Draft one

Joyeux Noel
By
Susan Waterflower Bell

Susan watched her breath frost before her as she stood in the mist of one would call a winter wonderland. Her long coco brown hair was styled back in two neat ponytails a extra large blue hoodie lined with wool guarded her from the frosty air that surrounded her. And for added protection extra long white socks and those cute tan fur lined boots had been added to guard her legs from the season’s chill.

“I’m going to miss you,  you have been good to me.” She said turning her head slightly so she might peer over her shoulder at the imposing fire engine red school house. Bold English letters in a arc like patter spelled out the words Oshima Middle School. The arc was formed over the double wide door that greeted each student.

“I’m going to miss you all.” She softy added as she started toward the old iron gate. School was almost over for her now, she had passed all of the fields outlined in the N.I.P with flying colors and now nothing really stood in her way. She could almost feel that diploma in her hands. Her grades too where has high as they had ever been.

And with that being said Susan slowly made her way toward the main gate, a trail of footprints could be seen in the freshly fallen snow as she made her way toward the main cobblestone street. The normal smooth and perfectly square stones where know hidden under a fifty mixture of melting snow and blacken ice. Such a mixture was commonly seen upon the more well traveled roads.

“Good afternoon Susan-San.” Called one of the younger students as she spotted her. The young one wore a bright ruby red snow coat. One could tell she was one of the younger students by the tailoring of her skirt.

“Good afternoon too you too Mina-Chan.” Said Susan folding her hands in front of her.  A prideful smile crossed her lips as she was addressed as such. It felt good having the young ones add ‘San’ to the end of your name.

“Is it true,” Said the young girls face lighting up, “That you once stole away into the Forbidden Room? And the old haunted train station?” She asked quickly before her courage could fail her. She then looked away as if ashamed of her question.

Once more a prideful smile seemed for form upon Susan face as she peered down at the little one. Slowly she reached up and ran her figures through her long coal black locks of hair.  Mina was such a cutie pie Slowly she nodded her head as to say ‘Yes’ to the little girls question.

The little girls face seemed to turn rosy as she felt the older girls fingers running through her hair, she smiled and nodded her head too and without another being spoken she quickly sprinted away to join her friends. Christmas day was only a hand full of hours away after all.

A small tear fell from the corner of Susan’s eyes as she watched the little girl frolic away. She too was once in her shoes, It was amazing how in her younger days she use to look up to the upperclassman like they where some short of Saint or Shinto Spirit. The upperclassman of her day where hero’s to all, the noble defenders of the weak and the prim and prime ladies of the courts.

“Good bye school, good bye Kendo Team, and Supernatural club. I knew thee well.” She said turning once more to peer toward the imposing brick building. Two months is all she had left here, two months a mere breath when compared to the age of the earth.

Soon Susan found her way onto the crowed cobblestone paved high streets of Oshima. People in fine woolen coats quickly rushed about there business, one could not help but over hear the tale end of many of cell phone conversations as people chatted away about there plans for that night and the exchanged rumors of sales and such.

Adding to the scene of Christmas madness one might call it was the ringing of the large brass hand bells, there loud chime could be heard at every corner and at the entrance to any business or sweet shop. There ringers where often old men and women whom hopped to use the spirit of the holiday to drum up funds for there orders or there choose civic groups.

The seasonal greeting of Merry Christmas or Happy Winter and even the rare but still often heard Joyeux Noel could be earned by dropping a small coin into there collection plate. Some would even drop a bill or two into the round silver plated bowls though most simply gave the change left over from the purchase of chocolate or extra large coffees or sacked orders.

Along with the ringing of the bells the seasonal decorated shop windows too added there own flare to the scene. Sprigs of holly and ivy could be found taped up in all four corners of the windows, some merchants displayed small scale porcelain Christmas villages complete with small chine houses and other odds and in that completed the scene.  Other more faith minded shop owners had nativity scenes displayed in there windows.

As always Susan took time to peer through the thin glass veil that divided the warm shop air from the chilly late winter mist. A soft blush appeared upon her face as she noticed the collection of Chika dolls displayed upon shelf’s of the toy merchants. Every little girl had at least one Chika plushy to claim as her own.  Some had more than one others had whole collections. The cloth and cotton toys where treasures to these lass’s.

“Oh.. The newest Chika dolls are out.. Oh I wish I just have few more coins to my name.” She said looking down at her feet.  “Hey its going to pay off, one day I’ll earn enough to buy a whole warehouse of Chika dolls, my daughter will have a whole collection of them. And my son the biggest and best train set I can find for the little prince.” She whispered softy as she placed her hand upon the frosted glass.

Though the greeting of Merry Christmas might be used to wish one good luck and good fortune in this a season of forgiveness and good cheer to all for Susan the season seemed to be gloomy one as her father was once more away and her sisters too where as busy as ever with there work. The lack of funds too seemed to weight heavy on everybody’s mind.

Though Susan had been award a good many of scholarship and several nice grants a good bit of her housing and traveling had to come out of pocket. In away she owed more to her sister and mother and father than she did anybody else if anybody should get a present it should be them. Her Christmas present was a three season payment on nursing school.

With these facts in mind Susan had broken open her coin box and had spent every last cash to her name upon three fine gifts to her family. Her father would find a checkered pattern white and blue box holding a fine silvery pocket watch with a clipper ship emblazon upon the face. Her mother a necklace of silver with golden half moon hanging from the center. Her dearest sister come morning would find a golden and silvery linked chain bracelet from which one could hang charms of there choosing.

The purchasing of these three gifts had all but depleted her stash of coins and bills built up over the past year.  But what where coins when compared to the love and shelter those three had provided to her over the past fourteen years of her life! Coins could not buy a mothers love nor a sisters love and they failed to buy how could a hand full of crowns buy the warmth of a fathers touch?



So with these warm thoughts filling her head she pushed toward the small sea side cottage.  These warm though guard her from the winter chill as her feet left the cobblestones and made her way down the worn stepping stones that connected the front door with the street.  And as she expected the house was cold and dark.  Save for center of the living room.

For in the center of the living room there sat a large evergreen tree, its from its short branch’s hung string of brightly colored ribbons in colors of ivy green, ruby red and snow white.  A bakers dozen or so of small glass orbs brought from the local dollar store hung from thin crooked pieces of brass.  Under the tree itself there could be found a collection of boxes.  Each one was wrapped in seasonal spirited piece of paper.

“Well tomorrow we can open are gifts, each the lam and be happy. And maybe we can even go uptown a bit and buy a box of chocolates to offer  to the family shrine.” She said removing her jacket and placing it upon a coat rack. Skillfully and quickly she built a small fire in the fire place. The process took all of five minutes but the presents of a now crackling fire seemed to breath a little spirit into the room. And with she withdrew to the kitchen to start on her own Christmas Eve Feast.

***

The great Christmas Eve Feast had was a simple meal of deep dish pizza topped with pepperoni and half of dozen so cheesy breadsticks and half of a bottle of soft drink. Not really the classic story book feast but it was something and it did vanish the hands of winter and lulled her into a peaceful nights sleep. And so there she lay her shoulder covered up with  her thick blanket and her dolly Ikumi laying in her arms.

Them a light tapping could be heard as it seemed a four legged animal made a gentle landing upon the roof of her house. This light noise was not enough to awaken the sleeping princess from her sleep. But the sound that followed did, for it seemed like somebody was dropping something large upon the floor and a female tone of voice traveled through out the house.

“Oh.. Christmas cookies!” Cried the voice as the sound of feet filled the hallways.

Quickly Susan’s eye shot open that tone of voice was different from her fathers, her mothers and her sisters. And if the tone of voice did not belong to one of them how else could it belong to? Maybe a would be pad foot had come a knocking on this most holy of nights. Though if it was a pad foot then what could she do? The  most logical thing to do was to stay in bed and pray the thief would quickly pass. But then.. What if the her mother or Isabella where to come on and stumble upon him!

What would there fate be? What merry Christmas would it be if she had to burry her mother and sister? Not a very marry one.  Fear often breeds courage and with this courage she drew in a deep breath walked over to her closet and withdrew her wooden practice sword. Feeling the wooden handle in the palm of her hand increased her pride and bolstered her courage.

And so now armed with both a weapon and the courage and to use said weapon Susan slowly opened her bedroom door and crept down the stairs. The old wooden floorboards groaned under the presser of her foot as she inched her way down. And just as she expected there was somebody snooping around the house and oddly enough the would be thief was dressed as Santa Clause… a odd choice but then again people by there very nature are odd creatures.

“I was hopping to speak to you tonight, Miss Susan Waterflower Bell you are a odd case, not on the naughty list but not on the nice list. Should you get coal or should you get your justice reward.” Spoke the would thief. The tone of voice she used was also odd as it was kind and almost loving.

“I wound take coal.. if you leave me and my family be.!” Said Susan not buying into this little game, quickly she wrapped her hands around the handle of her sword and quickly she raised it into the air, this could be her only chance to gain a upper hand.

“Noble as ways, but then again you are from Celtic and samurai stock. So I would ask you one more time, would you choose coal or choose your present. Mind you choose wisely because you might find sitting very hard tomorrow if you choose one of the above. If you catch my drift.”

“No not really.” Said Susan. She took a deep breath and weighted the offered options. Finally after a few seconds of thinking she came to the conclusion that there was only real choice to make. Maybe this weird cat-bugler .

“Oh yes you do have some samurai in you, your mother is a Waterflower how at one point was connected to the Oda clan that ruled this area way back in the day. Now my dear you see this is how its going to work, your not on the naughty list see and since your not on that list I can’t give you any type of coal or said fuel source. But… your not on the nice list… so I can’t give you any type of gift but if.. And that is a big one my dear.”

Susan slowly nodded her head a little as she allowed the strange women’s words to sink into her mind and soul.  She would like a gift sure what was Christmas without a gift with your name upon the tag resting snuggly under the draping branch’s of the families Christmas tree.

“Sure, I would like a gift.. But what is the catch?” Said Susan in a unsure tone of voice.

“Well, since your on the edge, I think a little over the knee spanking with the hairbrush would be enough to flip the books around. I mean can’t go back to the bossman at the north pole without a reason why a gave a little trouble causing girl a nice laptop as this.” She said snapping her fingers. And in the blink of a eye and a twinkle of a nose large square box appeared upon the living room floor.

The front of the box showed a picture of a laptop computer a quite nice one if the picture shown on front was a proper judge of the machine held within.

“I think this will do. Quite powerful too, one can do all those neat computer programs like Skype or yahoo or stream videos and such.  Its also perfect for watching movies and storing your music and lets not forget those notes from all those lectors. After all the road to earning your nursing cap is paved with term papers and essays.”

Susan blinked and slowly a little smile formed upon her face. Judging by the picture and detail’s offered by this stranger it seemed that would be just the thing she would need for nursing school.  But still it sounded all to good to be true.

“Okay… you have a deal.” Said Sue taking a deep breath and quickly offering her arm. She expected the women would take her hand and give it a good shake. Such was the normal flow of things when one offered you a deal or a agreement.

“Wonderful.” Said the women picking up the box and walking over to the tree. With tender care she placed the box among the other presents and smiled a little. Once the present was in place, she shifted her body and started once more toward Susan.

“Now we have some official business to take care of,” She started as she lowered her bottom upon sofa that sat in front of the families fire place. A few seconds of smoothing out the wrinkles that had formed with her sitting passed before the palm of her hand patted her open lap.

“Up and over I take it?” Asked Susan as she walked over to the women and climbed over her lap. She took a deep breath and steadied her beating heart.

“Correct, and all correct answers earn one a prize. I’m afraid you must wait till morning before you claim your prize my dear.” Said the women lifting the helm of Susan’s night gown up. Once Susan’s pale pink panties where in view she placed thumps into elastic waistline and pulled them down in one foul swoop.