Snowflakes danced beyond the luminescence of streetlights like a shower of runaway stars in the frigid December night. An ear-splitting screech startled me as I creaked open my minuscule second story window, and a satiny white dusting of snow gnawed at my delicate face. I was surprised to see how quickly darkness engulfed my dilapidated old town, as the bedroom lights of eager children methodically flickered off in perfect tune. Exhausted parents must have finally won their prolonged battles to put their restless offspring to bed. The obnoxious ticking of my antiquated coo coo clock screamed with excitement that Santa would be arriving shortly.

My parents had always made it very clear that Santa would leave presents, only if I were deep in my exotic dreamland by time of his arrival. With their much abused warning drilled into my thoughts, and the decrepit old teddy bear I had cherished since the day of my admittance onto this planet at hand, I slowly creeped my way under my massive Winnie the Pooh comforter, with complete anticipation that I should be prosperous enough to make acquaintance with the fat man himself, and dozed off into a wonderful fantasy of reindeer, elves, and bundles of amazing toys.

A loud smashing noise, followed by a series of screaming and profanities, unheard of to a six year old's typically virgin ears, awoke me with fright. The little voice in the back of my head was wailing, "Don't even think about it!" But despite my internal disparity to stay nestled in the safe haven of my bed, I obeyed my curiosity's every command as I clenched my teeth and tiptoed cautiously to the very peek of my winding staircase, which at that exact moment seemed never ending. Before then, I never knew that breathing could be such a complicated task.

"One, two, three," I silently counted each stair as it met its defeat. After what seemed like an eternity, I finally reached the last stair. My hands constricted the wall while I peaked my head around the corner. CRASH! I let out a blaring shriek as a plate barely missed my face before shattering against the wall directly next to me. Obviously nobody seemed to notice my unwelcome presence, since the arguments continued to explode. I couldn't hold back the tears any longer, and before I knew it, I was in my brothers arms as he raced with me to my Aunt's apartment, just a few down from ours. My face was red hot, and my shirt was completely drenched from wiping my sobbing eyes. I did not know what was happening, and far more, I did not know why it was happening; But before I could think of a rescue plan, I found myself kneeling on the back of my aunts massively dusty, thirty year old couch, pressing my face against the frozen glass of the double living room window, bawling as I watched the cops take my father away. I did not know where they were taking him, but it was Christmas day, and all the presents in the world meant nothing if my daddy wasn't there to enjoy them with me.