Christmas Wish

Carol Anne clutched her stuffed puppy as she lay asleep on the couch. Lights from the Christmas tree filled the dim room with a warm glow, occasionally casting colorful shadows across the sleeping child. The night had grow long and the guests began to leave. They said their goodbyes and quietly walked passed Carol Anne. They softly wished her a Merry Christmas, making sure not to wake her on their way out. But she was sleeping so soundly, that she never heard them leave.

After the last guest left, Carol Anne’s mother picked her up off of the couch and carried her off to bed. She placed her daughter in bed and tucked her in snugly, just the way she liked it. Her mother then kissed her on the forehead and began to walk out of the room to tend to the rest of the house. But before she could close the door, she heard Carol Anne whisper out to her.

“Mommy,” she said, still half asleep, “Do you think it is too late to ask Santa for one last thing?”

“I don’t know honey,” her mother said, walking back toward Carol Anne and sitting down next to her on the bed. “It is Christmas Eve, and Santa is very busy tonight.”

“I know mommy, but there is just one more thing that I really want.”

“Okay sweetie,” her mother said, sensing something in her child’s voice that made her realize that this last gift was very important to her. “Tell mommy what it is and I will try to call Santa and let him know. But try to understand that it may have to wait until after Christmas. Santa may have already left the North Pole and he has a lot of presents to give out...”

“Mommy...” Carol Anne said as she rolled over on to her side and began to fall back asleep. “My last wish for Santa... Is to see Daddy again...”

“Honey I don’t...” Carol Anne’s mother did not know what to say. So she leaned over, kissed her baby again, and then whispered, “I’ll tell him. But now it’s time for bed. Good night.”

Her mother kissed her one last time as Carol Anne fell back asleep with a smile on her little face. She the walked quietly out of the room and closed the door behind her. She then leaned with her back against the wall, wiped the tears forming in her eyes, and whispered to herself, “It’s my wish too...” After a moment, she composed herself and started getting the house ready for Christmas morning.

The night moved along as Carol Anne slept peacefully in her bed. She dreamt of opening presents and playing with her new toys. Eventually she began to toss and turn as her excitement began to build. Then, around 3:00 in the morning, Carol Anne found herself awake, too excited to fall back asleep. She struggled for a little while, but she could not seem to keep her eyes closed.

The excitement finally overcame her; she had to see if Santa was there. So she got out of bed and crept quietly toward the door. She carefully turned the knob to avoid waking her mother, and then slipped through the barely opened door. She inched through the dark hallway, unwilling to turn on the lights. She moved along steadily until she saw a faint glow coming from the living room. She nervously stopped in her tracks. Her first thought was that Santa might be there now; and if he caught her out of bed, he would not leave any presents. So she stood perfectly still, listening to see if Santa was really there.

There was no noise. “Mommy must have left the tree lights on again,” she thought as she continued on her quest. Each step filled her with more and more anticipation. She starting moving as fast as she could while still keeping quiet. Within a few short moments, she reached the living room entrance. She quickly turned the corner, only to find herself face-to-face with a tall, strange man.

“Hello Carol Anne,” the man said as he stood in the middle of the room, silhouetted by the light from the tree.

Carol Anne thought she recognized the man, but she was not sure. She looked at him cautiously as her eyes adjusted to the light. As his image became clearing, a huge smile moved across her face.

“Daddy!” she screamed, running toward her father’s open arms.

“I’ve missed you Carol Anne,” her father said as he bent down and picked up his little girl.

“I miss you too Daddy,” Carol Anne said while she buried her head into her father’s chest. It had been two years since she had last seen him, so she couldn’t have been happier.

Neither of them could speak for the next few minutes. They were both happy just to see each other again. The both hugged one another, trying to make up for the lost time. Finally, her father began walking toward the couch.

“Daddy,” Carol Anne started to ask as he carried her toward the couch, “are you going to live with me and mommy again?”

“I can’t stay here long, honey,” her father said as he sat down on the couch and setting her in his lap, “but I think I have time to read you your favorite story. Would you like that.”

“I would I would!” Carol Anne said excitedly. She had always loved when her father read to her. Especially when he did the voiced for all the characters.

So they sat together on the couch while Carol Anne’s father read to her. Soon, Carol Anne grew sleepy and began to rub her eyes. She tried to force herself to stay awake, but hearing her father’s voice proved to be too comforting. It was not long before she was fast asleep in his lap.
After her father finished the story, he gently laid her on the couch and covered her up with a blanket. He then stood and whispered “Merry Christmas, Carol Anne. Of all the angels I have even seen, you are by far the most precious.”

Carol Anne woke up the next morning to the gentle sound of her mother calling her name. At first she was disoriented, forgetting that she had fallen asleep on the couch.

“Merry Christmas, Carol Anne,” her mother said as her daughter began to realize it was Christmas. “Looks like someone couldn’t wait to see if Santa came.”

That’s when Carol Anne looked around and saw all of the presents. She quickly leapt off the couch and began to open her gifts. Her mother smiled as Carol Anne happily ripped off the wrapping paper, revealing the treasure inside. Carol Anne’s enthusiasm was infectious.

Once all of the presents were opened, Carol Anne began thinking about what she would play with first. As she looked over her new toys, she noticed that her mother had not opened her presents yet.

“Mommy, you should opened your presents,” Carol Anne said while opening up one of her new toys. “Maybe Daddy got you something”

“Okay dear,” her mother said, not wanting to ruin the moment for her child.

Her mother started toward her small pile of presents, but stopped short when she saw two unfamiliar packages sitting on top. One was addressed to Carol Anne, the other addressed to her. She did not remember wrapping these presents, but she had been so busy this year, she figured she would remember once they were opened.

“Carol Anne dear, there’s one more gift for you to open,” her mother said, handing Carol Anne her last gift.

Excitedly, Carol Anne grabbed the gift and began to open it. She tore off the paper, leaving a small, green box in her hand. She then opened the box and pulled out a silver heart-shaped locket.

“Mommy, look,” Carol Anne exclaimed as she held up the locket.

Her mother did not buy that locket, nor could she remember anyone buying it for her. Confused, she opened her package and found that she was given the exact same locket. She slowly opened the locket and immediately tears started running down her face. Inside of the locket, there was a small picture of the three of them: Carol Anne, herself, and her husband. it was the last picture they all took together, before he passed away.

“What’s the matter mommy?” Carol Anne asked when she noticed that her mother was crying.

“Nothing sweetie. Mommy’s fine,” she said, trying to be strong for Carol Anne. “Did you have a good Christmas?”

“It was the best Christmas ever!” Carol Anne said while putting on her locket and climbing on the couch and hugging her mother. “I got everything I wanted. Even my last wish to Santa!”

Her mother looked down at her own locket and said, “I got my wish too.”

Carol Anne then hopped off of the couch and started playing with her new toys. While she played, her mother held the locket in her hand and whispered “thank you.” She then got off of the couch to join Carol Anne, smiling to see how happy her daughter was on this unforgettable Christmas morning.

Mr Kenneth

I have known Mr Kenneth for as long as I can remember. He lived a few houses down the street from me when I was growing up, so he was always around. I used to love going over to his house to play as a child; he was always so much fun. I remember those warm summer nights when he used to play hide-and-seek with my brothers and I. We used to play basketball in his driveway and go swimming in his pool. He never seemed to mind. In fact, I had an open invitation to “stop on over” whenever I wanted.

I grew up, Mr Kenneth became increasingly involved in my life. He bought me my first bike when I was 8 and coached my baseball team when I was 12. You would think that my parents would have had a problem with him being so close, but they didn’t. In fact, he was a good friend of my mother and used to talk with my dad about all sorts things. My parents used to ask him to babysit us when they wanted a night out, and he was always happy to oblige.

When I really think about it, knowing Mr Kenneth while I was growing up was truly a blessing. No matter how busy he was, he always made time for me. And I abused it. I used to run over there whenever I had a fight with my parents or I just needed to get away. If I had something on my mind, I would dump it all on Mr Kenneth. Girl problems? Go see Mr Kenneth. Trouble at school? Go see Mr Kenneth. No matter what was going on in my life, I knew I could talk to him. He kept an open mind and never judged me. If I did something stupid, he would call me on it and try to get me back on the right path. He was always there when I needed him most, which is why it was no surprise when he became my teacher.

Mr Kenneth quit his job after my freshman year and took a job teaching at my high school. It was a huge sacrifice. He spent years going back to school part time to become a teacher. He sold his house and car, and move into a small apartment that was close enough to the school for him to walk everyday. At the time, I could not understand why he would want to make such a sacrifice. Every time I asked him about it, he would tell me he was following his passion. I never really knew what he meant.

When I found out that Mr Kenneth was going to be my Chemistry teacher, I was nervous. I had known him my entire life and I was worried if he was going to embarrass me or single me out in class. It did not take long for that fear to fade away. Mr Kenneth, as it turned out, was a fantastic teacher. He was funny and treated us all like the we thought we were. He expected a lot out of us though. He handed out tough assignments and his tests were brutal. But he would not let us fail. He pushed his students when they needed to be pushed and pulled them when they needed to be pulled. He would stay late every day just in case a student would need some extra help. I found myself in his classroom after school at least a few times a week, even after I was no longer in his class.

I think I started going to Mr Kenneth’s classroom after school because I missed having him so close. Sure he still came over to visit my parents, but it was not the same. I had come to depend on him as much as I had my own parents. That being the case, I would visit him after school quite often. He would help me out with my homework if I needed it, regardless of the subject. Every so often, after the other students left, I would walk with him back to his apartment if I was really struggling or if there was something I needed to talk to about. He would fix us some dinner and devote all of his evening to helping me. No matter how many tests he had to grade or assignments he had to plan, he would push that all aside just to help me.

As my high school career was coming to a close, Mr Kenneth began helping me prepare for college. I would go over to his place on the weekends to study for my SATs. He gave me several practice tests and untold amounts of advice on improving my scores. We spent hours together looking at different schools and talking about potential career paths. He helped me so much, that when I did get accepted to school, Mr Kenneth was the first person I told. I will never forget the look in his eyes when I told him I got accepted. He looked overjoyed, and almost tearful. He told me that he was proud and that he knew I would do great.

I spent the summer after graduation working part time and hanging out with my friends. Regrettably, I stopped visiting Mr Kenneth as often, but I still did see him around. He would text me every-so-often to see how I was doing. A couple of time, my parents had him over for dinner. It was nice seeing him, but I had other things going on in my life that I thought were more important. Most people I met would have been bitter about that, but not Mr Kenneth. Anytime I told him I was busy and could not talk, he said, “I understand. Go have some fun. You only have one senior summer of your life and I need to you live it up. Just be careful, and if you need anything, you can call me at any time.” Even though I was a punk kid, I knew that Mr Kenneth would always be there for me. I just never appreciated it.

As the summer came to a close, I started feeling nervous about going away to school. It was actually keeping me up at night and causing me to drink a little more than I should have. Eventually, I could not take it anymore and I ended up calling Mr Kenneth one night. It was around three in the morning, but he answered and talked to me until the sun came up. I told him everything I was worried about and he really helped me work through it. He made me feel better. Knowing that he believed in me made a huge difference.

My mother knew that Mr Kenneth gave me confidence, which is why she invited him over on the day I left for school. I tried to act like it was no big deal, but I was scared. Having Mr Kenneth there helped a lot. He helped pack up the care and made the dumbest jokes, but he kept everything loose. When I was finally pack and ready to leave, Mr Kenneth went to shake my hand, but I said no. I hugged him instead, and thanked him for everything he had done for me. As I got into the car with my parents, I looked back and saw tears in his eyes. He looked so happy and sad at the same time. As we drove off, my phone started to buzz. Mr Kenneth had sent me a text saying “I am so proud of you and I know you will succeed at anything you wish. I am only a call away if you need me.” For the first time, I really began to realize how much Mr Kenneth had meant to me.

Over the years at college, I spoke with Mr Kenneth less and less. I would see him on most holidays and would call him every now and then to see how he was doing. Occasionally, I would have him read over a paper I had written or had him help me with an assignment that caused me grief. We were still close, but it was not the same. I was so busy discovering myself that I barely had time for my parents, yet alone Mr Kenneth. I now keep telling myself “that was what supposed to happen at college,” but I still regret not making more time for him.

Despite this, Mr Kenneth was at the ceremony when I finally graduated. In fact, he recorded the whole thing. Again, he told me how proud he was of me and that I could always call him if I needed anything. He told me that same thing when I moved away to being my career. He told me that same thing on my wedding day. He even told me that after my son was born, though he also said he had no intention of changing diapers. Now that I think about it, Mr Kenneth always managed to be there during the most important times in my life.

Even though I saw him less and and less, he would continue to be there for me, but not just for me. He would help my wife when she went back to school to get her masters degree. Every Christmas and Birthday, my son would get more gifts from him than you could imagine. True, we didn’t talk as often, but our bond was still there, and it expanded to my family as well.

That’s why I rushed to see him when I got the call that he had fallen ill. Mr Kenneth had gotten cancer, but he never told me. I assumed that he wanted to continue to be strong for me, but it really didn’t matter. As soon as I heard he was dying, I caught the first flight that I could. By the time I got to the hospital, I was sick to my stomach. In fact, it took me an hour to work up the nerve to see him. When I did, my heart sank. He looked so old and frail. I had never seen Mr Kenneth look so weak. I refused to believe that it was him at first. I couldn’t believe it. But then I saw his eyes. I knew he was in terrible pain, but he eyes danced as soon as they saw me. No matter how much pain he was in, he could not hide the happiness he felt as I walked into the room.

“Quit being such a wuss and get over here.,” he said to me. “I don’t think I’m contagious, so you don’t even need sanitizer.”

I chuckled slightly as I sat down in the chair next to him. There were tube and wires all over the place. My mother was sitting in a chair off in the corner. She looked like she had not slept in days. The whole scene was very surreal. I tried to take it all in, but I couldn’t, the moment was too big for me.

Mr Kenneth must have known that I was struggling because he began asking about my family. I told him how my son was starting little league and that my wife and I were thinking about having another child. I rambled on and on about my family and what was going on in my life. Mr Kenneth just sat there and smiled. It was like old times. Talking with him made me feel better.

After a few minutes, I noticed that Mr Kenneth had tears in his eyes. It was then that he grabbed my hand and told me this:

“I just want you to know, that I do not regret any of this. You have no idea what it means to me to have been a part of your life. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me and I thank God everyday that you were born. I am so proud of the man you have become. Be sure to take care of your mother for me...”

Mr Kenneth struggled to get the words out. I started to cry as my head began spinning. I looked over and I saw my mother get out of the chair and rushed toward the bed. Everything became hazy, so I am unsure of what happened, but I heard Mr Kenneth utter his last words clear as day.

“And take care of the grand kids...”

With that, Mr Kenneth passed away. I sat there stunned and confused, unaware of the commotion going on around me. Nothing made sense. My wife and son flew in for the funeral and we stayed with my parents for a few days. I was broken hearted. For the first time in my life, Mr Kenneth would not be there for me. It made me feel empty, like a part of me had left with him. Eventually, my family and I returned home to our lives. I tried to do the best I could, but I kept thinking about Mr Kenneth and how much he had meant to me. I wish I would have told him as much, but I believe he knew by me just being there. At least that is what I told myself.

A couple of weeks passed and I was doing my best to continue on with my life. I was depressed, but I tried to hide it. I just wanted to feel normal again. His final words kept circling inside of my head. The whole ordeal scraped against my brain. Then one day I received a strange call. I listened in silence as he talked. When he was finished, I hung up the phone and sat there with a blank stare. My wife then came up to me and asked me who was on the phone, obviously concerned.

“Mr Kenneth’s executor,” I said with bewilderment. “He told me that Mr Kenneth has left everything to me...”

It was at that moment, his final words began to make sense.

The Road

Charles looked out of the car’s window for something familiar. It was about three in the morning and he was hopelessly lost. There was not a single road sign or landmark that he recognized. Charles anxiously tried to remember his route, but he could not figure out how he became so lost. He was sure that he followed the directions his friend provided, at least he thought he was sure. But the further he drove, the less certain he became.

Charles had been driving for over an hour when he finally decided to call his friend for help. He pick up his phone and a look of disgust grew on his face. The battery must have died while he was at the party.

“That figures,” Charles thought while dropping his phone into the passenger seat. Frustration started building as the reality of his situation set in. “I should have never went to that damned party. This whole day has been a nightmare.”

Charles began thinking about how everything went poorly that day. Being lost was the icing on the cake. While he reflected through, he continued to drive down that strange road. Charles was so lost in thought that turning around never occurred to him. He became so immersed in his own misery, that he did not notice that there were less street lights the further he drove. He never noticed that buildings grew scarce, replaced by fields and the occasional wooden fence. He didn’t even notice that the road was no longer paved

.
The combination of frustration and fear began to fill his body. He gripped the steering wheel tighter as his vision became tunneled. He convinced himself that, if he just kept going, he would eventually find something he recognized. No matter how many wrong turns he had taken, he believed he would see some sort of sign that he could use to get him back on the right path. Charles clung to that thought and tried to reassure himself that nobody stays lost forever.

Charles lost all sense of his surroundings as panic crept up his spine. He no longer paid attention to his surroundings or even to the road itself. He just drove, foolishly believing that the only way out of this mess was to keep going. He drove increasingly faster with each passing minute. His heart raced and his breaths grew short. Charles tried to keep his composure, but he was losing control of himself. Then he noticed how dark everything was had become.

Charles looked out of the windows but could not see anything. The moon and the stars were completely hidden. There were no buildings or structures of any kind. The only thing Charles could see was a dense, intimidating darkness that he had never experienced before in his life. Charles was terrified, and that terror only worsened when he realized that his headlights were being consumed by the darkness. Charles could no longer see a thing.

The panic began to overwhelm him. He thought about pulling over to the side of the road to collect himself. He thought that maybe he was just tired and needed to calm down. He thought that the rest would help him clear his mind. He thought all of these things, but he could not force himself to pull over. He tried to slow down, but he could not force to go toward the brake. Charles could not stop driving. It was as if something was pulling him along that road. By now he was squeezing the wheel so hard, his fingers were going numb. Every muscle in his body tightened to the point he could not move. He told himself to pull off to the side of the rode. He thought this over and over. Just when he was about to lose all control, Charles screamed and lurched the wheel with everything he had. Dirt flew into the air as the car sharply veered right. Still screaming, Charles closed his eyes as the car dove off of the road.
When Charles opened his eyes again, he found himself laying in what appeared to be a field. He sat up slowly and began to look around. He had no idea where he was or how he got there. Charles sat there confused until he suddenly realized that he was no longer in his car! The last thing he could remember was veering off the road, but everything after that was a mystery. He quickly climbed to his feet and began to search for any sign of his car, but it was still too dark to see anything.

Charles was now frightened beyond description. He just stood in the middle of the field and shook. He wanted to cry and scream and run away, but all he could to was stand there and shake. Then Charles heard something echo in the darkness and a chilled wind started to blow behind him. Charles turned around sharply to see what caused the noise. Though it was dark, he thought he could see figures shifting in the distance. His mind might have been playing tricks on him, but he swore they were walking towards him.

Charles began fighting to take control of his body. The first step was the hardest, but quickly managed to start running. He ran from the figures with everything he had, but he could still feel them closing in on him. He ran blindly in the darkness hoping to get away from whatever was behind him. The wind picked up as Charles ran and the air grew colder with each step. Charles knew that they were gaining on him, whatever they were.

Charles finally worked up the courage to look back to see if they were still coming. But as he turned his head, his foot caught against something and he stumbled to the ground. Charles then slid into what felt like a large rock. He lay there stunned for a few seconds before using the rock to pull himself up. As he stood up, he noticed the rock had a strange feel to it. It was as if the rock were shaped purposefully. It was then he realized that it was not a rock he fell into; it was a tombstone. Charles was in the middle of a graveyard.

His heart plummeted into his stomach as he tried not to think about what was chasing him. He took off running again but found himself tripping and stumbling over more and more graves in the unrelenting darkness. He staggered on as best as he could, desperate to escape that place. He struggled blindly through the ever increasing amount of tombstones hoping not to be caught. Charles moved slower and slower as fatigue started to claim his body and hopelessness claimed his mind. He was determined to get away until he tripped and fell one last time.

Charles panted as he lay on the ground. He couldn’t run any more. Tears began to fill is eyes as he thought that this was it. There was no going back now. He could feel himself starting to cry when he caught a glimpse of light not too far up ahead. Suddenly he felt a sliver of hope inside and he managed to get back to his feet.

Charles now pushed himself toward the light. He didn’t care what it was. All he knew was that it made him believe that he still had a chance. He no longer looked back as he worked to get to the light. As he got closer, he saw where the light was coming from. He could not believe his eyes; there in front of him was his car. Charles then picked up his pace, overjoyed and relieved to have found his car. He now knew that he was going to be okay. But as he approached the car, he thought he saw someone sitting inside. It looked like a young boy, and like he was smiling at Charles. Charles rubbed his eyes and looked again, but the boy was gone.

Charles instantly convinced himself he was seeing things from being in the dark for too long. He got inside the car and began to follow his tire tracks back toward the road. The wind began to howl as he drive off, and he swore it sounded like it was saying “don’t go.” But Charles didn’t pay attention and eventually found the road.

By now the sun was starting to rise and the darkness lifted. Charles felt much better now, though he was exhausted. Maybe that was the reason he felt compelled to continue in the direction he was going last night. He no longer was worried about being lost; he was simply glad to be alive. So he continued going down the road, not really paying much attention to anything. His eyelids began growing heavy as everything caught up to him.

Suddenly Charles sat up with a start. He must have dozed off for a second, but that’s all it took. He didn’t see the boy run out in front of him until it was too late to top. The only thing he could do was swerve to avoid the child. When he did, he sped straight into a tree. The car crumpled like tin foil and entombed Charles. The airbag never deployed. Blood oozed down his face and into his eyes. Charles found it difficult to breath and began to feel faint. Slowly, he turned his head and saw the child that ran out into the road. He began to cry. His vision was hazy, but he could tell that it was the same boy from the graveyard. The same boy that was sitting inside of his car. He could tell because he recognized the smile. That smile was the last thing he ever saw.