. Melting snowmen.
It doesn't matter now, Stan supposes, because the tree is up and the mood is right. And as night falls, Stan picks up the phone to call the neighbors with the handsome tree just to thank them but then he quickly remembers he does not know their number. He does not even know their names.
Stan puts the phone down and moves the chess pieces across the board in quiet attack against a relentless, phantom opponent, the glow from the tree clinging to the cold just outside his window. --TK
Monday, December 23, 2019