Lend me a Christmas!

The fire in the hearth sputtered, trying to keep itself alive for just a little longer. Young of two and twenty, August scrambled over the pieces of scrap that scattered the floor of his tiny house and threw a piece of wood into the hearth. He watched the fire hungrily devour the wood and absently patted his rumbling stomach. Outside the winds blew cold, playing ruthlessly with delicate flakes of snow.

Biting into a dry loaf of bread August peeked outside his window. Not far from there, yuletide shone in various ornaments and illuminations. Church bells rung faintly and festivity seemed to glimmer friskily. Everyone in town was joyous including August, only he had a different reason for his joyfulness. Tonight he would be able to burgle houses without a care in the world. How else would the handsome, young burglar celebrate Christmas eve.

Finishing the last of his dry bread, August kicked around the fruits of his theft and began to pick up his sack. Just then a sharp knock on the window made him jerk forward. He turned briskly towards the window- nothing. Sighing he turned around to pick up his sack- another knock- nothing. At the third knock, August held on tightly to his sack and rushed to open the door. Scrutinizing the surroundings keenly, he found no signs of anyone or anything. He skeptically shut the door behind him and walked out into the snow through the vapour of his own exasperated exhale.

A sudden thud again stopped August in his tracks but this time footprints began to mark the snow. They appeared to approach August, who stared in wide-eyed horror. Just when he prepared to collide with the unknown, a waft of air began to swirl the snowflakes. Under the silver radiance of the moon, the swirl began to take a shape; the shape of a man.

Floating in mid air, the translucent man spoke, “August my man! It’s been a while since we met, hasn’t it?”

August stood frozen. The translucent man spoke again, “I am Cuthbert Green…Do you remember?”

A shiver ran through August as he made a feeble attempt to speak, “Mr. Green…You died of a heart failure last week didn’t you? How are you here? Am I losing my mind?”

The ghost of Cuthbert laughed, “No my friend. I am here to see you…”

August gasped, “Me? Why?”

The ghost of Cuthbert leaned closer to August leaving a trail of silver vapour behind and whispered, “Lend me your Christmas...”

Horror struck, August replied, “What? How do you mean? And why would you come to me?”

Cuthbert sighed, “I have come to you for two reasons; one- you are the only one in town who saw me before I died, so I didn’t get a chance to bid farewell to the rest. It would be so nice if I could see everyone for one last time.”

August frowned, “So why don’t you go say your byes to them?”

Cuthbert now said exasperatedly, “I did not take you for such a dim wit…I cannot just go upto everyone like this. It would scare them to death…”

August now sneered as he felt his confidence surge again, “But you are here because you thought I was the only brave one…You are right; that’s why I don’t mingle with that foolish, faint-hearted lot in the town. I must confess however I always thought you were better than them. But then again it took you a lifetime to realise that I was the cleverest one.”

Cuthbert straightened up, raising an angry brow, “Reason two- I came here because you played a role in my untimely death that night…it was you who jumped in front of my car and scared me with your knife. Were it not for the startling entrance of Mr. Deely’s cat you would have robbed me and probably stabbed me to death… ”

Offended, August said, “I did not know you were in that car. I could barely see in the dark. And I only scare people with the knife. You know I have never touched a person let alone harm them; it’s against the rules of burglary.”

Cuthbert took in a deep breath and said, “Well…what else was a gentlemen supposed to think if you pointed a knife like that?”

August spoke angrily, “Don’t blame this on me. It was the Deely cat that shocked your feeble heart to death. Were it brave like my heart, you would have simply run along like I did.”

Cuthbert let out a sigh and said in a firm tone, “I am not here to argue. I want your Christmas. Lend it to me or I will snatch it from you.”

August sniggered, “You, the gentlemen of town are going to resort to such uncouth behavior as snatching something from me? And how are you expecting me to give it to you even if I considered it?”

Cuthbert gazed with poise and said, “I simply need to use your body as a vessel until tomorrow midnight…”

August exclaimed, “What? Are you mental? This is the best time of the year for my trade. I won’t give it to you for anything…”

Cuthbert smiled, “but if you lose your life what use is your it anyway?”

Frightened, August stared at Cuthbert. A chilly waft menacingly ruffled his hair as silver dust streamed through the centre of his chest.

In the town, merrymakers were rampant. The smell of Christmas warmed the air, wafting as cinnamon now, cigars then, pines now and then and a lingering scent of rum. Lights coloured the inky atmosphere in hues of the season. Laughter rang from bells and faces seemed to chime. Cuthbert dragged himself in the frame of August and soaked in every bit of the milieu.

Unaccustomed to the suspicious stares from townfolk, Cuthbert continued to walk towards his home. With every step forward, his heart filled up with yearnings to live as himself again. On the way he smiled at many hesitant folk all of whom once considered Cuthbert as one of the finest young men they knew.

Cuthbert’s journey home took way longer than he had expected as he stopped by to greet Tevor the baker, Judy the florist, William- his doctor friend and many more. But not as Cuthbert; for a dead man would scare anyone away and he did not want to take the chance. So he spoke with his seemingly baffled friends and embraced them as August.

When he finally reached home, Cuthbert’s heart filled up with a sense of suffocating longing. The lights within were dim and from the window he could see the silhouette of a frail woman carrying a crying baby. The despondency within was unaffected by the merrymaking outside. Oh how it pained his heart.

Cuthbert knocked at the door. With swollen eyes his wife opened the door. As the churchbells began to announce the commencement of Christmas day, Cuthbert successfully explained to his wife, the happening of a miracle. As the town got busy celebrating, the Green family cried their hearts out to seek closure of their chapter together.

On the night of the end of Christmas, at the stroke of midnight August awoke on the bench of the Church. As his hazy vision cleared he saw the priest smiling down at him. Straightening himself out, August looked suspiciously at the priest.

Widening his smile the priest said, “Oh August you must have fainted from exhaustion. Now go home and rest for a while. We shall meet at sunrise.”

August frowned in confusion, “Why? Why would we meet at sunrise?”

The priest laughed, “you are a funny chap August…”

August stood up and asked again, “I really don’t understand. What are we doing at sunrise?”

The priest said calmly, “After your confession tonight you have agreed to provide assistance here on the church premises for 10 shillings a week. I hope you haven’t changed your mind.”

Taken aback at the mention of his salary August jumped in, “Oh…yes…yes ofcourse. I was just little dazed. I will see you at sunrise.”

Leaving the smiling priest, August hopped away in glee. Ever since that Christmas August has turned over a new leaf. He keeps the Church premises clean and makes some clean earnings. He lives in harmony with the rest of the townfolk and is even good friends with Trevor, Judy and Mr. Deely's cat.