| General Fiction posted December 25, 2022 |
  |
Josh's story
Black Christmas
by Heather Knight
Everyone in town loved Lisa Green, the baker. She was a jolly young woman with a pancake face who walked with a limp because of a farming accident when she was a little girl . It involved a drunk farmhand and a plough. 'It could have been a lot worse', the Greens always said. The Greens were known for their optimism and their hospitality.
The truth is that, even though she never told anyone, Mrs Green worried about Lisa.
She will never find a suitor now, she thought. Men are incredibly shallow.
Lisa herself never thought about it. She was happy when Poppy, her sister, got married and doted on her twin nieces, but it never occurred to her that she was missing out. She loved her job and was always thinking of new desserts she could make or ways to improve her traditional recipes. She was busy as she got lots of orders for wedding and birthday cakes among other things.
When the town doctor was away, which happened quite often as he was in charge of five neighbouring villages, Lisa acted as midwife. She loved being the town midwife and each new baby was a miracle in her eyes.
'Would you like to have your own?' her sister asked her one day.
'I've never thought about it. Maybe, but I'm getting too old to be a mum.'
'Old? You're only thirty!'
'Most women have babies in their early twenties. You did.'
Poppy stared at the fire and didn't say anything. Sometimes she felt sorry for her sister.
Winters came and went. Springs sprung. Summers dried the land and autumns littered it with leaves.
One day in August, Lisa walked into her mother's room to bring her her tea and found her dead in her bed. From that day on, her father hardly spoke. His wife had always been the driving force that kept the Green family moving forward. Lisa tried to convince him to help her with the shop, but he refused.
'I've got too much work here. What with the animals and the land,' he said.
However, that work never got done. Weeds started sprouting in the once well-tended land.
Two months after her mother's passing, Lisa found herself standing next to her sister by her father's grave. It was December 24th.
'Why don't you come and live with us?' Poppy suggested. ' You cannot stay in that big, cold house all alone.'
'But I want to stay. It's the only home I've ever known.'
Time kept on passing, clocks kept on ticking, their hands going round and round non-stop till one day a buzz could be heard all around the town. It was the buzz of gossip.
'Have you heard that Lisa Green is getting married? At her age! Mrs Church told me old man Amos has asked her and she's said yes.'
'What does she see in him? They have nothing in common. Besides, he's ancient.'
'Well, what do we know? I'm happy for her.'
The town never found out if Lisa had married for love or because she felt lonely. Poppy never became too fond of Amos and tried to avoid him whenever she could.
The truth is not even Lisa and Amos knew why they had decided to get married. Lisa was knitting by the fire one night and thought it would be nice to have someone to talk to. Amos was drinking tea at the dinner table one day and realised he wanted an heir. He needed a son to help him with his jewellery business.
So married they got. The ceremony was subdued, maybe too much so. There was no dancing, just eating and whispering. Lisa and Amos said they couldn't afford to close their shops so there was no honeymoon.
A few months later, while pregnant for the first and last time, Lisa had a nightmare. It surprised her because she never had bad dreams and because it was so vivid it seemed real. She saw the devil, like they draw him in cartoons, red and sporting a long dragon tail. She noticed he was sneering at her. For days she worried about what it could mean, but she didn't dare to tell her husband. She feared he'd make fun of her.
Eventually Lisa and Amos's first son was born. He was a boy as his father had expected. His face was round and beautiful like his mother's, but Lisa found it difficult to establish a bond. There was something about her baby that unnerved her. They named the baby Josh and went about their lives like other folks do after having children.
'Do you think my son is different... maybe odd?' Lisa asked Poppy one day while they walked in the forest that separated their homes.
'No... he's just serious. He'll grow out of it.'
Josh was grumpy even as a baby. He never smiled. He grew and his body changed, but he never stopped being grumpy. He didn't make friends at school and the children in the town feared him. He was so grumpy that he didn't even enjoy the thought of Santa bringing him presents.
The years passed and Josh turned into a young man. He took care of his father's business efficiently, but without enthusiasm. Amos was too old now and stayed at home most days.
One fierce winter, at Christmas time, both Amos and Lisa caught bad chest colds. The doctor couldn't save them and they were both gone in five days.
Josh had always hated Christmas and what he called 'its fake cheer', but from that year onwards he hated it even more. Even though he hadn't known how to show his feelings, he had loved his parents and now he felt alone.
Two Christmases later a new family moved into town. They had a daughter who was fifteen and another one who was twenty-three like Josh. Her name was Beatrice.
When she walked into his shop one day to have a chain fixed, Josh smiled for the first time in his entire life. He was smitten.
They didn't talk much, but on his walk back home that evening he felt as if he was walking on clouds. Not on air, on clouds.
They kept on meeting in the town and, as they became better acquainted with each other, their conversations became longer. Beatrice found the young man intriguing, different from all the other ones who had courted her and that made the whole thing more exciting.
One day, after they had taken a walk together, Beatrice stopped and faced Josh.
'So are you going to ask me or not?'
'Ask you what?'
'To marry you.'
'Ah! That. Would you?'
'Of course.'
And just like that, Josh was a changed man. Nobody in town could believe it. He was friendly, he smiled constantly and he was happy. He only wished his parents could see him.
The next Christmas, Josh and Beatrice got married in a small wooden church near the town.. Josh was starting to think that the good Christmases outnumbered the bad ones. And then it happened again.
A year after their wedding, Beatrice died in childbirth and their baby girl died as well. It was December 25th. Josh's screams could be heard from the village.
After the funeral, he went home alone. His beloved wife's clothes and trinkets were everywhere, constant reminders that she was gone. He couldn't stand it. He'd have to leave and start anew somewhere else. Nobody saw him ever again. Nobody knew what became of him.
Town legend says, however, that if you cross the forest at Christmas, you can hear Josh and Beatrice singing carols and whispering in each other's ears. They also say that means you are about to find true love.
Christmas Story contest entry
Everyone in town loved Lisa Green, the baker. She was a jolly young woman with a pancake face who walked with a limp because of a farming accident when she was a little girl . It involved a drunk farmhand and a plough. 'It could have been a lot worse', the Greens always said. The Greens were known for their optimism and their hospitality.
The truth is that, even though she never told anyone, Mrs Green worried about Lisa.
She will never find a suitor now, she thought. Men are incredibly shallow.
Lisa herself never thought about it. She was happy when Poppy, her sister, got married and doted on her twin nieces, but it never occurred to her that she was missing out. She loved her job and was always thinking of new desserts she could make or ways to improve her traditional recipes. She was busy as she got lots of orders for wedding and birthday cakes among other things.
When the town doctor was away, which happened quite often as he was in charge of five neighbouring villages, Lisa acted as midwife. She loved being the town midwife and each new baby was a miracle in her eyes.
'Would you like to have your own?' her sister asked her one day.
'I've never thought about it. Maybe, but I'm getting too old to be a mum.'
'Old? You're only thirty!'
'Most women have babies in their early twenties. You did.'
Poppy stared at the fire and didn't say anything. Sometimes she felt sorry for her sister.
Winters came and went. Springs sprung. Summers dried the land and autumns littered it with leaves.
One day in August, Lisa walked into her mother's room to bring her her tea and found her dead in her bed. From that day on, her father hardly spoke. His wife had always been the driving force that kept the Green family moving forward. Lisa tried to convince him to help her with the shop, but he refused.
'I've got too much work here. What with the animals and the land,' he said.
However, that work never got done. Weeds started sprouting in the once well-tended land.
Two months after her mother's passing, Lisa found herself standing next to her sister by her father's grave. It was December 24th.
'Why don't you come and live with us?' Poppy suggested. ' You cannot stay in that big, cold house all alone.'
'But I want to stay. It's the only home I've ever known.'
Time kept on passing, clocks kept on ticking, their hands going round and round non-stop till one day a buzz could be heard all around the town. It was the buzz of gossip.
'Have you heard that Lisa Green is getting married? At her age! Mrs Church told me old man Amos has asked her and she's said yes.'
'What does she see in him? They have nothing in common. Besides, he's ancient.'
'Well, what do we know? I'm happy for her.'
The town never found out if Lisa had married for love or because she felt lonely. Poppy never became too fond of Amos and tried to avoid him whenever she could.
The truth is not even Lisa and Amos knew why they had decided to get married. Lisa was knitting by the fire one night and thought it would be nice to have someone to talk to. Amos was drinking tea at the dinner table one day and realised he wanted an heir. He needed a son to help him with his jewellery business.
So married they got. The ceremony was subdued, maybe too much so. There was no dancing, just eating and whispering. Lisa and Amos said they couldn't afford to close their shops so there was no honeymoon.
A few months later, while pregnant for the first and last time, Lisa had a nightmare. It surprised her because she never had bad dreams and because it was so vivid it seemed real. She saw the devil, like they draw him in cartoons, red and sporting a long dragon tail. She noticed he was sneering at her. For days she worried about what it could mean, but she didn't dare to tell her husband. She feared he'd make fun of her.
Eventually Lisa and Amos's first son was born. He was a boy as his father had expected. His face was round and beautiful like his mother's, but Lisa found it difficult to establish a bond. There was something about her baby that unnerved her. They named the baby Josh and went about their lives like other folks do after having children.
'Do you think my son is different... maybe odd?' Lisa asked Poppy one day while they walked in the forest that separated their homes.
'No... he's just serious. He'll grow out of it.'
Josh was grumpy even as a baby. He never smiled. He grew and his body changed, but he never stopped being grumpy. He didn't make friends at school and the children in the town feared him. He was so grumpy that he didn't even enjoy the thought of Santa bringing him presents.
The years passed and Josh turned into a young man. He took care of his father's business efficiently, but without enthusiasm. Amos was too old now and stayed at home most days.
One fierce winter, at Christmas time, both Amos and Lisa caught bad chest colds. The doctor couldn't save them and they were both gone in five days.
Josh had always hated Christmas and what he called 'its fake cheer', but from that year onwards he hated it even more. Even though he hadn't known how to show his feelings, he had loved his parents and now he felt alone.
Two Christmases later a new family moved into town. They had a daughter who was fifteen and another one who was twenty-three like Josh. Her name was Beatrice.
When she walked into his shop one day to have a chain fixed, Josh smiled for the first time in his entire life. He was smitten.
They didn't talk much, but on his walk back home that evening he felt as if he was walking on clouds. Not on air, on clouds.
They kept on meeting in the town and, as they became better acquainted with each other, their conversations became longer. Beatrice found the young man intriguing, different from all the other ones who had courted her and that made the whole thing more exciting.
One day, after they had taken a walk together, Beatrice stopped and faced Josh.
'So are you going to ask me or not?'
'Ask you what?'
'To marry you.'
'Ah! That. Would you?'
'Of course.'
And just like that, Josh was a changed man. Nobody in town could believe it. He was friendly, he smiled constantly and he was happy. He only wished his parents could see him.
The next Christmas, Josh and Beatrice got married in a small wooden church near the town.. Josh was starting to think that the good Christmases outnumbered the bad ones. And then it happened again.
A year after their wedding, Beatrice died in childbirth and their baby girl died as well. It was December 25th. Josh's screams could be heard from the village.
After the funeral, he went home alone. His beloved wife's clothes and trinkets were everywhere, constant reminders that she was gone. He couldn't stand it. He'd have to leave and start anew somewhere else. Nobody saw him ever again. Nobody knew what became of him.
Town legend says, however, that if you cross the forest at Christmas, you can hear Josh and Beatrice singing carols and whispering in each other's ears. They also say that means you are about to find true love.
The truth is that, even though she never told anyone, Mrs Green worried about Lisa.
She will never find a suitor now, she thought. Men are incredibly shallow.
Lisa herself never thought about it. She was happy when Poppy, her sister, got married and doted on her twin nieces, but it never occurred to her that she was missing out. She loved her job and was always thinking of new desserts she could make or ways to improve her traditional recipes. She was busy as she got lots of orders for wedding and birthday cakes among other things.
When the town doctor was away, which happened quite often as he was in charge of five neighbouring villages, Lisa acted as midwife. She loved being the town midwife and each new baby was a miracle in her eyes.
'Would you like to have your own?' her sister asked her one day.
'I've never thought about it. Maybe, but I'm getting too old to be a mum.'
'Old? You're only thirty!'
'Most women have babies in their early twenties. You did.'
Poppy stared at the fire and didn't say anything. Sometimes she felt sorry for her sister.
Winters came and went. Springs sprung. Summers dried the land and autumns littered it with leaves.
One day in August, Lisa walked into her mother's room to bring her her tea and found her dead in her bed. From that day on, her father hardly spoke. His wife had always been the driving force that kept the Green family moving forward. Lisa tried to convince him to help her with the shop, but he refused.
'I've got too much work here. What with the animals and the land,' he said.
However, that work never got done. Weeds started sprouting in the once well-tended land.
Two months after her mother's passing, Lisa found herself standing next to her sister by her father's grave. It was December 24th.
'Why don't you come and live with us?' Poppy suggested. ' You cannot stay in that big, cold house all alone.'
'But I want to stay. It's the only home I've ever known.'
Time kept on passing, clocks kept on ticking, their hands going round and round non-stop till one day a buzz could be heard all around the town. It was the buzz of gossip.
'Have you heard that Lisa Green is getting married? At her age! Mrs Church told me old man Amos has asked her and she's said yes.'
'What does she see in him? They have nothing in common. Besides, he's ancient.'
'Well, what do we know? I'm happy for her.'
The town never found out if Lisa had married for love or because she felt lonely. Poppy never became too fond of Amos and tried to avoid him whenever she could.
The truth is not even Lisa and Amos knew why they had decided to get married. Lisa was knitting by the fire one night and thought it would be nice to have someone to talk to. Amos was drinking tea at the dinner table one day and realised he wanted an heir. He needed a son to help him with his jewellery business.
So married they got. The ceremony was subdued, maybe too much so. There was no dancing, just eating and whispering. Lisa and Amos said they couldn't afford to close their shops so there was no honeymoon.
A few months later, while pregnant for the first and last time, Lisa had a nightmare. It surprised her because she never had bad dreams and because it was so vivid it seemed real. She saw the devil, like they draw him in cartoons, red and sporting a long dragon tail. She noticed he was sneering at her. For days she worried about what it could mean, but she didn't dare to tell her husband. She feared he'd make fun of her.
Eventually Lisa and Amos's first son was born. He was a boy as his father had expected. His face was round and beautiful like his mother's, but Lisa found it difficult to establish a bond. There was something about her baby that unnerved her. They named the baby Josh and went about their lives like other folks do after having children.
'Do you think my son is different... maybe odd?' Lisa asked Poppy one day while they walked in the forest that separated their homes.
'No... he's just serious. He'll grow out of it.'
Josh was grumpy even as a baby. He never smiled. He grew and his body changed, but he never stopped being grumpy. He didn't make friends at school and the children in the town feared him. He was so grumpy that he didn't even enjoy the thought of Santa bringing him presents.
The years passed and Josh turned into a young man. He took care of his father's business efficiently, but without enthusiasm. Amos was too old now and stayed at home most days.
One fierce winter, at Christmas time, both Amos and Lisa caught bad chest colds. The doctor couldn't save them and they were both gone in five days.
Josh had always hated Christmas and what he called 'its fake cheer', but from that year onwards he hated it even more. Even though he hadn't known how to show his feelings, he had loved his parents and now he felt alone.
Two Christmases later a new family moved into town. They had a daughter who was fifteen and another one who was twenty-three like Josh. Her name was Beatrice.
When she walked into his shop one day to have a chain fixed, Josh smiled for the first time in his entire life. He was smitten.
They didn't talk much, but on his walk back home that evening he felt as if he was walking on clouds. Not on air, on clouds.
They kept on meeting in the town and, as they became better acquainted with each other, their conversations became longer. Beatrice found the young man intriguing, different from all the other ones who had courted her and that made the whole thing more exciting.
One day, after they had taken a walk together, Beatrice stopped and faced Josh.
'So are you going to ask me or not?'
'Ask you what?'
'To marry you.'
'Ah! That. Would you?'
'Of course.'
And just like that, Josh was a changed man. Nobody in town could believe it. He was friendly, he smiled constantly and he was happy. He only wished his parents could see him.
The next Christmas, Josh and Beatrice got married in a small wooden church near the town.. Josh was starting to think that the good Christmases outnumbered the bad ones. And then it happened again.
A year after their wedding, Beatrice died in childbirth and their baby girl died as well. It was December 25th. Josh's screams could be heard from the village.
After the funeral, he went home alone. His beloved wife's clothes and trinkets were everywhere, constant reminders that she was gone. He couldn't stand it. He'd have to leave and start anew somewhere else. Nobody saw him ever again. Nobody knew what became of him.
Town legend says, however, that if you cross the forest at Christmas, you can hear Josh and Beatrice singing carols and whispering in each other's ears. They also say that means you are about to find true love.
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Merry Christmas, everyone!
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