A Christmas story

This could be true in my country..or in yours

The big bell was ringing and the people were quietly listening the priest’s preach. They were simple, poor , but eager to listen to God’s words. This part of the town was poorer than others but it had the most beautiful church.

From the crowd a big family distinguished  : a thin woman carrying a baby in her arms and her three little girls. They were all blue eyed and blond haired and they seamed very religious .

At the end of the preach the girls crammed to the goodies table. The woman was carefully watching them. She had strong and even harsh features. It seamed the little girls knew very well where to go and what to do . Their mother was pleased to see this. Only the youngest daughter was praying quietly on a bench. She was the only one that hadn’t forgotten where they were. Seeing this her mother reacted very strange , being very upset of the fact she was not contributing to the Sunday’s meal. God is supposed to help the poor , but the poor know best how to help themselves. This seamed to be the woman’s dictum. She grabbed the little girl and pushed her to the goodies table. The scared child stepped in front with fear, knowing she had to play her act too. And she did it very well, knowing her mother is not as kind and religious as she shown to the others. Besides she didn’t want another Sunday’s beat.

The little girl’s name was Annie and she was the youngest daughter in the family, besides her baby brother who was always loved and protected. At least for the moment. Annie knew that in some years even him will be a way of making more money.

Annie and her family were staying opposite the church, at the first floor of a big house. Unfortunately her parents saw this as an opportunity of getting more money and things from the parishioners  of the church. They were indeed poor, but Annie didn’t understand why mother pretended to believe in God and prayed to Him at church and why she was a totally different person at home. Annie didn’t understand either why they had to impress people for getting money, things or food. It was humiliating.

Later that day the family gathered for the Sunday meal, sharing in different parts the food. It wasn’t any thanking pray for  God. They, except for Annie, believed that food was deserved  because they were poor.

The next day was Monday and even if the girls should have gone at school their parents didn’t always let them to. This wasn’t a big problem for the children, excepting for Annie, who was the only one that took care of  her books and notebooks . She loved the school atmosphere, all those new things she could find out there. Miss told them that learning and studying were the only ways to succeed in life, to go to a good college, university , to have a good job…and to be a better person. She didn’t really understand what all these things meant , but she certainly knew she wanted to be a better person., to live in one of those high block of flats, to be intelligent, educated and well-dressed and to be able to give money  to the poor , not to beg for them. For all these reasons she loved school.

In that evening she was preparing her school-bag and her clothes when her mother came and thrown everything on the floor:

-What do you think you’re doing?

The girl turned pale . She couldn’t answer .

-You’ll not go to school anymore. It is useless. Keep in mind you’re poor and you’ll always be like that. Your place is on the street, begging.

Mother turned around thinking the girl will not be able to respond.

-Please , mom! In two weeks’ time is Christmas and Miss teaches us carols and a play. I have a part in it. You would be proud to see me. Miss says I’m talented.

-Shut up! Listen to you! You start talking like those people . You Annie , you are not like them! I have seen how you look at rich women in the church, how you try to speak nicely, differently, but whatever you may do, howsoever you may learn they will never accept you in their world!

-This is not true, this is not true!

Mother grabbed her and threw her on the bed!

-Why do you annoy us every Sunday? Why can’t you be like your sisters?

-And why can’t you really be nice ,loving, and religious as you pretend to be in church. And all those poor people that believe you….One day I will yell in front of them , I will tell them how you really are!!!!

At that point Annie’s mother really got crazy and started slapping Annie.

-Who are you  for judging me ? I am raising you, I am feeding you, you live because of me ..and you have the guts to talk to  me like this….

-I don’t live because of you. I and we live because God does not let us starve, we live from the kindness of the people you despise so much.

-Shut up! You’re my child and you’ll do whatever I will tell you. For now on your sisters will go to school and you will stay on the streets begging. You’ll eat only what others give you , just to see how hard it is to make a living, and not dreaming about impossible things anymore.

The little girl fell asleep crying thinking that she was to blame for everything. She will miss the most beautiful period at school. The tears rolled on her face and she had to swallow the hiccups for her mother not to hear her. She was sad. She felt herself the saddest person  on Earth. And at that point she hated her life. But all the little girls dream a lot and the open eyed dreams were always saving Annie. They did then , when they helped her to forget and to fall asleep too.

The next day her sisters went to school and she had to go on the streets . The weather was colder and colder and the sky was full of strange and frightening clouds. They had a weird color, they didn’t look like rain clouds.

She was walking  on streets staring at the people, window shops or children and she didn’t get too much. Just a sandwich and some money which had to be saved for home. As she was walking on the streets she heard a wonderful news. The Christmas tree from the centre of the town was being adorned and the town was about to be lighted.

Annie was extremely happy. It was Winter, it was almost Christmas and Santa Claus was getting nearer. What could have been more exciting?

She started running to the centre because she wanted to be there when the tree would be ready. The tree was much higher and prettier than she expected and an army of people were helping to decorate it. She sat on a big stone in front of the tree and looked amazed how it was transformed into a jewelry.

People were passing by her, it was getting dark and cold and she didn’t care or feel anything than joy. Then she was the happiest girl on Earth.

The tree in front of her symbolized all her dreams and hopes about Christmas . It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. When the lights went on she even believed she was in paradise. Then she started crying seeing such a thing.

In all those many hours spent at church she and God talked. In fact she talked to God and she was certain He loved her. This was one of the moments when God was showing her that she was not alone.

When she felt the touch of something little and cold on her face she first thought there were her tears , but then she saw something in the distance and she looked on the sky. Only then she saw the miracle: the white, fluffy and frisky snowflakes. It was Annie’s first snow. Then the girl thought that God sent her a gift for not being sad anymore.

At almost midnight Annie returned home knowing her parents would argue her  but she didn’t care so much. As soon as she arrived  she put all the money and food on the table and went to bed tired. She fell asleep thinking about her white Christmas.

The next days Annie walked unhindered on the streets , dancing, laughing , walking in the parks, and in the centre of the town. It had been snowing ever since that day she was excited , waiting the dawn to leave that horrible house. Now, her real life was on streets. She watched the beautifully decorated shop windows and the people who were passing by her , carrying their children. Only then she remembered her family was not a normal one , but the view cheered her.

Christmas was approaching and Annie was doing everything possible to be a good girl. She barely ate anything because she let everything to her parents’ dining table. She wanted to be so nice that Santa wouldn’t forget about her like last year.   

And, after so many days of waiting the Christmas Eve’s morning arrived. She woke up and started getting dressed. But mother gave her the news:

-         Annie, you will not leave the house  today. You are going to stay here and prepare everything for Christmas. You will clean the house, cook something and then you will wait us patiently.

Annie was a little bit surprised but she didn’t see anything strange in her mother’s demand. A day of her own wasn’t such a disaster especially she imagined a miracle night expected her. The family left the house , all dressed nice and she began to do the cleaning, to decorate  the house and to prepare something to eat. Outside it was snowing, the people’s bustle could be heard from inside but she didn’t have time to go outside. She wanted to do everything right .

It was getting dark when the girl finished work and tried to go outside, in the yard. She tried to open the door, but it didn’t work. She tried again and then she realized the door was locked. She stepped behind  frightened. Why was the door locked? Maybe mother wanted to protect her and locked the door to be safe…but there wasn’t anything valuable in the house. She crouched near the  window, wiped the glass from haze and she closed her little nose on the window. She barely saw anything , but the view, the little human beings that were hurrying home, the lights from the street and the far carols were enough for her. It had passed a couple of hours and her parents hadn’t arrived and it was already  dark outside. It had remained few hours till midnight, till Santa Claus was about to arrive in the town. Annie started dreaming about that moment and she was very proud of her. She had succeeded not to upset her parents in the last weeks. Her only worry was that the door was locked. How Santa Claus was to come if she was prisoner in that house…that house that she hated so much. She thought it wasn’t fair. In the last weeks she had stayed on the streets, she had met new friends , and now she had to stay alone  in that wonderful night.

Annie fell asleep about an hour and she woke up feeling her little heart beating very fast. There was a sharpened silence and wilderness  on the streets. She jumped from the old chair and tried again the door. Still locked. Annie thought it was midnight already. She checked her boots but there was nothing there. Surely Santa had already come but he couldn’t enter. This thought worried her more. Annie started to cry and to grapple in the door. Her parents had done this purposely.  Just to punish her. She was so said and so furious that she took an axe  from the pantry and started hitting the lock. She was crying and hitting harder and harder. She was not going to stay alone on Christmas’ Eve, she was not going to loose Santa Claus, she was not going to let those people make her miserable , she was not going to stay in that house any more minute.

Even if she was little and fragile , her anger and sadness were bigger and stronger and she succeeded to break the door. When she realized she was finally free  she stopped  for some seconds and then turned around. Then she knew that were the last minutes in that house. She thought about taking something with her, something like a memory, but she realized she didn’t want anything to remind her of that nightmare.

 

Annie left the house running. Running faster and faster, leaving the past behind her. She was going to a church. She knew there were sermons now and she wanted to go in the other part of the town. The streets were desert , but she didn’t have time to see this because she was too hurried.

Annie arrived in the middle of the sermon and she crouched in a corner. It was very cozy in the church and she liked so much the carols. In front of the altar there was a big tree and a table of goodies , but she wasn’t going to ask anything from there. She thanked God and kept her eyes closed during the sermon. Then the parishioners began to spread and she realized she had to go away.

Annie se cleaved to the wall of the church and she was watching the others curiously. A kind woman saw her and offered her a cake. She looked at the woman with wipping eyes.

-No, thank you. I don’t want anything from the goodies table. I am not hungry. Besides Santa Claus will give me my presents any time. I want to save myself for him.

The woman smiled.

-As you wish. But Santa Claus may be late and you may get hungry. Are you sure you don’t want anything ?

Annie looked again at the cake. It was indeed a very tempting  cake.

-I will take it and keep it for later. Thank you.

The woman wanted to go but she saw there wasn’t anyone in the church besides the girl.

-Aren’t your parents with you?

-No, they aren’t. I don’t have parents.

-Oh, do you live in an orphanage?

-Not, really. You see in my life happened something very strange.

-Listen, don’t you want to come with me? I have a hotel room because I am not from your town but I prepared something for Christmas and I would want to share it with you.

Annie cheered.

-Yes, of course, but do you think Santa Claus will find me there too?

-Of course, he has his ways in finding the special children.

The woman and Annie left the church hand in hand as if they were relatives. The lady had big steps but Annie tinea pasul with her , happy she had found such a good person.

They arrived at a beautiful hotel and went upstairs at the woman’s suit. The room was great, it had even a little Christmas tree. Annie sat on the bed and turned on the television. Meanwhile the woman was arranging the Christmas table.

Of course Annie ate all and then sat tired on the pillow.

-         I ‘m so sleepy , but I want to wait Santa.

The woman caressed her and hold her in her arms.

-         Santa will not come if you are going to stay awake.

-         Yes, I have heard this, but I want so much to see him.

-         We will sleep and in the morning you will surely find your presents.

-         I hope so. Santa forgot to pass by my house last year.

-         You didn’t tell me anything about your parents. Tomorrow we will have to find them.

-         No, we won’t. You see… it is complicated. God made a mistake when He sent me to that family and Santa will repair  this tonight. My wish is to find my real family and get away from those people who do not love me.

The woman looked at her amazed and she couldn’t  ask anything else because Annie was already dreaming. She began to undress the girl and only then she saw the bruises from Annie’s body.

The two slept embraced like a mother and a retrieved daughter.

 

The next day all the town revived and the spirit of  Christmas made his presence to be felt. In a little hotel room a little girl opened her presents and through them she found her ticket to happiness. Up there in the sky some bells heard and the big old Santa caressed her beard happy. Another Christmas miracle had just happened.

 

Reviews

[HoWiE]

Hey Marina, this was a nicely put together piece, all the more impressive for the fact that it is not in your first language. It certainly had the feel of a Christmas tale to it and has me already looking forward to December 25th... even though it's March 15th, lol. Thanks for posting this delightful story. Cheers! Howie :-)

[Monners]

This is a great story. I loved it. Reminded me of something that maybe I've read similar before. What a wonderful gift on Christmas. =)