December Arrived

# December Arrived Wearing Glass and Angel

December in M. always arrives through shop windows first. Suddenly everything reflects light. Glass. Silver decorations. Department stores trying aggressively to convince people happiness can be purchased wrapped in dark green paper. Honestly sometimes they almost succeed. This morning the city looked frozen in that pale northern way where even elegant people seem annoyed by weather. My hands were freezing before first period and the tram windows kept fogging up every few minutes from everybody breathing impatience into the air. School feels slightly more survivable now only because outside everything glows after sunset. That’s probably psychologically intentional.

When I got home the apartment smelled entirely like Angel because Mam had just come back from a meeting with clients and apparently one spray of that perfume can dominate entire architectural spaces. She was still wearing heels while sketching earrings near the dining room table under white lamps, Christmas lights from the windows reflecting faintly on diamonds spread across black velvet. Sometimes our apartment looks less like a home and more like the private office of a very elegant villain.

I love it honestly.

At dinner Mam said: “December makes people spend money emotionally.” Which sounds cold until you realize she’s completely right. Even at school everybody behaves differently now. Girls discussing gifts like diplomatic negotiations. Boys suddenly pretending to understand romance because capitalism frightened them into emotional labor.

Meanwhile I just want vacation and sleep.
Possibly in that order.

DECEMBER.
Remember me,
Eclipse