Joy to the Worlds by Raven Oak

Author:Raven Oak [Maia Chance, Janine A. Southard, Raven Oak, G. Clemans]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: fantasy, mystery, science fiction, holiday stories, cozy mystery, collection
Publisher: Grey Sun Press
Published: 2015-12-02T00:16:39+00:00

That night Georgia picked him up at eight after shamelessly lying to her parents, saying she and a friend were going to see a movie.

They would have bought any story, really, they were so thrilled that she was going out. Her mom got particularly ridiculous when she heard it was a boy. Georgia must have said “It’s not a date” fifty times.

Outside the school, Caleb strode to the bathroom window he’d left open. “The trick is to leave it open just a crack so no one notices.” He pushed it up and they wriggled in, one at a time. Georgia was not impressed by the boys’ bathroom. But the hallways were nice and empty—dark but peaceful. Less lonely than usual.

The shop seemed endless in the cool glow of Caleb’s flashlight. Georgia reached to turn on the lights, but he stopped her, nodding at the windows. “Probably against Peterson’s safety policies, but we’re going to have to do this without the overheads.”

For the next three nights, they carved and drilled. Well, the first night, Caleb mostly held the flashlight. The second night, Georgia brought a camp lantern and gave Caleb little jobs to do: sanding, assembling, testing the balance.

Every once in a while, they’d hear some thud or clang within the building. They’d snap off their lights and crouch behind a workbench, waiting, listening. But that had been it. No one had busted them.

And then it was finished. The pyramid wasn’t perfect, by any means, and it would make a sad contrast to her family’s three-tiered tower. But the single round platform was level and it held four tiny, lathe-turned musicians. The propeller’s blades were perfectly balanced. The whole thing just might work.

Georgia placed four candles around the base and lit a match. Caleb snapped off the flashlight and lantern. As soon as Georgia lit the first candle, the propeller glided into motion. With all four candles lit, the round platform spun at a pretty good clip. The little trumpeter, drummer, cymbalist, and singer raced around in a circle.

Georgia and Caleb grinned at each other.

“You did it, Georgia.”

“Couldn’t have done it without you. Thank you.”

“Yeah, my mad woodworking skills really came in handy.”

“Hey, you did some first rate sanding and gluing,” she said.

“So. What are you going to do with it? Is it a Christmas present for someone?”

“Um, no.”

He waited. She swallowed and said, “It’s kind of for my aunt, even though she’s...she’s not around anymore. She was amazing. She called herself the world’s best whittling attorney at law.”

Caleb asked softly, “What happened to her?”

Georgia gave a tight shrug. “She disappeared three years ago. We lived nearby, and she and I talked almost every day. She’d been acting weird. Not crazy weird, just distracted and serious. Well, she was whittling like crazy.” Georgia paused. “Anyway, when I didn’t hear from her for a few days, my folks contacted the police. They couldn’t find any trace of a sudden trip or of anything more…serious. The only things missing from her house were some strange bone ornaments she always brought out at Christmastime.

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