The Christmas Locket

To all who loved and lost.

Claudia jerked to a loud cackling sound that was coming from outside her apartment and opened her eyes. The room was dark and the only light she noticed came from her cellphone that lit up from a notification that just came through.

Groggily, she pulled herself to an upright position. She had fallen asleep on her couch. The heavy, dark clouds looming from afar which she saw through her windows suggested a brewing thunderstorm.

Flashes of light struck from the skies and Claudia braced herself for that boisterous thunder again. This time, nothing. She let out a huge sigh and was only then aware that she had been holding her breath. She could tolerate rainy days but never a thunderstorm. Yet who is she to negotiate a thunderstorm out of the way with the heavens?

Reaching forward with her right hand, Claudia picked up her phone from the coffee table that revealed it was already 7.15 p.m. She lifted herself up from the couch, groaning a little when she felt the sensation of pins and needles rise up in her left leg. But her attention was quickly diverted to the melodious tune that was drifting into her house. She hopped towards her window with her right leg.

A bunch of carolers stood across the street, hands holding up little booklets, singing a cappella to “Feliz Navidad.” It was one of her favorite Christmas songs which she would put on repeat most of the days when December rolled around each year. Focusing intently on the carolers, she recalled how Patrick would occasionally sing the song to her while she prepared their meals in the kitchen.

Patrick.
A familiar pang hit her.

It has been two Christmases and tomorrow would be the third since…

A sharp pain pierced through her heart, jolting her back to the present — back into the apartment where she stood staring out at the carolers from her window. She shudders and shook her head in an attempt to empty her mind from any remnant thoughts.

At the growling sound of her stomach, Claudia made her way into the kitchen. An open concept kitchen with an island in the middle and a dining table that could fit six people by the side. Patrick loved having people over for dinners and…

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