{Previously, in part 1 & part 2  –  It is Christmas Eve 1933. A blizzard holds Pilot Knob in its icy talons. After finishing his second job, Thomas walks home in the storm.  On the way, he helps a woman get her children to safety. He Continues his journey, and meets a soldier lost in the storm. Together they discover that a tree has fallen across the road.}

 

What brings you out on a night like this?” Thomas asked.

The soldier explained that he had finagled a leave, and was trying to get home by morning. He hadn’t seen his wife and kids in nearly a year. He had saved enough to move them to his new posting.

“I got a bit lost in the storm, though, which way is Pilot Knob?”

“You’re heading in the wrong direction. It’s back that way about a mile.” Thomas pointed back the way he had come.

“Thanks,” Alan replied, blowing on his hands. Suddenly he pointed “What’s under that tree?”

An old cedar, overloaded with snow and ice, had fallen across the road. A soft moan came from the tree.

“Someone’s under it,” exclaimed Thomas.

They found an old man, under the tree. His leg twisted awkwardly behind his back. His jaw trembled, trying to speak. In great pain, he moaned and drifted into unconsciousness.

“Give me a hand with the tree.” Alan cried. They tugged and pulled at the Cedar. Try as the might it wouldn’t budge.

“We need a lever,” Thomas exclaimed. They found a stout branch and used it to lift the tree and free the man. His leg was badly broken; a stub of bone poked jaggedly under the skin. “That’s a bad break; we need to get him to Doc’s,” Thomas said

“We’ll need to splint the leg first,” Alan replied, gathering some sticks. “Now I need something to tie it with.”

Without thinking, Thomas reached into his coat pocket. His hand paused reluctantly on the spool of ribbon. The man moaned, and Thomas handed it to Alan.

“Perfect,” Alan exclaimed. He splinted the leg and stood to check his work. Tied with bright red ribbon the leg made a garish Christmas present.

“Would’ve looked better in my wife’s hair,” Thomas muttered.

“What?”

“Nothing, just – well, the ribbon was a gift for my wife,” Thomas sighed. “I’m sure she will understand. We need to get to Doc’s.”

Making a sling out of Thomas’ blanket, they lifted the unconscious man, and carefully made their way toward Town. It was such hard work that neither men were inclined to talk. Thomas tried not to think about the cookies, or about the ribbon, or about how late it would be before he got home. Eventually, they reached Pilot Knob and Doc’s house.

“We need to take him to the Office,” Doc ordered. “You carry him, and I’ll fetch my nurse. Hurry now.”

At the office, the man moaned and stirred as they placed him on a cot. Thomas helped him sip a glass of water. “Doc will be here soon.” The man nodded and closed his eyes.

“Do you know who he is?” Alan asked.

“Not a clue,” Thomas scratched his head. “Maybe Doc knows.”

Doc arrived with his nurse. “Great, you’ve got him settled. Why don’t you men can wait here? Grab some sleep, in the morning I’ll get my sleigh and give you a ride.”

“Sounds great to me Doc,” Alan laughed.

“I’m going to walk home; it being Christmas Eve and all,” Thomas explained.

With a furrowed brow, Doc stared at Thomas. ”Okay, if you must, but it’ll be near dawn before you get there.”

“I know, See ya.” At the doorway, Thomas spied Doc’s clock, “Shoot, it’s nearly Midnight now, I better get going.”

Then, for the second time that evening, Thomas stepped off Doc’s stoop and headed for home. Luckily, the moon was full, the clouds were gone, and the fresh snow sparkled like diamonds. He had already broken a path through the drifts, so he made rapid progress.

“Got to keep moving,” he muttered. He was late, very late, so he began to run. At the top of the small mountain, he stopped to catch his breath. The moonlight on the snow brightened the valley below. His house was not far now.

“Almost home,” he laughed. “It’s all downhill from here.”

Lighthearted and a bit giddy, Thomas jumped the first creek and bounded toward the second. Far wider than the first stream, the second was much too large to jump. He headed for the one-log footbridge. He knew it would be slippery after the snow. When he reached the bridge, he was not alone. On the other side, a man had already begun to cross. Halfway across, the man slipped into the frozen torrent. Thomas sprinted downstream. At a narrows, he snagged the man’s hand, the force of the current nearly pulled Thomas’ in. Desperately grasping at roots and stumps, he managed to pull the man out of the water.

“T-t-hanks.” The man exclaimed. He lay in the snow shivering, soaked to the skin. Without thinking, Thomas peeled off his coat.

“Better put this on before you freeze,” he said, handing the man his coat. “Where are you off to so late?”

“I have a campsite, just off the road about half a mile.” The man replied, pointing down a small side path. “I was a darn fool to leave the camp tonight, but I saw a deer, I thought I’d have fresh meat. Deer got away though. You had better come to my camp, so I can change and return your coat. You’re going to freeze in that blanket.”

Thomas shook his head, “No I must get home. It’s not far, the blanket will do.” Thomas shook his hand and headed for the bridge. Once across, home was only a quarter mile away. Thomas felt the tiredness leave his legs. He was euphoric; he was also cold, very cold. Soon, he grew dizzy. He knelt to tie a loose bootlace, but couldn’t make his hands work.  He wanted to stop, to lie down and rest.

“That would be bad,” he told himself. Somehow, his brain kept working, while his body began to shut down. He stumbled forward, one halting step after another until he tripped. He fell, landing hard on the sharp edge of a board. Slowly he brushed the snow from the object. It was a step, his step. He was home. Opening the door, he crawled inside.

“Merry Christmas to all!” he whispered, barely able to speak. His house was dark and quiet with everyone still asleep. Thomas crawled to the fire and fell asleep eating his supper.

That’s where Mary found him in the morning, burning with fever. Somehow, she got him into dry clothes, and into bed. When the fever broke that afternoon, Thomas awoke. He lay in bed sobbing quietly.

“Mary, I’m sorry this is such a disappointing Christmas,” he explained. “I had cookies for the children, and a spool of ribbon for your hair, but I lost them.”

Mary, laughed, “Not such a bad Christmas, you silly, “Have a cookie?” She offered a large tray of Christmas cookies.

“Cookie?”

“Doc stopped this morning and left these for the kids. He couldn’t stay long, he had to get a man to the Hospital.”

“Right, the broken leg,” Thomas sighed.

“Do you like the present the man gave me?” Mary smiled, sitting on the bed. As she turned her head, the flickering firelight illuminated a bright red bow. “Doc told me all about the ribbon.”  Thomas smiled, thinking how lucky he was to have Doc.

Suddenly Mary stood.“I almost forgot a stranger stopped earlier with a package for you.”

“Who?” Thomas asked.

“Don’t know, never saw him before.” She fetched a brown paper bundle. “He left this, and a note.”

Slowly Thomas opened the short unsigned note.

I was hungry, and you gave me food,

lost, and you showed me the way,

injured, and you bound my wounds,

cold, and you warmed me.

‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

Merry Christmas!

 

Hands shaking, Thomas opened the package and unfolded a brand new winter coat – red of course.

 

-David Dahl.

I do hope that you enjoyed this short story.

Do you have a young reader at home?

Check out Olivia’s Story:Protector of the Realm

also The Last Chore

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