username; SputnikSplashname; Chrisgender; MaleChris lived alone with his father, who was - to be honest, quite a grump.
Especially in the winter. He never really talked much andnever smiled once, as far as Chris could remember, anyway. Maybe he used to, back when his mother was still around. Chris was still a baby when his mother passed on. She died in a brutal winter storm while trying to fetch drinking water from a nearby lake. This was why Father hated winter so much, and why he was so unhappy all the time - he was always grieving for her. Sometimes the grief got so intense he would take it out on his poor son, yelling at him and calling him names for no reason. Chris wondered- especially at times like these- if Mother was still alive, would Father be different? Like... kinder? Happier? Chris spent many of his days staring at the old photos of his mother, dreaming about what they would be doing right now, if the terrible incident never happened. Despite everything, Chris managed to keep smiling and trying be the happiest Kalon in town, always cheering everyone up and making their day with his quirky sense of humor. However this year, Chris was finding it a little harder than usual to keep on his happy face. He was getting really close to becoming fully grown and never ONCE saw one sign of happiness from his father during his childhood. This was really getting to him, and he thought to himself,
It's only 10 days left until Christmas...this year, I'm going to give him something that will make him light up brighter than the lights on a Christmas tree!
He and father never celebrated Christmas, but this year he decided this was worth a shot.
He looked in every shop in town, but nothing looked like something that would make Father smile. With an exhausted huff of breath, he decided to call it a day and try tomorrow.
It was now 5 days until Christmas, and all the shops were completely wiped clean. Every single door he entered he was immediately greeted with bare shelves and empty display tables. Chris was starting to get frustrated, and without thinking he entered a hardware shop, even though there was nothing in there his father was even interested in. Even they were out of items, accept for one tiny wood log. Suddenly, an idea flashed through his head- no, wait- an incredible idea flashed through his head, and then he knew he had to buy that log.
It was now Christmas Eve, and Chris's project was almost finished. He had been sculpting ever since the day he bought the log, working from morning until night. He cut himself several times over the past few days but managed to hide his wounds from his father. Until today, now that he had put on so many bandages around his paw that it made him limp. His father stopped him on his way to the door. He nudged his paw with his own.
"What's this?" He asked. "Did you get into a fight?"
"N-no!" Chris replied. "Never!"
"Then how did you get these cuts?" His father asked, glaring ferociously at him.
"B-but-" Chris began.
"Answer. Me.
Now."
The little green Kalon sighed.
"I wanted to keep it a surprise but... I'm making you a Christmas gift."
"Prove it." Father growled.
"Don't you want to wait until tomorrow?" Chris squeaked.
"I said...
prove it."Chris nodded reluctantly and went to his room to bring over his project. On the way he started to think this whole thing was a big mistake and the gift would only make him angrier than he already was. He brought it over and set it down gently at his father's feet. His father picked up the small sculpture between his paws, and his eyes went wide. In his paws was a perfectly accurate statuette of Chris's mother, all of her facial features were precise, even the warmth in her eyes.
"How... did you make it look so much like her?" His father gasped.
"I look at the old photos a lot... I guess I got to know her face really well." Chris replied. "I'm sorry, Father. It brings back too many memories- I shouldn't have-"
"No, Chris. It's..." His father interrupted with his voice choked up. "It's the best thing you ever did."
Then something amazing happened. His father
hugged him. All his life, his father never even went near him, he kept his distance as much as possible. Now here he was hugging him. Then something even MORE amazing happened. Chris's father stopped hugging him for a moment to look down at him. His eyes were all teared up and he was smiling.
Smiling! Then he said, "I'm so proud of you." Chris's heart felt like it was about to explode with happiness. All he ever wanted was to see was his father happy, and here it was happening right before his very eyes.
"I wish I had something to give you," He said.
"You don't need to give me anything," Chris replied. "Seeing you smile is good enough."
"I didn't know you did wood carvings," Father chuckled. "I guess there's some stuff I don't know about you... that needs to be fixed. We'll have a Father/Son vacation every week. We'll travel everywhere and do everything. We'll make this our early new-years resolution."
"I agree!" Chris said. "Merry early Christmas, Father."
"Merry early Christmas, son."
From that day on, Chris and his father were closer than ever. They kept their resolution, and they traveled all over the country, and just had a great time together. They chatted constantly, sometimes even talking about Mother, and Chris discovered so much more about her. She was also a wood carver, she loved to sing, her favorite dessert was cherry pie, and she was the kindest Kalon around. Father realized how much in common she and his son. Another thing he realized was that when Chris made him that little figure for Christmas, that was exactly what she would have done. Now not only did he feel closer to his son now, he felt closer to his wife's spirit, and now he knew his life was back together.
Dividers by PhoebeRose on Deviantart.Animated sprites by Lucinhae on Deviantart
