Otaru Canal I couldn't help smiling at the tiny light in the snow

One night in early February, I walked along Otaru Canal. Beyond the snow, warehouses lined the canal, with lights reflected on the water. I'd seen this view in photos, but seeing it for myself made me want to stop in my tracks. I pulled my gloves back on, thinking I should take in the canal first.

As I walked, a tiny light burning in a hollow in the snow caught my eye. My gaze shifted from the warehouses in the distance to the flame right beside me. It was just a tiny, wavering flame, but I couldn't help feeling fond of it. I wanted to get a little closer and see it glow in the snow.

I gently set the candle I'd been holding into the hollow. Until I let go, all my attention had been on my hands; once the flame settled there, my face relaxed into a smile. I felt relieved to have placed it properly, and at the same time I was struck by how beautiful it looked. I hadn't expected to find myself smiling like that.

After letting go, I watched the little light for a moment. The fact that I'd put it there made it all the more special to me. If my friend had been watching, she'd have teased me: "You keep looking at that light over and over." Maybe so. But seeing it flicker here on a cold night made it hard to walk away.

When I looked up, I saw the lights reflected on the canal, too. After looking at that tiny flame nearby, even the lights in the distance felt closer. I let my gaze move back and forth between the warehouses and little lights in the snow. I'd come to see the grand view, but that little flame might be what I most want to remember when I leave.

Before I left, I took one more look at the light I'd placed. It was still flickering gently. I started walking again, and even my pace was slower than before. When I look back at photos of Otaru Canal, I want to remember how that little light made me smile that night.