Handkerchief Girl – A Christmas Story

Once upon a time…

The winter night has fallen over the city like a heavy blanket. As white snowflakes dance silently in the light of street lamps, the streets are filled with a deep cold and a sharp loneliness. While people cheerfully await the New Year in their homes, the world outside is left alone.

In the middle of the city, a little girl was wandering around, shivering in her thin coat, snow filling her torn shoes. No one knew her, no one remembered her. No one knew her name. People would just call her “Handkerchief Girl”. She had lost her parents at a young age and was trying to hold on to life alone, in a life where no one even glanced at her.

It was New Year’s Eve. The city was adorned with colorful lights and people’s laughter echoed through the streets. Warm tables were set and gifts were opened in every home. But on the edge of all this glitter and joy, the Handkerchief Girl was trying to sell her thin handkerchiefs. As people hurried past her, no one noticed her hands bruised from the cold, nor her lips chapped from the chill.

Hours passed, the cold snow seeping through his shoes completely numbed his feet. His stomach had not been full for days, and the weight of hunger weighed heavily on his shoulders with every step. Listening to the laughter of people on the street, he retreated to a corner. In front of him, in the middle of the square, a huge pine tree was rising. He could only watch as people gathered around the tree, laughing and exchanging gifts.

He closed his eyes for a moment. He imagined himself as part of the crowd. A huge table, hot food, gifts in his hands… But the dream dissipated as the cold wind hit his face.

Just then, an old man appeared next to him. His long red coat and white beard were strangely familiar. “Son, why are you here all alone?” he asked, his voice full of compassion.

The girl was scared at first and backed away. ”You’re… Santa Claus? “ he asked in a low voice. The man smiled and shook his head. “Maybe I am,” he said and held out his hand towards her. “Come, let’s warm you up a bit.”

The girl started walking with the old man. The snow crunched beneath her feet and the cold that burned her lungs deepened with each breath. After a while they reached a small hut in the forest. It was warm inside; the crackling of the wood burning in the fireplace echoed off the walls of the room.

The man handed her a plate of hot soup. “Here, this will warm you up a bit,” he said, his voice soft and peaceful. The girl hesitated at first, but the smell of the soup filled her nostrils and made her forget her hunger a little. She took the plate with trembling hands and began to drink with great appetite.

The man’s eyes were full of compassion, but suddenly he turned to her with a serious expression. “Do you like to dream?” he asked. The girl nodded as she swallowed the last mouthful. “Then close your eyes,” the man said and snapped his fingers.

Suddenly the hut disappeared and the girl found herself in another world. Endless fields of flowers replaced the snow and stars danced in the sky. The girl found a dress fit for a princess. Everyone in this world smiled at her and wanted to talk to her. Hunger, loneliness, cold… there was nothing left.

But as fascinating as this world was, there was an emptiness inside. In the deepest corner of her heart, she felt that this place was not real. Yet happiness was so foreign to him that he didn’t want to leave this beautiful dream. The old man gently leaned over and said, “You can stay here. The things you have always dreamed of are waiting for you here,” he said, his voice as soft as a lullaby.

The girl tried to smile, but there was sadness in her eyes. “No one noticed me in real life,” she whispered. “But I still want to be there. Maybe… one day someone will notice.”

The man remained silent. He put his hands on her shoulders and snapped his fingers once more. When the girl opened her eyes, she found herself in the snow again. But the cold no longer reached her. There was a deep peace on her face.

The next morning, the little girl’s lifeless body was found under the Christmas tree. She was lying in the snow with the peace of an angel, an indescribable smile on her face. The people gathered around her noticed the handkerchiefs she held tightly in her hand and a gold star shining beside her. The light of the star shone softly, as if hope had fallen on the snow.

No one knew who this little girl was or where that golden star came from. But after that moment, New Year’s Eve in that city was never the same. People noticed the children who were cold on the streets and listened to their voices. Some opened a warm home, some took a small handkerchief and touched their hearts.

The Handkerchief Girl left this world leaving behind silence and light. But her story touched people’s hearts like snowflakes and lived there forever. On New Year’s Eve, each star shone like her eyes looking out from the sky.

Would you also like to read the fairy tale of The Little Match Girl?