Open Now or Open Later?

She couldn’t sleep. However hard she tried and in whatever position, she could not get to sleep. It 
was already Christmas morning and all she could think about was the large stack of presents under 
the tree downstairs. Especially one gift from someone she loved very dearly and couldn’t wait to 
open the next day. But it already is the next day…her mind argued. So maybe no one would mind if she 
slipped downstairs and opened just one small gift to satiate her hunger. 

Her mind was made up in moments. Silently she swung her legs out of the warm bed and put on her 
slippers, making sure to make no noise that would awaken the other occupants of her room to her 
movements. Tiptoeing to the door she stealthily opened the lock and slipped through the door while 
leaving it slightly open for an easier return. 

Padding down the carpeted hallway she paused at the top of the stairs to listen to the hushed 
breathing of her parents in the next door room and could hear nothing from her brother’s room 
behind her. Taking one step at a time she made it to the large atrium of the house where the base 
of the staircase was situated opposite the front door. The family room where the tree held order 
among its subjects, the presents, was on her left. However between her and the doorway the floor 
was uncarpeted and there were several spots that would creak at the slightest pressure. Their 
protest would surely awaken her light sleeping father and there would be no more present tonight, 
just a scolding for disobeying the hard rule of no presents until the whole family was ready. She 
winced when remembering this rule, a small fact she had forgotten in her eagerness to see what 
he had given her. Well, there was nothing she could do about that now. You just couldn’t come so 
close to your goal to turn around for some silly rule that had been implemented when she was less 
than five years old and caught awake at three in the morning, waiting for Santa. 

Taking a rather strange route to the doorway to any observer she managed to place her feet on the 
thick cream carpet with no noise. She began to feel all breathless and giddy, just at the site of 
the magnificent Christmas tree with the stacks of different coloured parcels sitting beneath the 
lower branches of the conifer. The white lights twinkled magically and made the tinsel sparkle and 
the baubles glimmer. 

Approaching the tree, she sank to her knees, just to take in its glory from another angle. Smiling 
softly to herself, she gently brushed a stray lock of brown hair from her face and found the exact 
parcel she was looking for. It was a box, the traditional type with a lid held on by a thick and 
shining ribbon. The box itself was wrapped in a deep red with a texture that spoke of expense while 
the gold ribbon was of silk and expertly tied in a perfect bow at the top. This present could easily 
be opened, admired and put back again, good as new to be surprised with all over again the next day. 

Placing the box before her, she gently pulled at the two ends to the bow as it smoothly came apart 
and fell from the box itself. She was almost holding her breath when she gently grasped the front 
sides of the box to slowly lift the lid and gaze upon the content.

Stunning…beautiful…touching… Those were her first impressions of the item that sat on the crushed 
red velvet backing. Fully removing the lid to the box, she gasped in awe as the twinkling lights 
from the Christmas tree above her shone through the item and give it a magical theme. It was an 
amberite rose. The top was from red while the stem and three leaves were of green. Between her 
gentle fingers she lifted the rose out of the box to look at it further. Each rose petal was 
individually carved from separate pieces of amberite and then joined together to form one, perfect 
rose. Where each petal met and the stem was attached, the amberite had been melted down to 
seamlessly fit together. 

Time stood still for the young woman kneeling before the giant tree, holding this floral sculpture 
where the main item for their relationship had been immortalised forever in precious stone. 

“I thought I’d find you here.” Spoke a deep and quiet voice from the doorway. 

Gasping with shock and surprise, she almost dropped the ornament while turning to see the owner of 
the voice. There he was, the love of her life, standing casually at the doorway in his pyjamas, a 
soft, kind and understanding smile on his face. 

“I’m sorry, I just couldn’t sleep or wait any longer to open something and I’m sorry if you wanted 
to be here when I opened it but…” her voice faded into nothing as he padded over to her in his bare 
feet and knelt beside her. 

“Don’t worry about it.” He said, kissing her silky hair. “I was just concerned when I woke up and 
you weren’t there and the door was open. I thought someone had tried to spirit you away from me.” 

“Well, I certainly didn’t want you to feel that. I’d never, ever leave you and you’d have woken up 
long before anyone would be able to tear me from the bed.” She gave him these comforting words and 
returned the kiss, this time upon his lips. “I just want to say that this is so, so beautiful.” 
She held the amberite rose aloft and could feel the threat of tears in her eyes at the thought of 
how beautiful his gift to her had been. 

“I love you so much…” he started, now moving to kneel before her and clasping her hands with the 
rose between them, facing up. “I suppose you haven’t had time to examine the rose fully yet so take 
another look into the heart of the petals.” 

Doing as he asked after showing a face of confusion she peered down at the rose in their hands and 
gasped at what she saw. Right in the centre was a perfect diamond, mounted on a gold band. 

“May, will you do the honour of marrying me?” he asked while staring deeply into her shining blue 
eyes that were still full of so much innocence that he just wanted to protect her from everything 
that wanted to cause her any pain, suffering or harm. Her beauty was unmatched by anything he had 
ever seen and for her to say yes would make him the happiest man alive, as well as the luckiest to 
be marrying such a pure hearted goddess. 

She returned his gaze and took in his slightly pale completion that contrasted with is deep emerald 
eyes that were full of past loss and pain that she wanted to take within her arms and soothe better 
so that he could never feel any more pain in the world. Realising that he was still waiting for an 
answer while she had been lost in his eyes she breathed out, barely loud enough to be heard, “Yes.” 

Immediately his face filled with untold joy as he picked up the ring from the centre of the rose and 
slipped it upon her slender finger. They both giggled slightly with merriment before falling into 
each others arms and each others kiss. 

“My little girl has all grown up!” trilled a very feminine voice from the door. May and Drew shot 
apart as horror filled their hearts and almost crushed the exquisite amberite masterpiece. Standing 
in the door was her mother, father and brother who had evidently heard the whole thing. Tears of 
happiness leaked from the corners of Caroline’s eyes while her husband Norman rubbed her back and 
smiled at the two newly engaged people before him. Ushering his over reactive wife out of the room 
and back to their bedroom, he left them in peace. 

Max remained for a moment longer at the door to smile warmly at his sister and grin knowingly at 
her fiancé who blushed a little in response. As Max’s footsteps could be heard going up the stairs 
again, May and Drew looked at each other again, giggling slightly while sharing another kiss. 

Carefully, May picked up the rose and returned it to his nest in the box on the bed of crushed 
velvet and was about the close the lid when Drew halted her hand. “Hang on, there’s more to this 
rose than meets the eye.” he murmured and took the rose from his fiancé’s soft fingers and held the 
top towards them again where the blank space the centre now lay and the groove where the gold band 
had laid was visible. Lifting the cushion that the velvet was attached to, he turned it over to 
show a small hole in the base that was covered by a sheet of velvet. Pushing back the velvet he 
unearthed a strangely carved piece of amberite before replacing the cushion in the box. Lifting 
the strange piece up, he slid the oblong end into the top of the rose where it snugly took the 
place of the ring while from above, the rose was now complete and could easily be mistaken for a 
real rose with a mysterious coating. May smiled at him and was touched again at how thoughtful and 
perfect the gift was. 

They climbed the stairs together with their fingers tightly interlocked and closed the door to 
their bedroom once more. Climbing into bed first, May grasped her husband-to-be’s hand and wrapped 
his arms around her in a comforting hold. Sharing one last kiss they settled down to sleep for the 
rest of the night. 

Before she fell asleep however, May admired the jewel that now bedecked her finger and smiled to 
herself. Yep, it had definitely been worth sneaking down this year.