The third installment of A Christmas Tale

12/6/12                    Return to Scribbleworks Publications


Here we go! Enjoy the book. Remember to tell your friends to come and check it out. If you can't wait to read the whole story and you want to get it today, you can click on the link above and go to the A Christmas Tale page where you find the links that will allow you to purchase this title. There are several options for downloads depending on the device the story will be read on.

Day 2

The next day started like any other workday except Ellie, who was cooking breakfast, displayed exuberant amounts of energy. Darting from the stove, counter, and table she spirited around with happy enthusiasm. Frank came into the room all dressed for work. He sat at his usual place at the table and sipped his hot coffee noticing the spread before him.

“What's the occasion, an extra big breakfast on a work day?”

“Oh, I don't know. It’s just a wonderful day.”  Ellie said as she bounced from the stove and slid some eggs onto Frank’s plate, bent over and kissed him passionately on the lips.

This got Frank's attention. He tried to grab his wife in close but she got away giving him a manipulative smile for his troubles.

“Now… none of that. You'll be late for work.”

Frank had his own manipulative smile now as he started to get up after her. She swung around with a hot pan of sizzling bacon blocking his ability to rise from his seat.

“Sit!”  That same smile was still beaming. “I cooked you a hot meal, you'll sit and eat a hot meal.”

Frank returned her smile and sat again.

“What's gotten into you this morning?” He said as he started eating.

 “I don't know. I feel great, full of energy and I slept like a baby.”

Frank thought back to the party. “I heard you last night telling Mary about us trying to have a baby. You shouldn't do that.  People will always ask how that’s going. I don't know about you but I'm not too crazy about everybody knowing what we're doing, if you know what I mean.” He took another mouthful of eggs.

“Frank McDonald!”  Ellie shot back still smiling. “You're not shy about that around me. Why should you care what our friends think? They know you as well as I do, about us wanting a child.”  She sat across from him at the table and watched him eat.

He took another bite as he starred at her.

“You're acting very peculiar this morning.” Frank said mid chew.

“Anything wrong with watching your husband eat?” She returned.

Frank changed the subject.

“I should be home on time tonight. No big projects are going on just yet. That might change after Stevens' last trip to though. Rumor has it that he may have secured a contract in New York, in the city I mean. We'll find out in a few weeks.”

Ellie got up and walked around the table and sat in her husband's lap. Frank took his last bite.

“So how did you sleep?” She asked.

“Oh, I slept alright I guess but I had this dream. The weird thing is that I can still remember parts of it, something about an old man in the parlor in a rocking chair. We don't have a rocking chair …”

Ellie kissed him again sending clear signals through his lips making him forget about the rocking chair. Frank brought his hands up to embrace her but she suddenly stood up.

“That's to keep you warm until tonight. Now off with you. You can't be late for work. Remember” She pushed him to the door.  “Tonight we're going to make a baby. I can just feel it."

She left him at the door and ascended the stairs. That third step shouted out its normal squeak. Frank dressed for the cold as he watched her climb the stairs and thought about how weird she was acting. She had never behaved this way before. He threw his scarf over his shoulder and grabbed his derby. A moment later he was out the door to visit the rest of his day.

Frank's day went as it normally did.  Some of his co-workers moved and acted as though there wasn't a party the night before while others showed visible signs. Harris, for instance, bragged about his encounters in front of people but in private showed a very different facade. He gave Frank the impression that he had a hang over, and a bad one at that. Maybe he made up all that stuff he said about having his way with some other woman at the party.

Some people talked about their gifts, others asked if Frank liked his box, clearly trying to goad him. One person even asked if it was worth anything. Frank shrugged his shoulders, he didn't know.

“It might be an antique magician's trick, it looks pretty old.” Frank’s coworker commented. Frank decided to check it out. It sounded like a possibility. Late in the afternoon when Frank got home he found it strangely quiet. All the lights were out and there was no food on the stove. He lit some lamps and started searching the house.

“Ellie?” He shouted as he walked from room to room. “Ellie! I'm home!”

Then it occurred to him how she acted that morning. She must be hiding he said to himself smiling.  “I bet you she's in the bedroom waiting.”  He hurried up the stairs.

When he entered the bedroom, he found her lying fully dressed on top of a made bed. “She must be pretending to be sleeping.” He thought. He lit the lamp and adjusted it to a romantic level. He approached her like a cat ready to pounce but she didn't move.

“You can't fool me. You're not sleeping.”

Frank touched her but she didn't move. He lightly shook her. She didn't wake. He shook her vigorously. Again, she did not wake. Panicked, he studied her face, then dropped his head on her chest and listened. Really panicked he stood not knowing what to do next. He started to get the shakes.

“Smelling Salts!” He yelled!

He ran out to get them. Down the stairs into the kitchen, he tore through the cabinets looking for them. It occurred to him that they were in the bathroom and he started down the hall at a run. When he passed the parlor he noticed an old man in a rocking chair and it made him stop suddenly. He backed up and poked his head in. Just as he remembered from the night previous, the old man sat there rocking, expectant.

“I've been waiting for you. Please have a seat.”

The old man rocked in his chair. Frank stared at him trying to remember all that happened the previous night. Then he shook it away.

“Please come in.” The old man said again.

Frank blurted. “I can't, my wife, Ellie, she's upstairs…” The old man interrupted. “She'll sleep until morning.”

Frank frowned suddenly, his demeanor now suspicious. “What did you do to her?”

Trying to calm him, he raised a hand. “Not to worry. I made her think she was tired, so she went up to bed.  She will sleep like a baby.”

What the man said made Frank think. That phrase? “Didn't Ellie say that this morning?”

“But dinner?” He gestured towards the kitchen. “And we had other things to do tonight!”