Parchment Paths

  It’s  an unsettling fact that Christmas can be both amazing and depressing at the same time.  Honestly, Charlie Brown was completely  relatable  in his holiday despair.  Mental illness, grief, anxiety,  don’t  take a winter break like kids in school.    Whether  it’s  a quiet moment in almost empty  church, watching  a Christmas movie , or sitting in a dark room lit  only by  the Christmas tree, we all need moments  of peace to fully enjoy the joy of the season.  This is why you find yourself taking a walk after work and  Christmas  shopping.    You take a side street that seems quieter than the main street with all the busy shops.  You begin to find  some peace as you walk.  A light snow begins to fall  and you smile, remembering  making snowmen with your brother as  kids .  It’s  a calming memory  interrupted  only by a dog’s...

         One night, you drive by your old childhood mall, which has been closed for several year s, only to see the lights on and cars in the parking lot. You park and go inside to investigate . Once inside, you can’t tell if you've fallen into the past, a dream, or even a haunting; all you know is that whatever you have foun d, you feel safe. It’s been a long, disappointing day . Your workday seemed to be one dumpster fire after another . When did weekends become full of unsatisfying work rather than friends and fun? Oh, yeah , when you grew up and got a job. If only you could be a kid again, you think as you drive by the old mall.   Flashes of light catches your eyes as you almost completely pass the mall. Wait, are the lights coming from the mall? The parking lot as well as the store signs are actually on . Since the last store closed years ago , no one has bothered to turn on the lights , in fact you assumed the power had been shut off. Has t...