A Christmas Dilemma
Merry Christmas! In this wonderful time of the year, I would like to share with you an excerpt from my novel, A Rebel Among Us. In this excerpt, David Summers learns that, although his intentions are sincere, they aren’t taken that way, and he is still considered to be the enemy. I hope you enjoy this, and I hope you have a very happy holiday season.
The little girls were up before dawn, pounding on doors, rousing everyone awake, and gleefully yelling “Merry Christmas!”
David groggily sat up. He heard Maggie’s voice on the other side of the door.
“Where’s the fire?” she asked.
“There’s no fire. Santa’s been here,” squeaked Claudia.
He heard Anna say something and pulled himself out of bed. The group had already gone downstairs, so he followed after them and entered the parlor. Rubbing sleep from his eyes, he saw Sarah lighting a fire.
“What time is it?” he yawned.
“Fifteen minutes past five,” said Grace. She tightened her robe around herself. “Oh! It looks as though Santa has been here, all right.”
The girls ran to the fireplace, yanked down their stockings, and dumped the contents out onto the rug, gasping at the sight of their bounty. Each one had received two peppermints, a gold coin, and a licorice.
Maggie had already started distributing gifts from under the tree. She called out the name on each package while Claudia and Abigail took turns delivering them to their recipients. Handing her aunt the last remaining present, she seated herself beside the fireplace. Everyone began opening gifts.
With a smile on his face, David watched the sisters, Grace, and Claudia exchange gifts with each other.
“Go on, David. Open yours,” Sarah coaxed him.
He drew the boxes toward him and eagerly tore into them. A package from Maggie and Abigail contained new boots. Amazed, he humbly thanked them. Another gift contained everyday clothes Sarah had sewn for him, and still another held a new pair of calf-skin gloves from Claudia and her mother. Anna gave him a book and several pair of socks.
She opened his gift. David held his breath, hoping she would be impressed by his handiwork. He had specially crafted for her a comb and hand-held looking glass made of Cherrywood with intricately carved angels on them.
“Oh, David,” she gasped. “I don’t know what to say.”
He didn’t either, so he nervously waited for her to continue.
“They’re absolutely breathtaking!” She dragged the comb through her long blonde hair, gazing at her likeness in the mirror.
David thought he could watch her do that for hours on end and smiled at his accomplishment. He had managed to impress her. His heart soared.
“Oh, it’s lovely.” Sarah smiled. She held up the broach he’d carved for her. Tiny birds adorned the front of it.
“Glad you like it, Miss Sarah,” he replied with a shy grin.
He gave a similar one to Grace. Abigail and Claudia opened their gifts from him: miniature carousels with interchangeable animals. They happily thanked him and traded animals, seeing if one would fit into the other’s carousel.
Maggie opened the gift he had created for her to reveal a three-dimensional wooden carving of a girl sitting in a chair with a cat curled around her feet. “It’s a girl with a cat,” she flatly remarked.
“It’s beautiful,” Anna breathed, smiling at him.
He grinned back at her.
Maggie turned the wooden carving in her hands for a moment. Glaring at David, she threw it into the fire.
Sarah gasped.
David watched in shock. His jaw dropped in disbelief, and his eyes grew wide. The carving he had spent hours on, created especially for her, was quickly consumed by flames.
“Maggie, how could you?” Anna scolded.
He gaped at her, stunned. Maggie glared back at him. Coming to his senses, he scowled and jumped to his feet. Hurt and anger flared up inside him.
“Pardon me, ladies,” he said, quickly walking toward the kitchen.
He heard Anna holler at her sister. The screen door slammed behind him. Dawn was just beginning to illuminate the yard. Anxious to distance himself, he sprinted toward the barn.
“David,” Anna yelled as she ran after him. “David, wait!”
She screamed. He turned to see she had fallen onto the cold, snow-covered ground. His heart lurched.
“Anna!”
She started sobbing and grabbed her ankle.
He ran back to her. Without a second thought, he knelt down to comfort her.
“It’s all right,” he said. “I’ve got you.”
Gently, he picked her up. He noticed how light she was in his arms as he carried her into the house. Returning to the parlor, he carefully set her on the sofa and gazed down at her concernedly. The sight of her in pain tore at his heartstrings so badly it hurt.
“What happened?” Sarah inquired sternly.
“It’s nothing, Aunt Sarah,” Anna replied, wiping away her tears. “I think I twisted my ankle.”
“Go fetch some ice from the basement,” Sarah said to Maggie, who left the room without a word.
David knelt beside Anna and held her hand. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “This is all my fault.”
“No,” she sniffed. “No, it isn’t.”
Maggie returned with an ice pack and handed it to her older sister.
“You owe David an enormous apology,” Anna said to her sister.
Maggie scowled at him. “I appreciate that you went to all the trouble,” she stated malevolently, “but I regret nothing.” She turned and stomped upstairs.
“She doesn’t mean it, David,” Anna mewled.
“Yes, she does, Miss Anna,” he forlornly responded. “She despises me, and nothin’s gonna change that, no matter how hard I try.”
He stood and walked toward the kitchen. Deciding he should get on with his chores, he took an extra-long time in doing so.
When he had finished bringing in firewood, Sarah pulled him aside.
“I didn’t have the opportunity to give this to you earlier,” she said and presented him with a book titled Wild Man of the West.
“Thank you kindly, Miss Sarah.”
He went upstairs to his room, threw himself onto the bed, and began reading. Ever since he was a small boy, he had dreamed of going out West into undiscovered Indian Territory. The thought terrified and thrilled him at once. Setting it aside, he picked up the book Anna had given him, Gulliver’s Travels. Just like Gulliver, he felt alone in a strange land, surrounded by people with small minds.
J.D.R. Hawkins 