One Million Project Magazine

Sitting cross-legged in front of the fire, she
started to sing. Gently at first, then her voice
rose as it did when she sang along to the social
media church. Soon, other people from
the complex gathered beside her and joined
in the song. Most brought wood for the fire.
As their voices filled the air, Janie felt a sense
of exhilaration she had never felt before. It
was as if her spirit had been set free.
The following evening, they gathered
around the fire again and told each other stories;
some dramatic, some funny. When soft
flurries of snow started to fall, Janie looked up
and let the flakes glide onto her face. She
couldn’t remember the last time it had
snowed in December. She wondered if it was
a sign; an omen.
Evening after evening, Janie joined the others
who gathered around the fire outside their
building. Within a week, they had started to
meet during the day. Together, they pooled
their resources and provided for each other. A
group soon formed to carry out household
repairs. Another group set up to alter, refashion
or repair clothes. Janie joined a group who
looked after the children so their parents
could work in a particular group. Someone
even suggested pooling a small sum of money
to buy seeds to plant in the spring.
As Janie glanced around the smiling faces
surrounding her, she realised that these people
had become her real-time friends. She
could hardly remember any of the virtual
people she used to speak to on her social
network box. They had been no more real
than the virtual Christmas cards they had
sent her. Thinking of this made her recall the
pens and paper she had in a drawer. She
hoped she had enough sheets of paper to
make each of her new friends a real Christmas
card. She would start making them tomorrow.
On Christmas morning, Janie found an envelope
that had been pushed under her door.
Brushing back a tear, she opened it and
placed her Christmas card onto the mantelpiece.
When she joined the others around
the fire, she handed out her home-made
cards. Later, someone dragged out a fake
Christmas tree, and the children decorated it
with ribbons made from strips cut from an
old sheet.
Sitting around the fire with the others, Janie
Mackay looked up at the star-filled sky; a sky
filled with hope. A few weeks ago she had
grieved for the loss of her virtual friends;
never again would she see their light shine.
Today, she knew this star would never go
out. She recalled what she had read about
her ancestors being cleared from their
homes and sent to live on the barren cliffedges
in the remote highlands of Scotland.
They had survived losing their homes and
became stronger in the process, and so
would she.
Copyright © 2016 by OMP Magazine Publishing