So, thank you, Michelle, for sharing your story. The story of you before your husband. The story of you with your husband and behind the scenes of the story we all think we knew, but that honestly, almost no one has a clue about.
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Christmas in Rhyolite, Nevada by S.D. Gates | Advent 2018 – Day 24
Christmas in Rhyolite, Nevada
By S.D. Gates
She had always wanted to visit the collection of sculptures in Rhyolite, Nevada – always. But Rhyolite is so far out of the way from anything, it’s about 120 miles northwest of Las Vegas, on a paved, but very bumpy road, which winds its way through a landscape littered with Joshua trees, desert sage and interesting rock formations. It is about 4 miles outside of Beatty, Nevada, but really that doesn’t serve as much of a point of reference, as probably 99.99% of the world’s population doesn’t know where Beatty, Nevada is either. Suffice it to say – Rhyolite is in the middle of desert, in the middle of nowhere.
With a love of all things strange; strange buildings, strange art formations, strange landmarks, she was always searching for the new, but old. She was drawn to ghost towns such as a nail is to a magnet. To her, it was like walking back into the past, seeing the old, decaying buildings, and wondering – why people would think the site they built their town on, was a good site, and considering – why they left it as they did.
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There’s Always One by Holly Geely | Advent 2018 – Day 23, 4th Sunday
There’s Always One
By Holly Geely
“My chestnuts are talking,” said Phillip.
“I don’t need to hear your personal business,” said Mary-Anne. Phillip was her boss, and there are things about one’s boss that one never wants to hear.
“No, really, my chestnuts are talking,” said Phillip. He held up his paper plate, recently filled at the buffet. Several of the roasted brown nuts had been cracked open, ready for consumption.
“We have gained sentience!” one of the chestnuts announced.
“I see,” said Mary-Anne. “Do you think someone spiked the punch?”
“Why would they? This party is open bar,” said Phillip. He was a good boss. A kind boss. The kind of boss who springs for open bar.
“Well, I never do drugs, so I’m not sure why I’m sharing your hallucination,” said Mary-Anne.
“It’s not a hallucination. Look.”
At the buffet, the massive bowl in which there had once been an abundance of chestnuts was overturned. There were chestnuts in the dessert section making snowmen out of marshmallows. There were chestnuts swimming in the soup. There were chestnuts amongst the tropical fruit playing tiny banjos and doing the hula.
“You’ve been roasted. Shouldn’t you be…um…” Mary-Anne didn’t want to be tactless. She couldn’t just tell the newly sentient beings that they should, on all accounts, be dead.
“The roasting is what brought us to life! It is a Christmas miracle!” said a chestnut on Phillip’s plate.
“Phillip! Did you just eat one?” Mary-Anne demanded in horror.
“They’re good,” said Phillip.
“We are delicious!” cried all of the chestnuts in unison.
A woman in an apron – probably the lead caterer – dashed into the dining hall. She located Phillip and crossed the room with three great leaps.
“The…chestnuts…are…alive,” she panted.
“Hooray!” cried the chestnuts.
“What on earth did you roast them with?” asked Mary-Anne.
“Nothing special. This has never happened before!” said the caterer.
Mary-Anne’s attention was caught by a suspicious figure giggling in the corner. As she approached, the smell of alcohol grew stronger. The giggler was exceptionally drunk.
“Marty, did you animate the chestnuts?” asked Mary-Anne.
Marty stood, knocking over his chair and the table as he did so.
“And what of it?” he said, his voice a roaring yell. “Don’t the chestnuts deserve to enjoy the party?”
“Calm down,” Mary-Anne warned him.
“I’ve got more of that spell and I’m not afraid to use it! The wizard gave me a discount!”
Mary-Anne was not a fan of wizards, particularly at Christmas time. They tended to be trouble-makers. However, it wasn’t the wizard’s fault that Marty, who as an employee of Warlocks for Hire should have known better, had purchased one of the Christmas prank specials.
“I’ve got a love spell too!” Marty, perhaps intending to whisper, shouted this directly into Mary-Anne’s ear.
As security escorted the overly intoxicated man out of the building, a cluster of his co-workers said “tsk tsk” and shook their heads.
“There’s always one,” said Mary-Anne, after she returned to Phillip. Last year it had been Stan from accounting, but no one had been surprised. She hadn’t expected that Marty would be the one this year; he was usually so mild.
“At least he didn’t have a chance to spoil the party,” said Phillip. The chestnuts had gathered together and were serenading the guests with their own rendition of the Christmas Song. They said it was their favourite carol.
“Here’s to another profitable year,” said Mary-Anne, raising her glass.
“Cheers,” said Phillip.
“Cheers!” said Phillip’s drink.
Mary-Anne took some counter-spells out of storage, but in the spirit of the season she let the chestnuts finish their carol before she turned them back into food.
Holly Geely is like Scrooge after his transformation, except she didn’t build up a fortune first so she gives mostly socks and love. She blogs at https://hollygeely.com
Holly contributed to the Calendar earlier this season with Why You Should Learn to Communicate Better With Your Spouse, she has as participated in the Advent Calendar in the past, find her contributions here: Franz and Helga and Their Just Rewards, Midwinter, He Quit Before Christmas
