Sad Christmas story
Fragrant smells wafted down the street, filling the children’s noses, whose faces were pressed against the bakery’s window, heads with longing for the soft cookies and delicate pastries that lined the display cases. Gloria sighed, she knew that her family couldn’t afford it so she turned and skipped to the other end of town. The nice houses faded into the familiar shabby gray cottages as she skipped to a particularly shabby house a young woman dressed in patched clothing came out.
“Mommy!” Gloria called to her; the young woman looked up and smiled at her daughter.
“Hello Gloria, you should be inside, it’s cold out here.” Her mother exclaimed while ushering her shivering daughter into the house. They couldn’t afford anything new, so they patched everything up and tried to do the best that they could. It wasn’t much warmer in there, but it was to them. Gloria sat in front of the fire with a blanket; she knew her mother was having a hard time because her father had died when she was born, that was five years ago. The door opened and her older brother came in, dressed a little warmer than they were because he was outside chopping wood for hours, he stomped until he was satisfied no snow was on them then wearily lay on the couch. Gloria jumped up and sat down on the edge of the couch.
“Hay squirt, how was it today?” he asked her.
“It was good; the other five kids here don’t bother me because I’ve been busy all day.”
“What do you do all day, I would like to know.” He asked no one knew what she does and she won’t tell anyone, she just smiles that secret smile and asks if you need any help. And true to her history that’s what she did.
“Christmas is coming!” she said, her brother laughed at her enthusiasm and leaned back as he fell asleep. At dawn she went out as usual, but her mother felt a sense of foreboding and shook it off as she started to cook breakfast. Gloria didn’t come back like she usually did, her mother rubbed her hands to help distract her, and at sunset she heard a knock on her door. Almost running to the door she threw it open to see a man holding a small bundle.
“Are you Mrs. Horal?” he asked, he shifted his weight as if the item that he was holding was really heavy.
“Yes.” She said, looking around to see if Gloria was running around, but she wasn’t.
“I’m sorry, but your daughter was involved in an accident, here.” He said as he gave her the body wrapped in black cloth; she was tiny in death and the bounding energy that filled her was gone, Gloria is gone, never coming back.
“Mom, what’s wrong.” Her son asked.
“You must be jack, I’m sorry,” The stranger said while extending his hand, “but your sister is dead, a runaway carriage hit her.” Shaking his head in denial jack could not speak. The stranger retracted his hand and turned around he left the mother and her child at the door, but in his mind he thought he could do nothing and yet he was wrong. Holding his mother with his sister in his arm jack could only stare at the door, this couldn’t be happening, it didn’t seem possible for her to be dead, but it was. After the funeral the Horal family slowly walked home. Later that day they heard a knock at the day, walking in a daze jack opened the door. In front of the door was a small wrapped package, jack picked it up. On the small grubby card in careful handwriting were the words ‘To the Horal family, Gloria has been helping me for a long time, now it’s time I could help her family when you need it’. Tears fell down his face as he saw what was inside, it was a delicate carving of his dead sister with the words ‘do you need any help?’ inscribed on bottom.
“Mom,” he croaked, “come and see this, it’s Gloria.” His mother came over and clasped a hand over her mouth as she saw the figure carved painstakingly out of wood and the note.
“She’s been helping old tom,” she whispered, “only he could do such a beautiful carving from wood.” A few minutes later another knock sounded, and another gift lay on the porch. It was slightly better packaged and when opened it reviled a star, ‘she was the shining star in my life when I needed a little guidance’. “The widow on the corner?”
“Gloria has been busy,” commented her son, “how many do you think there will be?” looking at him in surprise she caught his thought, she had always been out most of the day, but how much could a little girl do? Ten presents later they could only sit there and cry, five new coats and a Christmas tree with tree ornaments glittered in the fading light. Gloria’s siblings came in and asked were all of these pretty things came from.
“They came from the people that Gloria has been helping,” their mother said, “a single person can do a lot.” At that moment a knock sounded at the door, opening it they found several people outside, from old tom to young rinna only five years old. As they started to sing silent night jacks mother started to cry, jack held his mother in his arms and looked at the twelve people standing in the cold. Inviting them in they had the best Christmas gathering that they would remember for years to come, the death of a child brought people who had never know they had anything in common together to morn and comfort one another, and that was the day when Mr. Riis proposed to Mrs. Horal. That was the day when their lives changed for the better and they all lived long happy lives, as well as I can recollect.
~Jack
“Mommy!” Gloria called to her; the young woman looked up and smiled at her daughter.
“Hello Gloria, you should be inside, it’s cold out here.” Her mother exclaimed while ushering her shivering daughter into the house. They couldn’t afford anything new, so they patched everything up and tried to do the best that they could. It wasn’t much warmer in there, but it was to them. Gloria sat in front of the fire with a blanket; she knew her mother was having a hard time because her father had died when she was born, that was five years ago. The door opened and her older brother came in, dressed a little warmer than they were because he was outside chopping wood for hours, he stomped until he was satisfied no snow was on them then wearily lay on the couch. Gloria jumped up and sat down on the edge of the couch.
“Hay squirt, how was it today?” he asked her.
“It was good; the other five kids here don’t bother me because I’ve been busy all day.”
“What do you do all day, I would like to know.” He asked no one knew what she does and she won’t tell anyone, she just smiles that secret smile and asks if you need any help. And true to her history that’s what she did.
“Christmas is coming!” she said, her brother laughed at her enthusiasm and leaned back as he fell asleep. At dawn she went out as usual, but her mother felt a sense of foreboding and shook it off as she started to cook breakfast. Gloria didn’t come back like she usually did, her mother rubbed her hands to help distract her, and at sunset she heard a knock on her door. Almost running to the door she threw it open to see a man holding a small bundle.
“Are you Mrs. Horal?” he asked, he shifted his weight as if the item that he was holding was really heavy.
“Yes.” She said, looking around to see if Gloria was running around, but she wasn’t.
“I’m sorry, but your daughter was involved in an accident, here.” He said as he gave her the body wrapped in black cloth; she was tiny in death and the bounding energy that filled her was gone, Gloria is gone, never coming back.
“Mom, what’s wrong.” Her son asked.
“You must be jack, I’m sorry,” The stranger said while extending his hand, “but your sister is dead, a runaway carriage hit her.” Shaking his head in denial jack could not speak. The stranger retracted his hand and turned around he left the mother and her child at the door, but in his mind he thought he could do nothing and yet he was wrong. Holding his mother with his sister in his arm jack could only stare at the door, this couldn’t be happening, it didn’t seem possible for her to be dead, but it was. After the funeral the Horal family slowly walked home. Later that day they heard a knock at the day, walking in a daze jack opened the door. In front of the door was a small wrapped package, jack picked it up. On the small grubby card in careful handwriting were the words ‘To the Horal family, Gloria has been helping me for a long time, now it’s time I could help her family when you need it’. Tears fell down his face as he saw what was inside, it was a delicate carving of his dead sister with the words ‘do you need any help?’ inscribed on bottom.
“Mom,” he croaked, “come and see this, it’s Gloria.” His mother came over and clasped a hand over her mouth as she saw the figure carved painstakingly out of wood and the note.
“She’s been helping old tom,” she whispered, “only he could do such a beautiful carving from wood.” A few minutes later another knock sounded, and another gift lay on the porch. It was slightly better packaged and when opened it reviled a star, ‘she was the shining star in my life when I needed a little guidance’. “The widow on the corner?”
“Gloria has been busy,” commented her son, “how many do you think there will be?” looking at him in surprise she caught his thought, she had always been out most of the day, but how much could a little girl do? Ten presents later they could only sit there and cry, five new coats and a Christmas tree with tree ornaments glittered in the fading light. Gloria’s siblings came in and asked were all of these pretty things came from.
“They came from the people that Gloria has been helping,” their mother said, “a single person can do a lot.” At that moment a knock sounded at the door, opening it they found several people outside, from old tom to young rinna only five years old. As they started to sing silent night jacks mother started to cry, jack held his mother in his arms and looked at the twelve people standing in the cold. Inviting them in they had the best Christmas gathering that they would remember for years to come, the death of a child brought people who had never know they had anything in common together to morn and comfort one another, and that was the day when Mr. Riis proposed to Mrs. Horal. That was the day when their lives changed for the better and they all lived long happy lives, as well as I can recollect.
~Jack
Me: *sigh* 'i wonder if anyone remembers her, they certainly don't remember me...i never came out of the shadows.'
Random person who got in: *sob sob sob*
Me: 'HOW DID YOU GET INTO MY ROOM!!!!'
Random person: looks up 'uh oh...OW!" as kicked off the top floor of my home
Me: shakes head in confusion before wondering if the person was still alive...'so much for not killing streak' <-mummbled
Another random person: bursts in through the open door with climbing equipment then spots me 'shadow'
Me: 'i hope that you are fireproof ' as i take out blowtorch and chase person around with it 'MUAHAHAHAHA'
Random person: runs as fast as possible but knows that he/she is going to die 'please! i am simply a humble person wishing to review-AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!'
Me: random person falls out of window 'oops...oh well, those who try to seek me out, beware for i look absolutly adorible when angered and will not refrain from using this!' holds up blowtorch then sees label 'please return to ___________...oh cr...ab apples! i forgot to return this, oops!'
Random person who got in: *sob sob sob*
Me: 'HOW DID YOU GET INTO MY ROOM!!!!'
Random person: looks up 'uh oh...OW!" as kicked off the top floor of my home
Me: shakes head in confusion before wondering if the person was still alive...'so much for not killing streak' <-mummbled
Another random person: bursts in through the open door with climbing equipment then spots me 'shadow'
Me: 'i hope that you are fireproof ' as i take out blowtorch and chase person around with it 'MUAHAHAHAHA'
Random person: runs as fast as possible but knows that he/she is going to die 'please! i am simply a humble person wishing to review-AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!'
Me: random person falls out of window 'oops...oh well, those who try to seek me out, beware for i look absolutly adorible when angered and will not refrain from using this!' holds up blowtorch then sees label 'please return to ___________...oh cr...ab apples! i forgot to return this, oops!'
