Seasons Greetings

Jameson pushes the curtain back with the barrel of his gun, he glances out at the sea of white. The snow has stopped for now but it is a stark reminder of how unforgiving this land is. He looks over his family, trying to ensure confidence with his protective stare but the feeling of desperation creeps in like the frigid draft from between the cracks.

The tales of the mythical stranger appearing this time of year plagued Jameson's thoughts. How was he to know when? At what time of the night does this demon come. The sun had been down for at least two logs now, it was late, but he could not let the flames die, nevermind banking the coals for the cold, cold night ahead.

"How long do we have to wait husband? The kids are exhausted."

"Send them to bed mother, Garrison and I will keep watch." Jameson replies, motioning to the sleeping area.

"You know the little ones are terrified, they won't be able to sleep at all." Mary Elisabeth replies in a whisper, adjusting the blanket surrounding the baby in her arms.

Garrison enters the dimly lit room after scouting the sleeping room. With axe in hand he stands at attention by the fire.

"Father, you should lay with Mother and the children, I will keep watch, we can take shifts." Garrison's tall, limber body glides over to the window and peers out.

Jameson contemplates this strategy for a moment when his concentration is broken by Emma, the middle child. "Who is it Father? Who is coming for us?"

"It's nothing!" Snaps Jameson "It's just a tale from the old country, theres nothing to be worried about."

Jameson places his musket next to his station by the window. He picks up Emma and tries to comfort her.

"Hows this young one? Mother will tell you an amazing story about our travels across the great sea to start our brand new life and you can fall asleep while your brother and I make sure we have something warm to eat in the morning, we'll sit and watch the fire tonight."

Emma leaning on Jameson's shoulder replies "But I don't want to go to sleep, I'm scared he will come get me in my dreams."

"Come now lass, no more scary stories." Jameson demands "That is but an old tale of the Kruger from the old country, he cannot get you here so far away."

"He comes in your dreams Father, you could be anywhere and he can still get you." Emma resists.

Jameson reaches out his hand to the seated Mary Elisabeth.

"Come now ladies, time for bed, your brother and I will keep the fire lit."

After ushering Mary Elisabeth with baby into the bed, Jameson lays Emma down next to them. He kneels down face to face with his daughter and in a soothing voice promises "Now you be a big girl and stay here with Mother and your sister. Theres nothing to be scared of, you have your brother and I out there watching over."

"Yes Father." Emma timidly replies.

Jameson exits the room, pulling over the curtain as Mary Elisabeth and children get situated in their beds. Jameson returns to his post by the window and glances out again, noticing the snow has started once again.

Garrison stares intently at his father, taking a hefty gulp from his horn of whiskey. Observing the fear in Jameson's eyes, Garrison wonders what could possibly terrify a man who had spent days out in the freezing wilderness, tracking a deer to feed his family. Who knows what horrors he saw out there ponders Garrison as he takes another pull, passing along the vessel to his father.

"What is it Father, really?" Garrison pleads.

"No one knows son, not really anyway, it comes in the night."

"So it is the Kruger!" Exclaims Garrison.

No, no son, tis a tale as old as time but goes by many names. Old Stewart said that a shipmate had seen it once when they were out on a merchant ship, in the vast of night. The shipmate told Old Stewart that this demon flies from house to house in one night, on the wings of devil dogs in a sled made of bones."

Jameson continues "This Demon steals your provisions and brings coal. No one knows what it wants or why it does such things."

"He brings coal?" Questions Garrison "But we can use that right?"

"No son, this coal is said to burn only smoke as black as pitch, tis of no use to us."

"How do we kill it?" Garrison asks resolutely.

"I'm not sure we can son." Jameson states as a matter of fact.

Jameson takes another pull from the whiskey and passes it back to his son and sits back for a moment. The fire begins to burn a little brighter casting an intense light throughout the room.

A distant sound brings the men to their feet. Garrison tightens his grip on the axe handle, motioning the head of the rusty axe towards the fire, alerting his tired Father. Garrison now realizing that his Father had been up for days with this routine, watching over his family every night for weeks.

Jameson stares blankly up towards the ceiling trying to see with his ears. He looks over at his confused son "It is like the Angelus of the church, a thousand of them!" Garrison exclaims, staring intently at the window. "I know this sound." Jameson recalls. "The Hessian immigrants had them in their dances in the town square back in Shoreditch." "Stand fast! It comes as but a specter!" Jameson grabs his musket and props it to his shoulder.

The flames of the hearth are crawling higher and higher, a welcoming column up the radiant chimney. The men standing wide-eyed and unsure of what to do next.

Emma, startled by the noise, peers out behind the curtain. Her eyes become fixated on the size of the dancing flames.

"Back into the room with your Mother!!" Jameson demands, shouting at his hypnotized daughter.

Garrison lashes over and pushes Emma into the room. He holds his finger up to his mouth desperately trying to command silence from his erratic Father. Garrison points to the ceiling with the axe as they hear footsteps on the roof. Jameson's eyes are nearly popping out of his head, trying to be quiet "It must be a hundred men up there...an army...we are no match."

The men are still as they wait in terror. A silence washes over the house for a moment then a maniacal laugh rips through the air.

"HO HO HO!" It screams

A rock bounces down the chimney and the fire explodes outward from the hearth, a plume of black smoke engulfs the room. Garrison lunges toward the fire and takes a mighty swing with his axe, chops through the smoke, and hacks at the stone as the head of his axe flies off. Jameson flies back to his musket, knowing it was a mistake to leave it by the window. He hurriedly cocks the hammer and unloads a screaming blast in the air.

In an instant, almost as soon as the muzzle flash has rescinded, the tumult is over. A portion of the wall between the rooms has a hole blasted through it and Jameson becomes terrified of what he might have done. He drops the weapon as he rushes to the threshold, pushing Garrison out of the way. Garrison, reels around and is quick behind his father, also weighing the possibility that his father might have just shot his mother and sisters.

Jameson opens his mouth to call out but is taken aback with such confusion and relief that he cannot believe what he is looking at. Garrison pushes his father to the side to get a clearer look. He takes a step forward and with his footfall his sleeping sister awakens, raises her head and with a rub of her eyes asks "Father is it still night time?"

Emma is now cradling a doll that he cannot remember ever seeing before. Mary Elisabeth and the baby are still asleep but now the baby is clutching a small carved wooden dog. The men try to regain themselves.

"Back to sleep little one, it will be morning soon." Jameson whispers as Emma is happy to lay her head back down.

The men turn from the bedroom and try to look around the house, trying to asses any damages and perhaps find a meaning to what just transpired. Jameson heads to the kitchen area to inspect any changes. The carrots and biscuits have been taken but beside the shelving unit lies a shiny new axe. Jameson picks it up and walks toward Garrison with the handle extended. He hands it over to Garrison knowing in his heart that it was granted to his son. They hear the bells once again and run to the window to see if theres anything of their visitor that they can still see. They can't see anything from the window so they rush outside. They observe no tracks in the snow and stare once again at the roof to see if theres anything from all the footsteps they heard. The bells jingle again and Jameson and Garrison locate the sound from beyond the roof. That laugh rings out again. "HO HO HO!" This time it seems more jovial. They wonder if it was like that before, might they have heard it differently? Up in the distance they see the silhouette of a sled being pulled by reindeer through the sky. A large man sits gracefully in the sled and raises his hand, waiving at the astonished men. Standing frozen in the snow Jameson and Garrison are beyond comprehension of what they are seeing, all they can do is wave back.