| THOMAS J. PRESTOPNIK |
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| Copyright © Thomas J. Prestopnik 2005 - 2010 All rights reserved. www.TomPresto.com |
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| Read Chapter Fourteen from A CHRISTMAS CASTLE |
| CHAPTER FOURTEEN |
Gloria squeezed Jack’s hand, gently laughing to herself as several droll
thoughts stirred in her mind. Jack threw a glance at his friend, silently
questioning her.
“You know, Jack, if you had happened to sneeze a moment before that
shooting star zipped by, or perhaps knelt down to retie your boot laces, you
would never have noticed it. And then you wouldn’t have followed your star all
the way to Charlie and Alice, nor spilled the beans about their secret
engagement to your sister Loretta –”
© Copyright 2008 Thomas J. Prestopnik
“Who apparently broke her promise a month later when she told your mother
Jenny all about it!” Jack said with a laugh. “But I forgive my sister.”
“You had better!” Gloria replied, flashing a smile. “Otherwise my mother would
have followed Charlie Murdock to a different college and never have met my
father. And then I, unfortunately, wouldn’t have been born.”
“Well, glad I could help,” Jack replied, adding the last piece of popcorn to his
string. Jack held up the one end for Gloria to see. “Now look at that. It’s
finished. Just enough string left so you can tie it up with one of your fancy
knots.”
“Nice job, Jack. I guess we now know which one of us talks too much and
which one of us works.”
“Well, someone has to listen too, I suppose.” He handed Gloria the untied end
of the garland. “Let’s see what kind of decorating you can do with that.”
“I’m sure it’ll look impressive above the front desk,” Gloria said, winding some
of the remaining string between the last two pieces of popcorn and securely
tying a few knots to hold it together. She wrapped the garland in a series of
large loops around her left wrist. “I’ll run out and give this to Angela. She said
she’d display it for us.”
“Maybe you might return with a cup of decaf coffee for me?” Jack playfully
asked.
“And a ham sandwich, too? You’re probably hungry after skipping that chicken
something-or-other for dinner.”
© Copyright 2008 Thomas J. Prestopnik
“Now that you mention it…”
“I’ll see what I can round up, Jack,” she replied, getting to her feet. “I’m sure
the kitchen is still open.” Gloria grabbed hold of her cane and took a step
forward, glancing out the window. She suddenly froze as her eyes took note of
a distant blue light far down in the valley under the frozen winter sky. “Oh
my…” she whispered. “At last.”
“What is it?” asked Jack, looking up with concern until he noticed that Gloria’s
face glowed with a mix of awe and delight.
“The special moment I’ve been waiting for,” she said with giddy excitement.
Gloria set her cane aside and grabbed the pair of binoculars, gingerly stepping
toward the window. She gazed at the patch of blue through the binoculars as it
came into focus. Gloria signaled to Jack, not taking her eyes off the ethereal
light. “You’ve got to see this, Jack. I think you’ll find it interesting.”
“Will I?” he said, pushing himself out of his chair and standing next to Gloria.
He studied the moonlit snowscape. “What am I looking at?”
Gloria pointed out the window. “See that blue light way down near the edge of
the river in Sage Harbor?”
Jack stared out the window, squinting. “Oh, yeah… I think I do see it. What’s
that, a fire or something?”
“A blue fire? Of course not, Jack. Look through these and you’ll see everything
clearly.” Gloria handed him the binoculars. “Here’s hoping that you’ll see
something spectacular.”
© Copyright 2008 Thomas J. Prestopnik
“Hey, that’s my line,” Jack said with a grin, his thoughts briefly shifting to 1966.
He envisioned his eight-year-old hands tentatively ripping the red foil wrapping
off of Aunt Marge and Uncle Dave’s Christmas present, only to discover a
white cardboard shirt box. Jack offered a forced smile and a stifled sigh that
Christmas evening as he lifted the cover and removed the folds of tissue paper
underneath, preparing for another sweater–or worse. Then in the background,
he heard the steady voice of his Uncle Dave the moment his eyes spotted the
new gift.
“Here’s hoping that you’ll see something spectacular, Jack,” he said amidst the
sparkle of Christmas lights while Jack’s parents and Aunt Marge looked on with
smiles.
Jack, kneeling dumbstruck among the shredded foil paper scattered on the
living room rug, simply stared at the sleek and shiny pair of black binoculars
connected to a leather strap, his face frozen in pure joy. The adventures that
awaited him called out like a bird in flight.
“Are you all right, Jack?” Gloria’s voice pulled him into the present.
Jack looked up. “Hmmm? Oh, guess my mind was wandering again, Gloria.
Not that that’s anything new. Now let me take a look out this window at what’s
got you so excited tonight,” he said, staring at her out of the corner of his eye.
“But don’t think I forgot about you fetching me that coffee and ham sandwich!”
“Oh, you…” Gloria chuckled. “Just look!”
© Copyright 2008 Thomas J. Prestopnik
Jack held up the binoculars and scanned the path of the river, the lenses
automatically focusing upon each object they hit. Then Jack located the blue
light, his intake of breath automatic. He stared at it in pristine silence, his
thoughts instantly inhabiting a collage of moments from his past, living and
breathing them simultaneously as if the laws of time and space had been
temporarily suspended.
“Is that really…?”
“Yes, Jack. That’s the Townsend building,” Gloria softly said. “Still proudly
standing and bathed in blue light. It’s been refurbished. There’ll be a grand
opening on New Year’s Day. But every night until then it’ll be spotlighted in a
different color as part of the celebration.”
“It’s beautiful…” he whispered, too much in awe to say anything more. Jack
finally handed the binoculars back to Gloria. “How did this happen?”
“My son Jay,” she proudly replied. “This was a project he and his wife’s firm
took on. After all these years, the right time, opportunity and business climate
finally presented themselves. Jay got to tackle one of his childhood dreams.”
“And one of mine,” Jack said wistfully, gazing out the window again. “Still, I’m
glad one of us got to restore that chunk of granite to its rightful glory.”
“Well don’t think that you didn’t have a hand in his success, Jack Mason. After
all, if you hadn’t seen that shooting star, then my son Jay wouldn’t have been
born either!”
© Copyright 2008 Thomas J. Prestopnik
Jack shrugged, his forehead pasted to the window. “I never thought of it that
way, Gloria.” He looked up at his friend. “All right. I guess I’m entitled to some
of the credit.”
“Of course you are,” she replied with a laugh. “And it’s well deserved, too.”
Gloria placed the binoculars back on the tray table before grabbing her cane.
“Now what about that coffee and ham sandwich? Still hungry?”
“If you’re still buying,” Jack said, easing back into his chair. “I’ve had enough
popcorn.”
“All right, dear,” Gloria said, ambling out of the room. “I’ll finish up my string
when I get back.”
“And I’ll enjoy the pretty blue light outside,” Jack replied, stretching his arms
and flashing a grin as Gloria left. He leaned his head back and gazed out the
window, eyeing the tiny blue light as if it were a distant star he was admiring as
a child from his backyard.
Jack smiled, recalling the many times his father had taken him to visit the
Townsend building after one of their lunches at The Dancing Chicken. Those
hours together were some of the vintage moments from his childhood. Jack
imagined himself strolling along the river harbor just across the street from the
Townsend as a warm summer breeze swept the concrete walks. He could see
men and women shuffling off to a business meeting under the shadows of the
black and silver awning. Jack closed his eyes and drifted off into a soothing
sleep, hearing the soft swish of a revolving door, the snapping flags fastened
to the glistening white boats and the cry of distant seagulls above the sun-
splashed river.
© Copyright 2008 Thomas J. Prestopnik
He opened his eyes moments later, noticing the light outside. It now moved
slowly, apparently getting closer. Jack went to the window and realized that it
wasn’t the blue light after all. Something else drifted across the moonlit snow, a
diminutive figure nearing the back of the retirement home. It suddenly stopped.
Jack looked closer and thought he saw a hand signaling to him. Then he
smiled, recognizing the young girl.
He moved closer, but the snow beneath his feet didn’t feel cold, nor did the
glare of moonlight hurt his eyes. He stopped when he reached the girl,
recalling the familiar butterscotch plaid skirt and the yellow ribbon in her brown
hair. Jack stared at Julie Almega, delightfully bewildered yet feeling as if he
had seen her only yesterday.
“How can you still be this way?” he asked, noting the smooth skin of her face
and comparing it to the wrinkles and discolorations that time had painted on
the back of his own hands.
© Copyright 2008 Thomas J. Prestopnik
“This is how it is done, Jack–with someone from your past. I was chosen to
guide you the rest of the way,” Julie said. “This is not really how I exist
anymore.”
Jack nodded. “I sensed as much. And I’m pleased that it’s you.”
“Thanks,” she replied with a smile. “Now others are waiting to see you again,
especially Charlene.”
“I’ve missed her, Julie, each and every day since she left me.” Jack turned
around and stared at the back section of the Harbor View Retirement
Community’s main building. Through the large glass window pane he could
see his body reclined in the easy chair in the sun room, his eyes forever
closed. “When Gloria returns…”
© Copyright 2008 Thomas J. Prestopnik
“She’ll find you, Jack, and will be sad at losing a friend she had known for such
a short time. But she’ll also be thankful and very happy,” Julie said with a
reassuring smile, “pleased that she had the chance to know you and learn
about your life–and how important it was to her own.” Julie gazed down into
the valley at the glowing blue light. “That is a beautiful building, Jack.”
“Even more so now. It was one of those wonderful childhood dreams I never
got to finish. Kind of like that snow castle in my backyard.”
© Copyright 2008 Thomas J. Prestopnik
“Oh, but look! You did finish it–in a roundabout way. You see, Jack, you had
other important jobs you were destined to fulfill instead, especially the one as a
father. But you couldn’t possibly have realized it at the time,” she said. “Will,
Elaine and Scott were three of your most important projects, and the ripples
you’ll have sent through time because of them…” Julie looked up, her face
tinged with moonlight. “Well, you’ll learn shortly just how important a link in the
chain you’ve been, Jack Mason. Something to be proud of for sure. And you
can take my word for it.”
© Copyright 2008 Thomas J. Prestopnik
“If you insist,” he said with a wink.
Then Julie held out her hand. “And now, Jack, if you’re ready…”
“As I’ll ever be,” he said, placing his hand into hers.
Slowly the pair walked along the moonlit field as a meteor blazed a fleeting trail
across the cold December sky. Then their bodies faded like gauzy mist
welcoming the warm and tender touch of a spring sunrise.
© Copyright 2008 Thomas J. Prestopnik
THE END
HOME
thoughts stirred in her mind. Jack threw a glance at his friend, silently
questioning her.
“You know, Jack, if you had happened to sneeze a moment before that
shooting star zipped by, or perhaps knelt down to retie your boot laces, you
would never have noticed it. And then you wouldn’t have followed your star all
the way to Charlie and Alice, nor spilled the beans about their secret
engagement to your sister Loretta –”
© Copyright 2008 Thomas J. Prestopnik
“Who apparently broke her promise a month later when she told your mother
Jenny all about it!” Jack said with a laugh. “But I forgive my sister.”
“You had better!” Gloria replied, flashing a smile. “Otherwise my mother would
have followed Charlie Murdock to a different college and never have met my
father. And then I, unfortunately, wouldn’t have been born.”
“Well, glad I could help,” Jack replied, adding the last piece of popcorn to his
string. Jack held up the one end for Gloria to see. “Now look at that. It’s
finished. Just enough string left so you can tie it up with one of your fancy
knots.”
“Nice job, Jack. I guess we now know which one of us talks too much and
which one of us works.”
“Well, someone has to listen too, I suppose.” He handed Gloria the untied end
of the garland. “Let’s see what kind of decorating you can do with that.”
“I’m sure it’ll look impressive above the front desk,” Gloria said, winding some
of the remaining string between the last two pieces of popcorn and securely
tying a few knots to hold it together. She wrapped the garland in a series of
large loops around her left wrist. “I’ll run out and give this to Angela. She said
she’d display it for us.”
“Maybe you might return with a cup of decaf coffee for me?” Jack playfully
asked.
“And a ham sandwich, too? You’re probably hungry after skipping that chicken
something-or-other for dinner.”
© Copyright 2008 Thomas J. Prestopnik
“Now that you mention it…”
“I’ll see what I can round up, Jack,” she replied, getting to her feet. “I’m sure
the kitchen is still open.” Gloria grabbed hold of her cane and took a step
forward, glancing out the window. She suddenly froze as her eyes took note of
a distant blue light far down in the valley under the frozen winter sky. “Oh
my…” she whispered. “At last.”
“What is it?” asked Jack, looking up with concern until he noticed that Gloria’s
face glowed with a mix of awe and delight.
“The special moment I’ve been waiting for,” she said with giddy excitement.
Gloria set her cane aside and grabbed the pair of binoculars, gingerly stepping
toward the window. She gazed at the patch of blue through the binoculars as it
came into focus. Gloria signaled to Jack, not taking her eyes off the ethereal
light. “You’ve got to see this, Jack. I think you’ll find it interesting.”
“Will I?” he said, pushing himself out of his chair and standing next to Gloria.
He studied the moonlit snowscape. “What am I looking at?”
Gloria pointed out the window. “See that blue light way down near the edge of
the river in Sage Harbor?”
Jack stared out the window, squinting. “Oh, yeah… I think I do see it. What’s
that, a fire or something?”
“A blue fire? Of course not, Jack. Look through these and you’ll see everything
clearly.” Gloria handed him the binoculars. “Here’s hoping that you’ll see
something spectacular.”
© Copyright 2008 Thomas J. Prestopnik
“Hey, that’s my line,” Jack said with a grin, his thoughts briefly shifting to 1966.
He envisioned his eight-year-old hands tentatively ripping the red foil wrapping
off of Aunt Marge and Uncle Dave’s Christmas present, only to discover a
white cardboard shirt box. Jack offered a forced smile and a stifled sigh that
Christmas evening as he lifted the cover and removed the folds of tissue paper
underneath, preparing for another sweater–or worse. Then in the background,
he heard the steady voice of his Uncle Dave the moment his eyes spotted the
new gift.
“Here’s hoping that you’ll see something spectacular, Jack,” he said amidst the
sparkle of Christmas lights while Jack’s parents and Aunt Marge looked on with
smiles.
Jack, kneeling dumbstruck among the shredded foil paper scattered on the
living room rug, simply stared at the sleek and shiny pair of black binoculars
connected to a leather strap, his face frozen in pure joy. The adventures that
awaited him called out like a bird in flight.
“Are you all right, Jack?” Gloria’s voice pulled him into the present.
Jack looked up. “Hmmm? Oh, guess my mind was wandering again, Gloria.
Not that that’s anything new. Now let me take a look out this window at what’s
got you so excited tonight,” he said, staring at her out of the corner of his eye.
“But don’t think I forgot about you fetching me that coffee and ham sandwich!”
“Oh, you…” Gloria chuckled. “Just look!”
© Copyright 2008 Thomas J. Prestopnik
Jack held up the binoculars and scanned the path of the river, the lenses
automatically focusing upon each object they hit. Then Jack located the blue
light, his intake of breath automatic. He stared at it in pristine silence, his
thoughts instantly inhabiting a collage of moments from his past, living and
breathing them simultaneously as if the laws of time and space had been
temporarily suspended.
“Is that really…?”
“Yes, Jack. That’s the Townsend building,” Gloria softly said. “Still proudly
standing and bathed in blue light. It’s been refurbished. There’ll be a grand
opening on New Year’s Day. But every night until then it’ll be spotlighted in a
different color as part of the celebration.”
“It’s beautiful…” he whispered, too much in awe to say anything more. Jack
finally handed the binoculars back to Gloria. “How did this happen?”
“My son Jay,” she proudly replied. “This was a project he and his wife’s firm
took on. After all these years, the right time, opportunity and business climate
finally presented themselves. Jay got to tackle one of his childhood dreams.”
“And one of mine,” Jack said wistfully, gazing out the window again. “Still, I’m
glad one of us got to restore that chunk of granite to its rightful glory.”
“Well don’t think that you didn’t have a hand in his success, Jack Mason. After
all, if you hadn’t seen that shooting star, then my son Jay wouldn’t have been
born either!”
© Copyright 2008 Thomas J. Prestopnik
Jack shrugged, his forehead pasted to the window. “I never thought of it that
way, Gloria.” He looked up at his friend. “All right. I guess I’m entitled to some
of the credit.”
“Of course you are,” she replied with a laugh. “And it’s well deserved, too.”
Gloria placed the binoculars back on the tray table before grabbing her cane.
“Now what about that coffee and ham sandwich? Still hungry?”
“If you’re still buying,” Jack said, easing back into his chair. “I’ve had enough
popcorn.”
“All right, dear,” Gloria said, ambling out of the room. “I’ll finish up my string
when I get back.”
“And I’ll enjoy the pretty blue light outside,” Jack replied, stretching his arms
and flashing a grin as Gloria left. He leaned his head back and gazed out the
window, eyeing the tiny blue light as if it were a distant star he was admiring as
a child from his backyard.
Jack smiled, recalling the many times his father had taken him to visit the
Townsend building after one of their lunches at The Dancing Chicken. Those
hours together were some of the vintage moments from his childhood. Jack
imagined himself strolling along the river harbor just across the street from the
Townsend as a warm summer breeze swept the concrete walks. He could see
men and women shuffling off to a business meeting under the shadows of the
black and silver awning. Jack closed his eyes and drifted off into a soothing
sleep, hearing the soft swish of a revolving door, the snapping flags fastened
to the glistening white boats and the cry of distant seagulls above the sun-
splashed river.
© Copyright 2008 Thomas J. Prestopnik
He opened his eyes moments later, noticing the light outside. It now moved
slowly, apparently getting closer. Jack went to the window and realized that it
wasn’t the blue light after all. Something else drifted across the moonlit snow, a
diminutive figure nearing the back of the retirement home. It suddenly stopped.
Jack looked closer and thought he saw a hand signaling to him. Then he
smiled, recognizing the young girl.
He moved closer, but the snow beneath his feet didn’t feel cold, nor did the
glare of moonlight hurt his eyes. He stopped when he reached the girl,
recalling the familiar butterscotch plaid skirt and the yellow ribbon in her brown
hair. Jack stared at Julie Almega, delightfully bewildered yet feeling as if he
had seen her only yesterday.
“How can you still be this way?” he asked, noting the smooth skin of her face
and comparing it to the wrinkles and discolorations that time had painted on
the back of his own hands.
© Copyright 2008 Thomas J. Prestopnik
“This is how it is done, Jack–with someone from your past. I was chosen to
guide you the rest of the way,” Julie said. “This is not really how I exist
anymore.”
Jack nodded. “I sensed as much. And I’m pleased that it’s you.”
“Thanks,” she replied with a smile. “Now others are waiting to see you again,
especially Charlene.”
“I’ve missed her, Julie, each and every day since she left me.” Jack turned
around and stared at the back section of the Harbor View Retirement
Community’s main building. Through the large glass window pane he could
see his body reclined in the easy chair in the sun room, his eyes forever
closed. “When Gloria returns…”
© Copyright 2008 Thomas J. Prestopnik
“She’ll find you, Jack, and will be sad at losing a friend she had known for such
a short time. But she’ll also be thankful and very happy,” Julie said with a
reassuring smile, “pleased that she had the chance to know you and learn
about your life–and how important it was to her own.” Julie gazed down into
the valley at the glowing blue light. “That is a beautiful building, Jack.”
“Even more so now. It was one of those wonderful childhood dreams I never
got to finish. Kind of like that snow castle in my backyard.”
© Copyright 2008 Thomas J. Prestopnik
“Oh, but look! You did finish it–in a roundabout way. You see, Jack, you had
other important jobs you were destined to fulfill instead, especially the one as a
father. But you couldn’t possibly have realized it at the time,” she said. “Will,
Elaine and Scott were three of your most important projects, and the ripples
you’ll have sent through time because of them…” Julie looked up, her face
tinged with moonlight. “Well, you’ll learn shortly just how important a link in the
chain you’ve been, Jack Mason. Something to be proud of for sure. And you
can take my word for it.”
© Copyright 2008 Thomas J. Prestopnik
“If you insist,” he said with a wink.
Then Julie held out her hand. “And now, Jack, if you’re ready…”
“As I’ll ever be,” he said, placing his hand into hers.
Slowly the pair walked along the moonlit field as a meteor blazed a fleeting trail
across the cold December sky. Then their bodies faded like gauzy mist
welcoming the warm and tender touch of a spring sunrise.
© Copyright 2008 Thomas J. Prestopnik
THE END
HOME