Bby blew at the thick froth of her steaming hot chocolate, hesitating to take a sip from the enticing drink. He yawned quietly, sinking into the soft, worn, pinstriped sofa. A protestant squeek escaped from the sofa as he adjusted his position to fully stretch across the makeshift bed. A heavy fleece blanket draped over his body, which was protected by a layer of soft cotton pajamas.
The room would have been completely dark, were not for the new logs burning steadily. Smoke drifted slowly up the chiminey, joining the rest of the world's polution in furthering ozone depletion.
Bby was waiting for Chinese New Year, although he was sure it had already passed. It was a tradition of sorts with him, sitting downstairs in front of the fireplace, to 'welcome' the new year. It was the same routine for Christmas as well. Although, it was more of a habit of staying up for Santa.
He sighed at his uneventful holiday. His parents had gone off to bed hours ago, having celebrated with their friends the night before. They didn't mind that Bby was staying up late, with homework yet to be completed.
Staring up at the ceiling, what else was there, he pulled the blanket over himself, shooing away the chilly winter air. Sleep usually came quite slowly for him, taking first his arms and legs, then seeping all over. But now was different. As soon as his head touched the simple pillow, he drifted asleep.
A loud knocking propelled Bby onto the hard wood floor of the living room. The fall shocked his body awake, while his mind took a little longer to rejuvenate. His first instinct was to hide. Their family lived in a small house, almost completely isolated. The closest neighbors would be a 10 minute drive. Adding to that, they lived near the rain forest, and the knocking could've been anything.
He ignored his instinct and stood up, stared out the window into the dark abyss. The fire was still glowing strong, making the outside completely black. Taking the pail of water next to the fireplace, he flung it effortlessly onto the logs, ridding the flames.
At first, everything seemed to shut off. As his eyes adjusted, object outlines became visible, as well as what laid beyond the window. Nothing. He shrugged, wondering if the knocking had perhaps come from upstairs. Just as Bby decided to abandon his suspicion, the knocking started once more.
The door. He had heard it loud and clear this time. It was definitely the door. He swallowed his fear, or tried to, but it stuck in his throat like a lump. Closing in on the door, he opened it slightly, but holding his foot to it, in case it was unwelcomed company. He gripped the pail in his hands, ready to pound the intruder with the tin cylinder.
He stared out with one eye through the crack. Same as before. Nothing. He sighed with relief, bringing the door shut. As she did, her eyes caught sight of a small spherical object at her door step. Various thoughts rushed through his head. A secret admirer? A ball of yarn? A bomb?
His guesses were all wrong, for it turned out to be a small egg. He bent down to pick up the rather heavy egg and returned to his sofa, closing the door lightly behind him. He sat down, and the sofa protested once again. With no light but the stars shining in, it was hard to distinguish colors. What Bby did notice was that it had an odd pattern, snaking around the egg, he ran his fingers across the protruding pattern.
He opened his eyes slowly, his reality slowly settling in. His hands searched for the egg, but found nothing. A dream? Had it been a dream?
"I guess that means I'll have a good year," a smile spread across his face, as he closed his eyes again, drifting back into sleep.
