Christmas Dreaming by T. W. Brazeau

Author:T. W. Brazeau
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: dream time, happy ending, dreams of a dreamer, christmas magic, christmas paranormal, christmas and holiday, christmas love story short story, christmas cheer, christmas and family, dream magic, christmas, dream realm

. . . AND TO DREAM AGAIN

And, after a little while, the nap crept up on me. Again, as seems to be becoming a habit, I had a dream.

I was back on the farm. Why not? We had never left it. I came stomping into the snow room, shaking snow from every part of me. “I must look like a snowman,” I said to Gloria as she opened the door.

“You look exactly like a snowman,” she said, “especially that carrot-orange nose.”

“Where’s Billy?” she asked. “He went out there to find you.”

Something’s wrong, I felt. I looked at Gloria, I looked at the Christmas tree, at the decorations, at Billy’s new bicycle under the tree. He was six this year, and would need a bicycle. Six.

“My God!” I shouted, startling Gloria. She jumped back. I turned and ran out the door. I had never run so fast in my life, boots or no boots! I headed for the Pond in the North Pasture.

It was still snowing, but as I got closer I could see him! “Thank God!” I said, and ran even faster. I called out “Stop! Billy, Stop!”

He heard me and turned and waved. Then he disappeared! He had fallen through the thin ice, just as I had known he would!

I ran out on the ice without pausing. I knew it wouldn’t hold me and when I felt it giving way I threw myself down and slid toward the hole that had swallowed Billy.

The shock of the cold water was like a blow! I lost consciousness for a second, but I couldn’t let that happen! I groped around under the water for Billy’s parka. It would be full of water, holding him down like a rock.

I found it! I found Billy! I lifted him up onto the ice. I could barely touch bottom, but I jumped and pushed and got him up!

By this time Gloria was there, in her thin sweater and her house shoes. “Don’t walk on the ice,” I shouted, “it won’t hold you. Lie down and slide!”

She did that, but she did better. She pulled a snow covered half-sheet of plywood from the debris I should have hauled away last fall, but was damned glad I hadn’t.

She lay on her stomach and shimmied out as far as she could, pushing the plywood ahead of her, She got it close enough for me to roll Billy onto it. I pushed it as far as I could reach and she pulled it the rest of the way.

“What about you?” she cried.

“Never mind me. Push me that plywood and get some heat on that boy! Call Dad!”

I was getting so numb, I didn’t know if I could make it. The ice kept breaking, but it was firmer as I got away from the center of the Pond. I finally got up on the plywood and was trying to push with my sodden boots and mittens. My vision was dimming and there was a roaring in my ears. I felt the plywood moving and was able to make out a figure pulling me.

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