Paul is Alive

Its Christmas eve in Anchorage, Alaska it’s a beautiful

snowy evening. Its quiet outside, snow is falling like hard rain drops. The time is 7 pm. Mr. Michael and Samantha McCain are in the kitchen thinking the good times they have had during the holidays. Michael and Samantha are from Brooklyn, New York. They moved to Alaska right after they graduated from college. Both of them attended Columbia University. They have two sets of twins, one set is fifteen years old, the other set is twenty-five years old. Monica and Erica are fifteen-year-olds. The other twins are Melvin and Kelvin, they live not to far away in their grandparents’ home.  

"Honey, both of our parents are dead and gone. I am so glad all four of them moved here to help take care of the children and then we ended up taking care of them." Samantha said. "I don't what we would have done without them."

"Yes, it was selfless of them to move from one side of the country to another. If you think about, it made sense, grandparents spoil grandchildren and they can see them all the time by living here."

"Yep it does, those flights can be expensive."

"The holidays are different without them."

"We lost each one about a year apart. And Paul Jr. died six months after my father." Michael said.

"That train wreck was something else. Paul will be missed."

"Honey I read in the paper they will have statue or something for all the victims in the train wreck. Each person's name will be on it."

"That will be nice."

"Honey, I'm going to bed I'm tired. The twins are doing something who knows. The boys should have made it down the street by now. I'll check before I go to bed."

"I'm going to finish baking while I listen to Christmas music."

Samantha continued to bake her sweet potato pies, cakes, and cookies.

About an hour later after her husband went to bed there's a knock on the hard glass window.

She looked in the direction of that window, but the knocking stopped.

The knocking started again it sound as though someone using something like a stick to make the knock loud.

"Should I wake up Michael? No, I'm going to the door it’s probably a neighbor."

She headed towards the window which is next to the front door.

"Whose there?" She asked.

"It’s Paul Jr."

"Sir you have the wrong house. I know a Paul Jr but he died six months ago."

Paul looked bewildered. "Aunt Samantha, this is your nephew Paul Jr. I'm alive. Look out the window it’s me!"

Samantha looked out the window and started screaming. She opened that front door so fast. They hugged each other so tight.

"What do you mean I died?"

"Son, everyone died in the train crash that you were on."

"I did not know that about a train crash. I was able to catch a earlier train that had a shorter route for me. Wait a minute, so you didn't receive any of my letters?"

"No, we have not! Let me wake everyone and tell them you are alive."

"I'll wait right here between the kitchen and living room. I hope we don't scare them."

"If we do not scare them, they will be in shock for sure."

She went to get everyone. "Michael, Erica, and Monica, please come to the kitchen. I have a surprise for you!"

"What's up mom?" Erica asked. By then Monica and their father were in the kitchen too.

"I'm alive!" Paul yelled as he came around the corner.

Everyone screamed.

"Paul! You're alive!" Erica said.

"Thank God!" Monica said.

"Paul you've risen from the dead. We memorialized you. What a miracle!" Michael said.

"Talking about excited, I'm so glad I heard the knock on the window!" Samantha shouted.

"Mom, let's call Melvin and Kelvin and tell them to come. Tell them it’s an emergency!" Monica said.

"I'll do it!" Michael said.

"Yes, let’s celebrate with cake, pie, and ice cream." Samantha said.

"We'll help you mom! “Erica said.

While waiting on the male twins, everyone was having great conversations. Ten to twenty minutes has passed.

"Mom! Dad! Where are you? What's the emergency?" Melvin and Kelvin yelled. "You can hear the frantic in their voice."

Paul turned around to look at them.

"Am I looking at a ghost you died six months ago!" Melvin said.

"It is a ghost!" Kelvin said.

"No, it’s me, I caught an earlier train, it is a miracle I'm alive. Family I apologize, i should have called. I've been so busy. I regret that you thought I was dead. From now on I'll do better with communicating with you family."

Samantha began speaking. "No one cares about what happened in the past. You are alive and that's all that matter. Now let' eat drink and be merry!"

"You don't have to tell me twice!" Michael said.

Everyone rushed over to the food. They filled their plates with all the desserts.

“Tell me more about this train crash you thought I was in.” Paul said.

“Well son, it happened about an hour after the train left Anchorage. It collided with another train that didn’t have any passengers aboard it. The conductor somehow survived but everyone on the train you were on died. Your train caught fire and fell over the tracks. They were on one of the bridges that had no land near except for over a thousand plus feet. And if I remember correctly ice was on the tracks which caused the wreck to be worse.” Michael explained.

“I kept telling myself I need to check on the news at home. I have been extremely busy working sixty plus hours.” Paul said.

“You wouldn’t have missed the train wreck news if you tuned in. They talked about it for more than thirty days.” Melvin said.

“I cried for days.” Samantha said. “I’m glad I heard your knock on the window, Michael and I had spoken of you earlier about how different the holidays will be without you and other family members. So glad and thankful you’re still here with us.”

“Paul you being  alive is something worth celebrating, mom must be happy if she’s letting us eat her desserts before Christmas.” Erica said.

Samantha chimed. "Yes, I am, what a difference a knock on the window makes. Let's continue to celebrate."

The family continued the celebration until two am on Christmas day. They created more family memories on that special Christmas day.