[Winter Writing Contest 2023] A New Beginning

“I’m sorry,” my whisper cut through the biting, cold silence of the forsaken bedroom.

I rummaged through the closet, drawers, and dressers. The furniture was caked with a film of dust and rubble, but they were full of clothes and personal belongings—a rarity. The fact that this room was unlooted, was nothing short of a miracle. I made a mental note of the place seeing as I would have to make several trips.

I picked a few choice items—a few pieces of jewelry, a plethora of clothes, and some ammunition, and stuffed them into the backpack I was carrying. The rest would have to wait; today was important and I didn’t have the time to linger. I surveyed my surroundings through the various windows of the house before I exited through the massive crater that was once probably a kitchen.

I stepped out into a desolate snow-covered street lined with houses, none of which had escaped ruin. I looked at the destruction as I walked. Many houses were leveled, most had roofs and walls that had crumbled and caved in, and the ones that stood had their windows and doors broken down. Graffiti, trash and rubble desecrated what was once the homes of many. The craters that dotted the neighborhood were beginning to fill with snow, hiding the evidence of what had happened.

After a long walk spanning several neighborhoods, I arrived at an inconspicuous house. Much like all the other buildings around it, it wasn't in good condition, but the walls and roof were intact. The windows were broken, but boarded up. It was a sign that someone had taken up residence. Just as I was about to knock, I heard a noise and caught a shadow in the corner of my eye.

Instantly, I grabbed the knife at my side and put up my guard. I glared in silence at the side of the house where the sound had come from. The figure then immediately retreated out of vision, but I made out that it was small. It had the stature of a child. I kept my guard up and waited. A long silence passed, but I knew it hadn’t moved.

“Come out.” Finally, I spoke.

The figure peaked out once more. This time, I could clearly see it was a small child—a girl. She wore a tattered brown cloak, and a brief glimpse of her dress underneath that showed her dress was equally in disarray. Her face, hands, and legs were gaunt, but even worse were the eyes that stared back at me. Her pitch-black eyes looked completely lifeless as she stared at me; in fact, I wasn’t sure if she was looking at me at all. And unfortunately, it was a look I’d seen too many times.

“What’s your name?” I asked.

“Na—” Her raspy voice barely escaped before she coughed as violently as her little body would allow as she clutched her throat.

“Nevermind. It’s alright. You don’t need to talk.” I put away the knife and relaxed myself. I gave her a gentle smile. “The name’s Amelia. It’s nice to meet you.”

She continued to stare at me for a moment before slowly, wordlessly walking up to me. I couldn’t tell if she was smiling, but it looked ever-so-slightly like it to me at least.

Maybe he knows who this is? I thought as I walked up to the door once again. I knocked the door rhythmically to an anthem that only a few left held dear.

The door creaked open slowly. A figure eyed me down before unlocking the chains that bound the door. A tall blond man wearing a tattered t-shirt and jeans appeared. His figure loomed as he stared at the child.

“Who’s the kid?” His deep voice was tinged with suspicion.

The child, who was a distance behind me, immediately closed that distance and hid behind my leg.

“I see. So, she’s not yours? She was outside your house.”

“Good joke. I’ve never seen her.” He squinted and began to tilt his head side to side to get a better look at the girl. The girl gripped my pants and buried herself into my leg in response.

“Alright, alright! Stop scaring her.” I waved my hand in front of him to obscure his vision. “That’s not what I’m here for anyways.”

“Alright.” He looked around cautiously. “It’s not safe out here, do you want to come in?”

“No. I’ll make it quick. Here.” I sling the backpack to my chest and open it to reveal the contents.

“Where’d you get this?” His eyes widened slightly. “The condition looks almost new on everything. Even jewelry?”

“Scrapper’s secret. Are you taking or not?”

The man hummed in contemplation before turning around and grabbing a large backpack from deeper in the house. “I’ll take it.”

Just as he held up his in exchange, I grabbed mine back. “Wait.”

I dug through the contents of my bag before pulling out a shirt and pants, and a few other clothing items. Then, I thrust the bag on him and snatched his bag in exchange. “Wow, so kind of you to offer clothes to the little girl. Thank you.”

“Why you—”

“Isn’t that right?” I pat the little girl on the head who then turned to give the same lifeless, ambiguous smile to the man.

He closed his eyes in agitation. “Business isn’t…” He opened his eyes and looked at the girl staring at him. “Whatever.”

I gave him a smirk and then peeked into the contents of the bag I’d taken from him. “Oh, the good stuff!”

“Yeah, well, today’s important right?”

“Yeah, it is. Thanks Armando.” I gave him a gentle smile. “You’re coming right?”

“Naturally.”

“Good.” I nodded in approval, and then paused. “Can you step outside?”

“Hm? Why?”

“Just do it!” I demanded, giving him a piercing glare.

He obliged in confusion, a confusion that escalated as I shuffled and swapped places with him grabbing the little girl along with me. He tilted his head as he watched me step into his house.

“What the—” before he got out his last word, I shut the door in front of him.

“Wait there! No peeking!” I yelled at him from the inside of his house.

He realized what I was doing and I could hear an audible deep sigh. I thought I heard him grumble about a coat, but I paid it no mind. I crouched down at the little girl.

“Let’s get you changed.” I waited for any response, but her expression seemed unchanging. I continued and quickly got her changed into a proper outfit. I wrapped her in a scarf for good measure. Her cloak wasn’t in the worst condition, but before I decided on anything, she clutched the cloak.

“This one’s important huh?” I ask her, and she gives me a nod. In response, I wrap the cloak around her once more and give her a look over. “Excellent. Very cute.”

I opened the door and found Armondo standing still with a layer of snow building on his head.

“Done?” He glared at me.

“Cute right?” I gestured and presented the little girl who clung to my leg once again.

The man glared at me for a moment longer before relaxing and looking at the girl once again. The two stared at each other.

“Yes.” He raised his eyebrows, seemingly impressed. I knew he was exaggerating, but the two of us were on the same page. He was good at this sort of thing at least. “She’s indeed very cute. The clothes fit her well.”

I looked down, and for the first time, I saw a visible smile on the little girl. She hid herself behind me again, but I knew it was from embarrassment.

“Good for you.” I pat her, and then continue. “Alright. I’ll take my leave. Thanks again.”

He nodded and we swapped places once more. He retreated into his house and closed the door without another word. Left alone with the forsaken town being piled with snow once again, I held out my hand for the little girl to grab.

“Let’s go.”

She hesitated, but grabbed my hand anyway.

The journey took a little over two hours. The increasing snowfall made it difficult to traverse and I slowed my pace so the little girl wouldn’t get tired, but surprisingly she kept up very well. Much like what I’d seen before, we passed by a history of indiscriminate destruction, violence, and death. I tried to shield the little girl from any of the dead bodies we passed, but she never once even glanced around; her lifeless eyes looked only forward following my steps. It made me wonder just how much walking she’d done and how much she’d seen up to this point.

Eventually, we found ourselves at the doors of a massive dome. I gave the doors a push and we entered. The furnishings were clean, the windows untouched, the walls and roof were all standing. The sight of a building so intact was wildly out of place compared to everything else around it. This was the place I made home.

“Make yourself at home,” I give the girl a pat on the head. “This is where I live.”

The building was one story, but its roof was high. There were very few partitions and much of the building was simply a vast open space in the middle, which was filled with dozens of tables, chairs, and counters. The building was once a dealership, but had been refurbished into a shelter, before it, too, was abandoned in time. I didn’t have many belongings, but I made a point to keep things at least orderly.

The girl was hesitant, but seemed curious for the first time since I’d seen her, and she took me up on the offer. She let go of my hand and began gingerly looking around. While she did that, I emptied the contents of the backpack on a countertop. There were all kinds of vegetables, herbs, and protein. It must not have been easy to get these… I thought as I continued.

I brought out an assortment of cutlery, utensils, and spices from a cabinet nearby and I got to work. I nodded my head silently in approval as I prepped the various ingredients, eventually throwing most of them into a massive pot, which I then threw on top of a portable stove. With the final addition of some valuable water I’d stored, I lit the stove.

It took a while, but I carefully watched over the pot as I brought it to a boil, and then a simmer. I attended to it, adjusting the flavor and removing the scum. Every so often, the sight of the girl entered my vision before she disappeared into yet another crevice to explore.

Eventually my work hit a lull and I got a chance to simply let the ingredients work its magic. As I stepped away, the backpack I’d brought in caught my eye—it seemed strangely puffy for having been emptied. I opened the other compartment of the backpack and found a colorful tinsel stuffed inside.

What an idiot… A scoff escaped from me as I continued to pull on the tinsel. I knew the bag was a little weird. He could have told me.

I suddenly felt a gaze on me and turned to see the girl standing at my side watching just as I finished pulling out the decoration.

“Want to help?” I asked.

She smiled and gave me a nod with a distinct sharpness and excitement. She ran towards one end of the tinsel and hurriedly grabbed it, waving it up and down.

“Alright, I hear you,” Her excitement infected me as I laughed. I followed her lead and we ended up in front of a pile of empty boxes I’d thrown in a corner. She pointed at them.

“What’s up? You find something?” I asked her, confused.

She let go of the decoration and began stacking a few smaller boxes. She then grabbed the tinsel again and ran a few laps around her stack, wrapping the boxes in a spiral.

“I see! You’re a smart one aren’t you? A Christmas tree right?” I gave her a pat, and she seemed to blush. She looked at me and nodded with a spark in her eyes. “Let’s do it!”

The two of us transported and stacked the empty boxes at the center of the building. And after assembling a tall, disfigured cone made from boxes, I stood atop a chair holding up the tinsel. The girl held the other end and began running around our man-made ‘tree’, and with some finesse and direction, we finished.

The two of us stepped back to admire our work. The cone shape was off, the boxes were of all kinds of colors, the spiral of the tinsel was misshapen all throughout, and it looked nothing like a tree; however, looking at the girl, I would’ve believed it was the real deal. She was smiling and in awe, clapping as she made her rounds viewing her creation from various angles.

“Beautiful,” I smiled. The girl’s energy was palpable and it began to fill the silent, cold air of the building.

Then, I heard a quiet rumble and the two of us froze. We both knew what that sound was as the girl’s gaze met mine. She blushed and clutched her stomach.

“That was a lot of work wasn’t it?” We were at work for quite some time, and all the while, the building had begun to fill with something other than the excitement of the little girl. “Smells like it’s ready.”

I made my way back to the pot with the girl and sure enough it was ready.

“But,” I announced, “We’ll have to wait.”

The two of us take a seat next to each other nearby. The seat is a bit tall, and she took the opportunity to swing her legs in the air as she looked up at me.I could hear her wordless question.

“We’ve gotta wait for the guests.” I don’t know if she understood, but she nodded all the same.

It wouldn’t take long though. Soon after I told her, I heard a familiar rhythmic knock, and the two of us walked up and let in a familiar face.

“Good to see you made it, Armando. Where’s your plus one?”

He gave me a glare. “Good joke. It’s freezing. Let me in.”

I invited him in, but not without a passing jab, though he doesn’t flinch. The little girl hid behind me, eyeing him from the side.

Once he was in, he paused. Quick to digest the situation, he made a comment in an exaggerated, impressed voice once again. “That’s a very impressive tree. Who did it?”

Immediately, the girl popped out from behind me and began guiding Armando towards our creation. He obliged, though his pace was slow, and in response, the girl grabbed his hand and began pulling. His eyes widened, but he relented and picked up his pace. The two of them left me behind, and in the distance, I can see her excitedly encircling and pointing at the tree, while Armondo held a sophisticated gaze and looked as if he was commenting on a piece of art.

Following Armondo’s entrance, a few more guests began to emerge, all knocking the same tune. There was an old man, then a middle-aged couple, a few men and women in their twenties and thirties, a woman and her son, and also a couple of teenagers. They each gave me a tired smile as they entered. Everyone brought some kind of food or drink, however small it was, which they set on the counter, but soon after, they all gravitated to the ‘Christmas tree’. The center of the crowd wasn’t the tree though, but the girl.

The building was filled with chatter, most of which was praise for the little girl who was positively bouncing around. The tired smile on everyone’s faces transformed as the air filled with laughter. I began to tear up looking at the sight at the center of the building, but I wiped the tears, walked up to join them, and I clapped to get everyone’s attention.

“Okay okay! Let’s all calm down! I know you like our Christmas tree, but,” Everyone gave me their undivided attention. “I’m sure all of you are wondering who the little girl is, and the answer is… she’s Armondo’s daughter!”

The building erupted in disbelief with a series of gasps.

“What the— You stop that!!” A voice I already anticipated roared out.

“Okay, just kidding.” The guests laugh as I continue, this time in a tone more somber. “The truth is that I just met her today. She was out in the cold, fighting for her life, just like all of us. I don’t know her name, or where she came from, but we all know that doesn’t matter. I intend to take care of her, and I just hope that you all will treat her as well as you treat me.” I give a short bow.

The girl ran up and behind me, and wrapped her arms around my leg.

An old man spoke up, “We should be saying that to you Amelia… you’re the one helping us.”

“You’re the reason why we’re here.”

“Why do you think we’re here?”

Following the old man’s lead, the crowd echoed his sentiment, all talking over each other. My tears welled up once again. The gratitude I felt overwhelmed me.

“Okay, I get it!” I wiped the tears away violently. “I’m not good with this kind of stuff. Alright without further ado—”

I heard a familiar rumble coming from my leg and everyone gave a hearty laugh.

“Let’s eat!”

Everyone began digging into the various foods and the air was charged with a festive mood. A circle of tables and chairs seemed to have formed around the tree, and the little girl and I joined them after grabbing a plate of food and a bowl of soup.

I waited for the girl to try the soup, and when she did I could see tears beginning to form.

Alarmed, I asked her, “Are you alright? Is it too hot?”

She shook her head and she spooned more and more of the soup into her mouth. Spoon after spoon, she continued in silence. She was going so fast I was scared she would choke. Finally she emptied her bowl.

“It’s so… good,” she said in a tearful whisper.

It was the first time I heard her since I asked for her name, and I instinctively hugged the girl that was on the verge of crying. “It’s okay now… you can have as much as you want,” I whispered tearfully as well.

She nodded in my arms and we stayed locked in an embrace for a moment. Eventually I let go and I faced her again.

“What’s your name?” I ask.

“Nanashi.”

“Nanashi…” I repeated her name, and I wiped the tears from her face. “It’ll be alright, Nanashi. You’re safe here.”

She buried herself in my arms again, and with a muffled voice, she quietly spoke, “Thank you.”

I hugged her back and looked around the room. All eyes were on us, most of which had tears in their eyes. We all shared the same feeling.

“No… thank you.”

A very sweet and touching story. I could feel the sense of family and festivity from it to contrast with the somber nature of a post-war, or perhaps lull-in-war period. I've read stories that carry similar tones in war-literature, so it kind of reminds me of them, in a way. It also reminded me of Lost Warmth, the story you wrote for the 2013 contest, well sheesh, over a decade ago now. I'm just glad that this was a bit more jovial.

Also, of course, I was well aware of the characters, and found it kind of funny pinpointing it as an extention of the Ameverse. I'm also glad that Mumei kept her cute and sweet yet desperate demeanor throughout. There was a point near her introduction that I was worried because of her pitch black eyes that it might have been a cursed creation of hers. Nonetheless, it was fun to imagine her as the cute "Nameless" version of herself, at least for this instance.

My only critique is that you were not consistant with the spelling of Armando's name, switching between that and Armondo a couple times.

Well done this year, it was an absolute pleasure to read from you yet again.

Xenon, your memory is INSANE! Who the heck remembers Lost Warmth other than me. You'd be right tho, this was sort of a very conscious salty runback of a post-war setting. I'm not going to say Lost Warmth was bad, but it was definitely a canvas painted in grey. 10 years later, with a hopefully improved skillset, I tried to reverse this from a solemn grey to a more vibrant color.

And the Ameverse lives on! Once again written, even more so than my last, as a standalone. But, it's always nice when people catch the references I sneak in. I feel like Mumei could have taken quite a few forms in the story, but for the sake of keeping the writing grounded, I chose a consistent, more innocent Mumei. My head canon is that Mumei has incarnated as this adorable girl and Amelia's kindness will have saved the world from judgement lol.


Oh no, you're right. Dang it!


Glad I wrote this, and I'm glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for hosting as usual!

Interesting! That's really intriguing, the idea of coming back to an old idea to do it differently. But, what can I say? There are just some entries that we have all written over the years that stick out to me quite vividly. I remember picturing the environment in Lost Warmth so extensively in my mind as I was reading it all those years ago, like it was a blizzard of unforgiving and relentless heartache and sadness. There are a few entries like that here that stuck out to me and Lost Warmth is certainly one of them. Well, regardless, I do think you did a very good job here if that was your aim. It was the somber, yet thankful and festive environment, even in the backdrop of war, that caused me to love this story. It just felt like family. I really appreciate that.