Shades of Tea

Touareg

"Look at the sky. We are not alone. The whole universe is friendly to us and conspires only to give the best to those who dream and work." - A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

"I have some tea if you want." Dylan winked at me, pulling out a flask. I quirked an eyebrow as he unscrewed the top and poured it into a plastic mug. The warm tea warmed my cold fingers as the taste of bergamot filled my tastebuds. I hummed with appreciation.

"So what do you think of the ride?" He asked taking a sip of his own beverage. Using my free hand, I quickly typed my reply.

It's wonderful. I looked at him with wide, enthusiastic eyes.

"I'm glad." He gave me a closed mouth smile. Later that morning we were back in the car driving to an airport.

Why are we going to airport?

"There's something special we're going to see, and there are only some places in the world you can see it." He explained as we bought our tickets. "It's a few hours till landing, so you might as well get some shut eye." I hadn't realised how tired I was because I fell asleep almost immediately.

"Mom, dad! Wake up!" My sister and I jumped onto their bed, too excited to care that it was barely 6 in the morning, or that it was still dark outside.

"Girls, go back to sleep. It's not yet 7 o'clock." My father groaned.

"But it's Christmas!" My sister said.

"Honey, I don't think we're going to get any more sleep today." My mother smiled at him. Shaking his head whilst chuckling he slipped out of the bed, following us down the stairs. Standing bright and proud in our living room was our tall tree, under which brightly coloured boxes lay. My sister and I ran to the small coffee table to gleefully realise that Santa had paid a visit the night before since the cookies and milk were gone.

My mother headed to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. Ever year, without fail she made Christmas themed pancakes. She placed the tall stack of pancakes on the table, ushering us to eat them before they got cold. Giddily, I poured a generous helping of our homemade maple syrup before cutting myself a bite of the sweet food.

"Slow down kids, you're going to choke." My mother laughed as we rushed to finish our plate so we could open our gifts. The living room looked like a bomb had just hit as all the torn wrapping paper was strewn across the floor, our gifts half opened and our stockings emptied on the rug. My father had given me a beautifully crafted ring while my sister was given a jewelled broach both passed down from our grandparents. That was the last Christmas we were to spend together as a family, unaware of how our lives were about to change.

"Elise we've landing." Dylan shook me awake. Wiping the lone tear that escaped, I nodded and followed him off the plane. All I could see for miles was pure white snow, endless and undisturbed.

"You'll enjoy tonight. I'm sure of it." Dylan grinned. He reached out to grab a hold of my hand, intertwining our fingers. Pulling me close, we stood outside the small airport staring into each other's eyes. He pulled my coat tighter around my body before getting into a taxi. We sat close to each other, his arm slung around my shoulders while I gazed out the window watching the snow capped mountains pass us by.

After checking into the resort, a small family owned cabin that accommodated a few families. Dylan carried our bags to our shared room, which was simply decorated with all the basic necessities. It gave off a cozy, and warm feeling, one that made me sigh when I fell back on the bed.