Ms. Uval's American Christmas

1.

The town of Duelton, Ohio fell under a deep and peaceful sleep. Despite it being two days before Christmas, kids swore they heard sleigh bells coming from the giant hills miles away. Christmas lights filled the empty roads with a rainbow of festive colors. Placed in the windows of every store, establishment, and home the electric candles turned the town into a cluster of stars. It was a sight of contentment, and everything was right with the world. If only if it were true. A ravenous, tyrannical beast ruled the town with an iron fist. The monster went by the name of The Community. It’s existence was left unknown to the rest of the world, until that fateful Christmas night. 

2.

Chester Collins rubbed his fingers against a crumpled piece of paper in the palm of his hands. The message on the paper was enough to get him into trouble, deep trouble. The whole town would be after him if they knew what he had. Sure, the forest surrounded the town. It wouldn’t take much to sneak into the woods, never to be seen again. The only problem being that every man in town, including some of the women, were trained hunters with a coon dog to boot. This was why Chester never attempted an escape. With his luck, he would probably get spotted by a random kid looking out their window or a patrol car making the rounds. 

He looked at the note again to make sure he read it correctly.

Tonight. 9 PM. Back Stage. 

“Why tonight?” he asked, wanting to rip the piece to shreds. “Why tonight off all nights?” 

Ms. Uval’s live broadcast, innocently titled “American Christmas”, was being televised tonight, and everyone was required to attend. The posters didn’t say what would happen if anyone rebelled against The Community's wishes, but the citizens of Duelton were probably too brainwashed to worry, or the people already knew what the punishment was. 

“Why tonight?” he asked again. The police would be taking attendance and searching every home for any rebels. Even the fresh shoe prints on the snow would alert anyone of an escape. 

Chester flipped it over, curious to see if the person wrote any instructions, only to see none. His stomach began to turn. He knew who wrote this. He knew who gave it to him. What was stopping him from turning those troublemakers right then and there? Certainly, The Community would give an award for such loyalty. He imagined them giving him a luxurious mansion in the wealthy part of town, servants, a blazing hot rod and his pick of any Duelton’s fine young women.

What’s stopping me? He thought almost ashamed to be thinking just the thing. Weren’t friends supposed to be loyal and trustworthy even when things looked dark and grim? But then again...

3.

“I’m always right! Aren’t I?” Ms. Uval adjusted the button on her Mrs. Santa Claus dress. She couldn’t help but notice how it went further left than the rest of its brethren and it was driving her insane. Her seamster, Clauz, insisted the button was in line with the rest, but Uval wouldn’t have it. 

“What are people going to think of me when they see me like this?” she said nearly ripping the dress straight down the middle. “First impressions are everything!” 

“Yes, Madam. I’ll have it fixed right away.”

“Hurry up, we have…” Ms. Uval looked through the mirror to see the greenroom clock on the wall. “10 minutes till showtime! Get going!” 

Clauz ran straight out the room while Ms. Uval idolized her reflection. She caressed her cheeks with her finger nails and noticed her face was already cracking. She needed more make-up. She should have known Susana was too young for make-up girl. 

“Do I have to do everything myself?” Uval said noticing her lips could be a little more luscious. At least her hair was nice. 75 and still a bright, youthful blonde. Oh hair dye did absolute wonders! The curls going down to her cheek bone were still firm but graceful.

Tonight everything had to go as planned. Tonight was her big debut. She would go down in the history books. She would share the spotlight like Marilyn Monroe or Lucille Ball.If she played her cards right, she might get The Community as big as the Republican and Democratic parties combined. She fought her whole life to be somebody, not just another face in the crowd. Thanks to her connections with The Community she could uproot herself from this rinky-dink town and become a star. People would adore her and worship her! The very thought filled her mind with an overwhelming sense of happiness. Tonight was the night! Her dreams were about to come true! She would be seen by millions of Americans all around the nation!

“Madam Uval,” a gruff voice exclaimed. 

Uval nearly jumped from her seat. She hated Sherif Franklin’s uncanny ability to appear without prior notice. 

“Yes, Sheriff Franklin?” she asked regaining her composure. 

“I need to discuss a matter that is most urgent,” he said like a robotic soldier. 

Uval groaned. Of course, something bad would happen on her big night. 

“Go on, but first close the door, this is between you and me.” 

Sheriff Franklin did as he was told, like the nice little puppet he was. 

4.

Marcy looked at her watch.

9:15 PM

“Come on, Chester,” she said while tapping the watch’s surface. 

“Forget it, sis,” said her older brother Michael, “He’s probably a no-show. For all, we know he could be with Officer Franky and Co. to turn us in!” 

“Sshhh,” she said, holding a finger to her lips. They could hear metallic doors opening, and a crowd of mumbling spectators walking in to take their seats. 

“If he were to turn us in, the police would have captured us by now,” she said, keeping her voice to a hoarse whisper. Michael almost wanted to peek through the curtains to see if Chester got cold feet and decided to stay anyways, only to stop himself from blowing their cover. He chuckled. 

Worse escape in history, he thought. 

Suddenly, the sounds of slow footsteps approaching them came from the small hallway near the corner. Marcy gasped only to cover her mouth with her hand. Michael slowly unearthed the plank of wood hidden under his pant leg. A tall, dark figure stepped out of the shadows. Michael was more than ready to take an excellent clean swing. He held the board like Babe Ruth before he hit a home run. 

“Whoa, whoa! Hey, it’s me!” Chester held up his hands as if by some miracle, the board wouldn’t smash them in half. 

“Chester!” Marcy gave him a giant hug. Michael lowered the board down to his knees but refused to put it back under his pant leg. 

“I thought you weren’t going to make it,” Marcy continued. 

“Did anyone follow you?” Michael asked as he leaned over to see anyone behind Chester’s back. 

“Give me some credit,” Chester said, breaking away from Marcy’s embrace in a friendly, playful way. “Why do you think I was late sneaking over here?”

“Don’t mind him,” Marcy said matter-of-factly. “He’s just a little paranoid.” 

“What we’re about to do, how could I not be?” Michael took a step back. 

They all looked at each other in silence.

“So,” Chester began awkwardly. “What’s the plan?”

5.

Ms. Uval felt uneasy. It wasn't about the missing twins Michael and Marcy Wentworth. The Community had dealt with those brats before, and she could deal with them again. Rebellion seemed to flow through their veins, and the idea of freedom danced in their minds. When Sheriff Franklin informed her in her dressing room that they escaped, she didn’t even flinch. She was confident he would catch them once again and beat their disobedience right. 

What worried her was that beyond the bulky TV cameras and the blinding stage lights, a single-seat left utterly empty. She could tell because the exact second she stepped on stage, she knew the rows of people looked slightly uneven. To others on stage, they barely noticed, but to Uval, it was disorientating, like staring at an entirely still painting where the black-and-white zigzags seemed to be moving on their own. She felt so uneasy that she almost messed up her very first line. The two empty ones near the front row didn’t surprise her; those were Michael’s and Marcy’s seats. She did not know who was supposed to be sitting in that one empty seat near the back row, which made her greatly disturbed. It meant the rebelliousness of the twins was spreading. If not confronted soon, she knew everything she built for would come toppling down. She wanted to bring the entire production to a halt and demand everyone look for the three missing people, but she couldn’t with the cameras broadcasting it live to every home in America. 

The show must go on, she thought, trying to comfort herself. Throughout the play she did the best she could to ignore the empty seat in the back. Despite her best efforts, she couldn’t stand how the seat seemed to be mocking her, shouting profanities at her, threatening her. She needed to stay merry. Who wanted to watch a grumpy Ms.Clause begrudgingly help little children?

Don’t worry, Franklin will find them she repeated to herself Franklin will find them.

6.

Chester needed to hug himself to keep him from freezing. Even his heavy coat was no match for the relentless winter breeze. Why couldn’t Ms. Uval do an Easter Special? 

A lone wolf howled in the distance. That single howl woke up Chester’s mind to all the dangers around him. Even without the threat of Sheriff Franklin, they could be attacked by bears or wolves, or take a wrong step and plummet to their deaths or weather could turn sour and they would freeze to death. Was it too late to turn back? Maybe The Community would show him mercy if he turned around right then and there. 

No! He shook his head. What type of person would straight up betray his friends? Plus, it didn’t matter what special privileges The Community gave him, a slave was still a slave, even those with grand mansions and beautiful women. 

Michael, who was leading the way, came to an abrupt stop. Their first stop laid before them in the form of a large slope. One wrong step would send either of them headfirst into several trees, which grew from the slope like hairs. The thick layers of snow on the ground covered all signs of loose leaves, holes, and tree roots. Being cautious, however, would take precious time, though Marcy insisted they had plenty of it. The only people who would be looking for them were the police, not the entire town. There were no brats who could look out their window or old-timers sitting on their porches. Even if the police wanted to get the citizens involved, they would be disturbing Ms. Uval’s precious Christmas Special. An escape on a night like this, although not foolproof, showed more promise than any other. 

“Ladies first,” Michael insisted. 

“Oh, you’re so chivalrous,” Marcy said, brave enough to still crack a joke or two. She felt the ground in front of her as if she was walking on ice. Once she was confident, she took a step forward and continued to do so for the rest of the way down.  

“You next,” Michael said to Chester, almost tapping him with his plank of wood. Chester nodded his head and took a step forward. The woods were so dark he could barely see Marcy, who was over halfway. He wished he had a flashlight only to realize it would probably blow their cover than help them. 

He was about to take a step when suddenly, a bright light flooded his vision. Two gunshots scared away every single bird and woodland critter for miles. Chester froze. He heard the cries of black crows as they flew to the heavens. As his eyes adjusted, he could see the entire forest, Marcy, and his own shadow. The bright light flashed from white to red to blue and white again. He didn’t need to turn his hand to see the officer standing there, but he did. He was a skinny guy, but he held the gun firmly straight to the sky. He didn’t look like much, but that didn’t matter, because Sheriff Franklin stood right behind him. 

Sheriff Franklin was built like a tank with gorilla-sized arms and stood about 6 or 7 ft tall. His beefy hands were large enough to squash skulls like grapes. 

“If it’s any comfort to ya’ll,” Franklin began. His voice was rough and grading as if he smoked a hundred packs a day. “The Community wants you alive.” 

“I rather die than go back!” Michael shouted. 

“You selfish brats!” the sheriff said in a rage, “The Community shows you love and compassion, and you just spit in their face?”

“If she loved us so much, she would let us be free!” Michael retorted, “Free to make our own decisions, free to live our own lives. Don’t you want that too?” 

“I serve The Community. I put my needs before others. I care what happens to my fellow man. Something you should start doing.” 

Another police car pulled up behind the first one. 

“By leaving, you’ll bring The Community down to its knees, destroying the lives of everyone who lives here,” Franklin continued. “Now come back here. Start caring about yourself for once.”

Memories of safety and comfort flashed through Chester’s mind for only a moment. He would never have it as good as living in Duelton. Yet there was a whole world out there. Outside of The Community’s grip, he could be whatever he wanted to be without asking for some “all powerful” leader’s permission.

“No,” Chester said, surprising himself with his confidence. 

Sheriff Franklin frowned. 

“So be it, “he mumbled. Instead of going straight for his gun, Franklin stepped forward menacingly. The officer beside him lowered his gun and nearly shot Chester’s leg off. 

Chester hoped back as if he took a step into a bed of hot coles. 

“Run!” Michael yelled. “Meet up with Marcy. I’ll hold them off!” 

“But what about…?” Chester cried. 

“Just go!” 

Michael took off, wooden plank raised. Chester thought about fighting with him, but what did he have? His fists wouldn’t do much good. His arms and legs were as week as strawberry jello. There was nothing he could do except honor his friend’s wishes. 

Taking a deep breath, Chester bolted down the hill and never looked back. He heard the sound of more police cars pull up, but he didn’t care. His body felt lighter than air as he jumped over roots and dogged low hanging branches. So, this was how being free felt? He pretty much liked it! No more worries of The Community breathing down his neck, no more do this do that. Chester Collins was free! 

He came across a small frozen creek, small enough to hop across. On the other side stood Marcy waving her hands like she was trying to get the attention of a speeding car.

Michael held the officers as best as he could. It wasn’t much, and the officers eventually knocked him senseless, but by then, Chester and Marcy had all the time in the world. 

7.

“Well, I don’t know about you,” Ms. Uval began her voice echoing in the darkroom, “But I think my Christmas special was a rousing success.” 

Ms. Uval looked around to see a bunch of angry male gazes looking down on her.  

“That’s beside the point!” shouted a man at the far end. “Two members have escaped! Never in The Community’s history has anything like this happened before!”

“I don’t think you see the big picture,” Ms. Uval retorted. “My Christmas Special put this town on the map! The first thing people are going to think when they hear Duelton is happiness and innocence, none of this conspiracy foolishness from some runaways.” 

“All it takes is for the wrong person to believe them, and we’re all done for!” said a man with a raspy voice. 

“This is your responsibility!” the man at the back said, pointing a finger at Ms. Uval.

“Mine?” she said in shock, “Franky let the two get away, that’s not my fault!” 

“We’re the ones who’ve kept you in office, Ms.Mayor,” the man in the back began, “As such, Sheriff Franklin is your responsibility!” 

Ms. Uval stuttered. 

“But, what about the Michael boy?” she pointed out, “It took Franky a while, but he finally subdued him!”

“It only takes a spark to start a fire,” the man with the raspy voice said. “Who cares if your baboon stopped one spark from running away?”

Ms. Uval’s face turned a bright red. Her face was red enough to match her Mrs. Claus outfit. She heard murmurs all around her. Each voice was trembling with fear. What had happened to The Community? It took one bad night to make them all scared out of their wits? No one was looking at her anymore, which made her all the more enraged. This was supposed to be her night, hers! She couldn’t stand one more second with all these whining old geezers. 

“Is this meeting adjourned, or are we done now?” she asked, planting her hand firmly on her hip. The man in the back said nothing, while the others awkwardly adjusted their seats from side to side. 

She stormed out the door, and before leaving, she turned around to face all the sad, pathetic white men in suits and said, “ Well, merry Christmas to you all!" And with that she slammed the door with such force it shook the entire room and everyone in it.