More Christmas Wishes
Karen Simms walked back to the large house that once had been a home. It no longer felt that way, with her son at the Academy and her ex-husband gone from her life. She found every excuse not to be here, especially this time of year. It was Tod's sixth year at the Academy and once again, he had to remain on campus because of duty. Duty always seemed to drive a wedge in between them, driving them further apart, or so Karen believed.
Karen fixed herself a small plate of food. It would do little good to fix a big meal just for one person. She took the plate into the living room and sat on the sofa. The room was bathed in the warmth of the gas fireplace, but at the same time it felt bare and empty. She didn't have the heart to put up a tree again this year. It was her first Christmas at the 101st, and yet it felt no different than previous Christmases. The Annual Christmas Party at the precinct continued to remind her that everyone else had family while hers was broken and apart. It seemed such an impossible thing to hope for. That for once, her small family could be together at Christmas.
"Nothing is impossible," an ancient voice stated.
Karen nearly jumped out of her skin. "How did you get in here? I had the alarm on."
Karen stared at the ancient Chinese who stood next to the fireplace.
"I will grant your wish."
"What wish?"
The old man did not say another word, leaving Karen to ponder just what it was he knew.
Karen continued to stare at the old man as if she knew him, as if from a forgotten dream. She had no fear of him, and yet his mysterious entrance puzzled her. Wanting to know more of what the old man was referring to, she tried to entice him to stay.
"Let me get you something to drink. It's pretty cold out there and you must have gotten chilled."
Karen got up from the sofa and headed toward the kitchen. She turned back toward the fireplace to ask just what kind of tea the old man would like, but the ancient priest was gone, disappeared as if he had never been.
Karen shook her head and decided she must have been dreaming, but when she looked down on the floor near the fireplace, there were two wet footprints that had not been there before.
***
The days flew by and Karen Simms forgot all about the strange visitor who stood by her fireplace, leaving two shoe-shaped puddles on her floor. The man had been familiar, but the visit had been so short that she barely had time to think. He looked like the Ancient, but she had never known Lo Si to appear just out of no where. It was a very odd encounter, and for the first time that day, she pondered what the old man had said.
'He would grant my wish?' she thought. 'What wish was that? And how could some old man grant it like he was a genie from Aladdin. That had to be some kind of dream. I was pretty tired when it happened.'
Karen dismissed the thought and went back to working on the reports that needed finalizing before the end of the year. It was Christmas Eve and everyone was leaving early to spend that time with family. Kermit had left to go on some mysterious journey. Peter had gone home to his father's place. The rest of the 101st gang had left for their own reasons. The night shift would soon be coming on. Only Karen Simms continued to sit at her desk, refusing to move, not wanting to go to that large empty house to spend the holiest night alone.
For a brief moment, she knew how Scrooge must have felt. "Christmas is just a bother."
At that moment, she raised her head to hear a soft knock on her door.
"Come," she stated, not wasting words. It was all she could muster with the depression that threatened to engulf her.
"There's someone to see you, Captain."
The thought of seeing someone this late in the day didn't appeal to her. "Tell them to come back tomorrow."
The officer was about to leave when Captain Simms quickly amended her request.
"No, belay that order. Tell them to come back after the Holidays. I'm not up to seeing someone right now."
"Are you sure, this person was very insistent."
"Did you ask what they wanted?" Karen asked.
"No, I'll go ask."
The officer disappeared behind the door leaving Karen Simms with her thoughts. 'Who could be coming to see me at this late hour? I hope it isn't the Commissioner. He's been on me to wrap up several cases that are still on the books. Looks like I have a long night ahead of me.'
It was then the officer returned.
"Well?"
"It's kind of hard to explain. He said only you would know and that all he had was two weeks before he had to return to the Academy."
Karen Simms was stunned into silence. It couldn't be. He said he wasn't going to be able to come. "Does this person have a name, officer?"
"He said his name was Tod . . ." before the young officer could finish Karen Simms was up on her feet and raising toward the door. She squeezed passed the officer and saw the back of the uniform of a tall young man wearing the dress blues of a military academy student.
"Tod," Karen breathed out the name of the young man. She watched him turn toward him and a smile spread across his face.
"Mom," Tod stated, as he swiftly walked toward her, closing the gap.
Karen opened her arms and embraced her wayward son. 'I thought you weren't coming for Christmas."
"I thought so, too," the young man stated. "But it was strange. General Bradford decided to let the rest of us go on leave for Christmas. He said that an old man really was quite persuasive."
"An old man?"
"Yeah, he said he was the most ancient man he had ever seen."
Karen Simms shook her head in amazement and remembered the words of the old man. Maybe he was a genie after all.
"Are you hungry?"
"Starved," Tod stated.
"I think there's still time to go get some stuff for a Christmas dinner."
"Could we stop and get a tree?"
"Sure, Tod. Anything you want."
Alisa Joaquin Copyright@2006.
This story cannot be reprinted or sold in any other form without strict permission from
the author. It is being distributed here solely for your enjoyment.
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