The Gift of Christmas: The Novella Range Read online

  THE NOVELLA RANGE

  VISIT www.thearmchairdetective.moonfruit.com

  The

  Gift

  of

  Christmas

  Ian Shimwell

  The Gift of Christmas is Copyright Ian Shimwell © 2014.

  ALSO AVAILABLE IN THE NOVELLA RANGE:

  Legacy of the Musketeers

  Führerbunker

  The Prime

  Murder By Suspects

  and

  The Novella Range Collection

  AND AVAILABLE IN NOVELLA AUDIOBOOKS:

  Legacy of the Musketeers

  The Prime

  The Gift of Christmas

  Before…

  “God said, ‘I will send my messenger ahead of you to clear the way for you.’”

  Mathew 3.2

  After…

  “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed God?”

  “I am,” answered Jesus.

  Mathew 26.61,62

  CONTENTS

  Before…

  Angel

  After…

  Tess

  Tammy

  John

  Before…

  Angel

  A heavenly snowflake fell from the sky - so intricate and complex; so natural and beautiful; so perfect in design. It span and twirled as it gracefully floated downwards until it rested on a young woman’s shoulders. The snowflake was so comfy there it seemed to melt with delight.

  The young woman cycled through the snowy wonderland. She hadn’t even noticed the snowflake that had taken refuge on her shoulder. Angel was happy, she had been entrusted to deliver a very important gift which was safely tucked away in her saddle bag. Riding through the falling layers of snow, she didn’t feel cold even though she was only wearing a striped summer’s dress.

  “Oh, this is a wondrous Christmas morning,” Angel thought and she had a feeling things would become even better. Just then, a cute little dog ran right in front of her. Angel braked as hard as she could. The dog rolled in the snow and out of danger. Angel wondered why she hadn’t skidded as she lost her concentration and tumbled off her bicycle. Fortunately she landed in the soft snow. The dog pawed her and licked her face with concern.

  “It’s all right, Fluffy,” said Angel with kindness. He looked so funny all covered in snow. “Now run along and next time, look both ways before you cross the road.” Fluffy barked in agreement and sped on his wintery way. Angel smiled. Fluffy still hadn’t looked both ways. She would have to teach him road safety one day.

  Picking herself up and brushing the snow away from her pretty dress, Angel suddenly became very worried and dashed to her saddle bag. She opened it and took out a square box which was beautifully wrapped in Christmas paper and finished off with a silk ribbon and tied with a flourish in a majestic bow. She breathed a huge sigh of relief. The gift was safe.

  In a traditionally decorated living room with all the usual Christmas decorations a boy sat, playing happily with his train set by the magical Christmas tree and the cosy log fire. He seemed very happy, pushing the train round the track and choo choo-ing along.

  His father walked in and stood there for a moment watching him. His wise old eyes were filled with delight. It was so wonderful to see his son enjoying himself so much. A tear formed in the corner of his eye and ventured slowly down his deeply lined face. This was not only a tear of great happiness, but also of deep sadness. He would cherish this moment forever. For after today, this most special of Christmas Days, nothing would be the same ever again.

  The boy stopped playing and looked at his father. “Oh father, as much as I am grateful for my train set and all my other Christmas presents…”

  “And birthday presents too,” interrupted his father. “Today is also your birthday.”

  “All right, and birthday presents too then. But I think there is something missing. I feel there is something more… much more to life – but my thoughts are unclear.”

  “Yes, I know, my son,” said the father in comforting tones, “which is why this year, I have arranged an extraordinary special gift for you.”

  “So, where is it, then?” asked the boy eagerly. His eyes were now wide with excitement.

  The father studied his son closely. “Angel is bringing it now on her bicycle. She shouldn’t be more than a few moments.”

  “But father, as much as I love seeing Angel – why is she bringing it? Why isn’t my gift already here?”

  “Patience, my son.” He pressed the flat palms of his hands together. “My gift to you has come from my workplace.”

  “So, Angel’s bringing it from there,” realised the boy. He then stood up and thought for a moment. “Is this the reason I haven’t seen much of you lately, father?”

  “Yes, I have been very busy on this project of late. It is the most difficult thing I have ever attempted – and very soon, it will be all yours.”

  “Oh father, you are wonderful,” the boy cried emotionally.

  “I know,” said his father with mock modesty.

  “You!” shouted the boy with pretend annoyance. He flung himself at his father and began punching him, albeit playfully. The sound of the front door opening stopped their game and they both knew that Angel – and the gift had arrived.

  Angel stumbled into the living room and glanced with some amusement at the two expectant faces that greeted her.

  “Well, where is it?” asked the father with surprise eagerness.

  “Where’s what?” flummoxed Angel.

  “The gift!” the boy stated loudly, hardly containing his excitement.

  “Oh, the gift,” said Angel innocently. “I knew I’d forgotten something.” But there was a twinkle of mischief in her eyes which father and son spotted.

  “You’re such a tease Angel,” the boy said with delight, as he wrapped his arms around Angel’s waist and hugged her tightly.

  “Alright, alright I give in. Let me go and you shall have your gift.”

  The boy let her go and moved closer to his father. Angel popped outside and brought in the Christmas box from her saddle bag – the gift.

  “Happy Christmas,” she said and placed the gift in the boys hands. Angel loved to see the wonder and anticipation in the eyes of the boy she affectionately thought of as her lamb.

  “I wonder what could it be. It’s quite heavy for its size.” The boy now seemed almost scared of this awesome gift.

  “Don’t worry son, the gift is crafted by my own loving hands. I made it. There is nothing to be afraid of.”

  Tentatively, the boy carefully undid the silk ribbon and lifted the lid off the box to reveal a ball which was wrapped in Christmas paper. “Father,” he said with disappointment, “you know I have plenty of play balls.” He threw it up in the air – ready to kick it – upon its fall.

  Angel could only stare with disbelief; but the father said sternly: “This is no play ball! It is my most precious creation.”

  Thankfully, the boy caught the ball safely, instead of kicking it. “I am sorry,” he sighed.

  “It is all right,” comforted his father. “Now, open it.”

  The boy pulled the wrapping paper away and stared with amazement at the blue spherical sphere that he was holding. He looked closer and saw it wasn’t just blue. There were green shapeless masses dotted about and white mists floating around it. The boy moved his hands around it. Some places of the globe were quite warm and some were surprisingly cool. He looked at Angel and his father with a curious puzzlement in his eyes.

  “You’ve got the whole wide world in your hands,” cried Angel with great joy.

  “Son, I give you the world,” said his father with immense
pride.

  The boy looked into his world. He saw swirling oceans and colossal continents. He saw great sea creatures to tiny fish. He saw forest; the jungles; beautiful green luscious countryside and the bleak desserts. He saw the birds, animals, insects and reptiles. He saw people. He saw love, hope friendship and kindness but also hate, despair, deceit and wickedness. He saw countries and peoples helping and caring for strangers, and he also saw senseless wars killing untold millions. He saw everything.

  “As you can see, my son – many things have gone wrong with my creation. That is why I want you to take over – to right all the wrongs.” His father paused with a heavy heart. “But before you accept my gift, you must realise that in order for you to help the world – I must give you to the world itself.”

  He thought for a moment. The gift of Christmas would give him such wonderful joy, but also horrific pain. He knew though that he always needed something more than toys; this heavenly place and even Angel and his father. And this was it. He would never be bored – not even for a moment, again and this gift would fulfil his time and his soul for evermore. With a little sadness, he knew that everything would change.

  “I understand and gratefully accept your gift” He looked at the delighted and proud expressions of his father and Angel and said, “I shall save the world!” He held the world safely in his hands.

  A lonely tear trickled down Angel’s cheek. She would miss her lamb.

  After…

  Tess

  The heavenly snowflakes gathered and fell; span and twirled as they travelled downwards in an engrossing mass. They covered a small town in its pure white blanket. Although the flakes themselves weren’t to know, this was actually perfect timing. T’was Christmas Eve after all and one particular little girl, who had pulled the curtains back, was watching the snow flurry with ever-increasing excitement.

  Tess smiled. Her back garden was naturally bathed in darkness, but she could still see some of the snow from the light of the window.

  “A white Christmas,” said her mother sitting down on the sofa and somehow flicking through her magazine at the same time. “You’re so lucky Tessy, I don’t think I ever had one when I was little.”

  Tess tried to come away from the window and the almost mesmerising effect of the falling snow, but she thought she saw something in the pitch-black darkness at the far end of the garden. Must have been a glint from the eye of a squirrel or something, she thought to herself. Maybe an owl, and a snowy one at that. Finally though, she did tear herself away from her snowy scene and faced her mother in the warm glowy living room which couldn’t have contrasted more to the icy blackness outside.

  “I knew it would snow this Christmas,” Tess said with an air of wonder.

  Her mother slapped her magazine down on the coffee table next to her. “Now, how would you know that? The weather forecast actually predicted rain until this cold front appeared from nowhere.”

  Tess stared involuntarily upwards with some reverence. “I prayed for snow.”

  “Well, that explains it then.” She then decided to search for the remote control. “Did you also pray for your father to come home early, even though he never does, with his damn Christmas office party? I mean everyone else has their party almost a month early, but no – not him. It has to be on the last minute, just like him – he even nearly missed our wedding!”

  And then, as if right on cue, Tess heard the key turn in the front door lock and it opening. “Daddy!” she cried and rushed towards him, giving him a big hug.

  “You can let me go now Tessy,” her father said kindly, “if you don’t mind – or we both might end up missing the festivities stuck in a Christmas cuddle.”

  “I don’t mind,” Tess said, threatening to never let him go, but eventually she did relent and, slightly reluctantly, did so.

  Her mother eyed her husband coldly. “I’m surprised you’ve made it home so early, you normally stagger in after she’s gone to bed.”

  “Hey, that’s not fair – I have always seen Tess on Christmas Eve although sometimes I admit, I’ve cut it fine.”

  Tess decided to speak out. “Please don’t argue, not today. And I want to open my presents tomorrow without you shouting at each other.”

  “You’re right sweetheart,” her mother conceded.

  “And slightly earlier than usual, I am home for Christmas. And this year, we don’t have any grandparents or other relatives staying with us.”

  Tess smiled warmly. “We are going to have a family Christmas – just us, the way it used to be. Just the three of us. Oh, and Squeaker.”

  “That’s if our cat lasts through Christmas,” her mother said quietly, but Tess still heard her. “John, are you going to take your coat off and sit down – you still look awfully cold, you know. I’ll make us all a nice cup of tea.”

  “Yes,” Tess’ father agreed but an unwelcome frown left a lasting mark upon his forehead. “I know it’s snowing – and I can’t wait to build a snowman with you, Tessy on Christmas morning, but the garden, it seemed well freezing.”

  Her mother assured him that he was inside now and a warm beverage would banish those seasonal shivers. But as her parents left the room to make the teas or take their coats off, Tess’ eyes were drawn towards the curtain. Did she see anything in the garden? And why had her father felt so cold near the house? She shivered.

  “Boo!”

  Tess nearly jumped out of her skin. “Very funny Daddy,” she managed to say once she had caught her breath.

  “You’re not worried about anything, are you Tessy – especially on this eve of Christmas?” Her father asked, serious all of a sudden.

  “Only that I won’t get the present I’ve been asking for,” Tess smiled.

  “Oh, that world hospital you’ve happened to mention around a ga-zillion times?”

  “That’s the one.”

  As her father walked out, he turned round and spoke the predictable line: “I suppose it depends whether Father Christmas heard you and that you’ve been good…” And with that, he was gone.

  Tess looked involuntarily at her old dolly that was laid awkwardly and left discarded in the corner. She must have imagined it, but there was something in its eyes. Dolly seemed to be looking intently towards the curtain.

  Tess hated Dolly. She not only reminded her of her little sister – to Tess, she somehow was her sister. Tess believed it was some sort of punishment for her feelings on that fateful day a couple of years ago.

  Tess loved with just being with Mummy and Daddy. She was happier, at least, in those lost days gone by, when it was just the three of them. And then, one day out of the blue, Mummy announced she was having a baby. Eventually she discovered she was going to have a little sister. But, the strange thing was, even though both her parents were clearly delighted and thrilled at the prospect of an addition to the family – she was not. She found that she had dark, unpleasant feelings rising up inside her. She realised that she was jealous and resented the baby before it was even born. And then… her sister, her little sister was born – but she never breathed a breath, not one. Her mother and father were shocked and distraught. But good old Tessy was secretly pleased. She had her Mummy and Daddy all to herself again, so why did it never feel good? The ironic thing was, things were never the same after that day. It was if the precious magic between the three of them had died along with her little sister. And mother and father drifted apart too. They argued more and often bickered. Dad spent more and more time at the office. Tess didn’t especially like it anymore when it was just the three of them.

  But still, Dolly was stubbornly looking towards the curtains. Her kind-of sister wanted her to open them – but why? Was it another of her malicious tricks she liked playing on Tess? She also glanced at the Christmas tree and especially the angel on top of it. Was that looking at her too?

  So Tess, despite herself, could not help but stare at the covered window. She held her breath as a breeze seemed to come from nowhere and the curtains
rippled. And then, for the briefest of moments she saw… something. She sat still, rooted to her spot on the sofa. She had never been so terrified in her life.

  “Tea for three,” said her Mum as she brought in the drinks on a tray.

  Tess was more relieved than she could say to see her mother and eagerly took her tea and took too big a gulp which nearly burnt her mouth.

  Her mother looked at her oddly. “Careful Tess, as far as I know, your throat isn’t heat-proof.”

  They were soon joined by father and started, without really realising it, having that cosy family Christmas time together. Tess and her parents had forgotten themselves and started enjoying life like they used to, just the three of them… if only for the briefest of times.

  “I wonder if it’s still snowing outside,” her father suddenly said, walking towards the window.

  “No, don’t.” Tess must have said it with noticeable force as both parents swung round and looked at Tess questioningly. “I just thought… err we were having such a good chat about funny holidays.”

  Her father smiled. “You do talk nonsense sometimes, Tessy. I’m only taking a peek through the window. It won’t take more than a second. And then we can reminisce about holidays to your heart’s content.

  Perhaps to make a point, he drew both curtains back as far as possible. It was still snowing. But, with dread, Tess realised that they could now all see what she had somehow sensed all along. It was in the shadowy corner right at the far corner of the garden. A dark shape was bundled on the ground which contrasted ominously with the pure white snow.

  “Who is it?” wondered mother.

  “What is it?” asked father.

  “Has somebody left an old bundle of black clothes at the bottom of the garden?” Tess ventured hopefully.