A Gift from an Angel

Two people are sitting at a café table by the window overlooking the festively lit street. One is a refined blond man in a reindeer sweatshirt, holding a laptop and a pumpkin latte. The other is a tall, dark-haired man with tattoos; his drink is a tangerine raf with cinnamon and juniper. The blond man, An, proposes to Vik, an angel and "city guardian," that they hold a New Year's lottery: they need to increase people's faith in miracles. Vik is skeptical about the idea, but An reminds them of competitors who are raffling off "absolution from sins." They discuss the prize pool: material things are forbidden, leaving only dreams like "wish fulfillment" or "good luck for the whole year." At the end, An leaves for a meeting, and Vik is left with the thought that next time he might be forced to dress up as Santa Claus.