—*ALISON*—

Tomorrow is Christmas, and the city is alive.

Christmas trees blink in every window. Lights stretch from rooftops and coil around lampposts—red, green, and gold—spilling their glow across the snow-covered streets.

Somewhere nearby, jingle bells ring out, maybe from a speaker, or maybe from a real sleigh for a church event—I’m not sure.

The snow lies thick and fresh in some places, untouched, while in others it’s trampled by people hurrying home with armfuls of wrapped presents.

Everyone looks happy.

Everyone except me.

I tug my grocery bags tighter in my hands as I walk down the sidewalk, the thin plastic biting into my fingers with every step.

A...