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    Holidays with Drum and Bell!
    Holidays with Drum and Bell!
    Holidays with Drum and Bell!
    Ebook81 pages57 minutes

    Holidays with Drum and Bell!

    By Matthias Williamson

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    About this ebook

    A story from Boughs of Evergreen: A Holiday Anthology

    HOLIDAYS WITH DRUM AND BELL!
    by MATTHIAS WILLIAMSON

    When Jeff drops a card in the lap of meditating Jonah, they begin a journey of discovery and find out that anything is possible.

    * * * * *

    ABOUT BOUGHS OF EVERGREEN

    Boughs of Evergreen is a two-volume collection of short stories celebrating the holiday season in all its diversity. Penned by authors from the UK, the USA, Scandinavia and Eastern Europe, these are tales of the young and the not-so-young from many different walks of life.

    Themes of family, friendship and romance take readers on a journey through some of the major holidays, both past and present, including Thanksgiving, Advent, St. Lucia Day, Hanukkah, Saturnalia, Winter Solstice, Yule, Christmas and New Year. In each we find at the very least hope, and often love, peace and happiness.

    Proceeds from sales of this anthology will be donated to The Trevor Project. The Trevor Project is the leading national organization [USA] providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) young people ages 13-24.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBeaten Track Publishing
    Release dateDec 1, 2014
    ISBN9781909192980
    Holidays with Drum and Bell!
    Author

    Matthias Williamson

    Matthias Williamson has always had characters in his head. There were times when he was little when he couldn't go to sleep because there was too much talking going on. He finally stopped one day and started writing what the characters were saying, and stories emerged. Finally, he's finishing the stories.

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      Book preview

      Holidays with Drum and Bell! - Matthias Williamson

      Boughs of Evergreen

      A Holiday Anthology

      HOLIDAYS WITH DRUM AND BELL!

      by

      Matthias Williamson

      SMASHWORDS EDITION

      * * * * *

      Copyright 2014 Matthias Williamson.

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      * * * * *

      This novel is a work of fiction and the characters and events in it exist only in its pages and in the author’s imagination.

      * * * * *

      When Jeff drops a card in the lap of meditating Jonah, they begin a journey of discovery and find out that anything is possible.

      * * * * *

      Table of Contents

      Christmas Eve

      New Year’s Eve

      Valentine’s Day

      St. Patrick’s Day

      Earth Day

      Graduation

      About the Author

      Boughs of Evergreen – A Holiday Anthology

      * * * * *

      Christmas Eve

      Every day for more than a month, I’d studied in the library on campus, taken my lunch break out on the grassy quad underneath the tree at the corner, and watched the redheaded boy that sat across from me. Even though it was Christmas break, I was still in the habit of having lunch under that tree. After all, he was there and the view was nice.

      The only differences today were the Christmas lights that had been strung through the trees, and the large rubber ornaments hung on them. It seemed odd, as the campus had very few people on it. It was like the school was just keeping up appearances. As I lay on my back contemplating the lights above me, I occasionally glanced over at the boy, who sat cross-legged with his palms facing up.

      A million crickets chirped out from my left pocket. I grabbed the phone.

      Hello? I whispered. Yes, I’m standing up right now. It was just my bestie, Betsy, who also happened to be my sister, prodding me to get a spine and approach Mr. Dreamy. I jumped up and backed away from the tree, so that he wouldn’t hear me. Where are you, Betsy? I turned in circles and looked for her. She stood on the sidewalk, directly behind the boy, glaring at me. OK, yes…I’m going over there. But you know he’s meditating. I nodded my head. I got him a card… I pulled it from my back pocket. I could just drop it in his lap and not disturb him.

      She was making a clucking sound like a chicken. That was it. I’d made up my mind. I decided to introduce myself with the card, which happened to be one of only four ideas I’d had for meeting him.

      The first and worst idea was to stalk him, get in my car and follow him to his home, and watch him go about his daily business. But, no, it was bad enough I sat across from him while he meditated. There was the tackle, but I’m going to be a history major, not a football player, so I threw that idea into the trash. An easier one was to leave my phone number on the grass right where he sat, but there was no guarantee that he’d be the one to pick it up, and I’d really hate it if some gardener or trash detail guy called me late at night and I’d have to explain it to my mom.

      Snapping the phone shut, I slid it into my back pocket and clutched the card to my chest as I inched across the grass. As I got closer, I noticed that his lips moved slowly, in contemplation, maybe. Tears ran down his usually happy face. I moved onward, the momentum pushing me forward. I didn’t give myself time to stop, but just as I dropped the card in his lap, his eyelids popped open to reveal the most beautiful green eyes with little flecks of blue throughout.

      His mouth was open to speak as the card slapped hard against his left knee and fell between his legs. His frown was lost in a moment of sheer surprise. His laughter made me shiver; I’d made the worst mistake. He was laughing at me. I walked away quickly to join my sister.

      I couldn’t even bring myself to look back. Betsy smiled, a happy smile, He’s looking at you, now at the card, now at you. She was pointing over my shoulder.

      OK, Bets, you can stop pointing any time now.

      She grabbed my shoulders and turned me around. Look.

      The boy stood there, one minute giggling and smiling, and the next, crumpled to the ground. I wasn’t sure if he was laughing or crying. Why couldn’t I just squat in front of him and introduce myself? Why are you making me watch, Bets?

      I think he liked it. He’s smiling.

      He’s also crying. He’s probably laughing at me so hard he’s crying.

      She pushed me. Just find out, for me? Make this be the Christmas gift you wanted to get me.

      Betsy shoved me away and I stumbled to where the boy was kneeling, clutching the card to his chest. He seemed to be trying to get his breathing under control.

      Before I realized I was doing anything, I watched my hand reach out to pat him on the shoulder; he looked at me through his straggly red hair.

      You… Have you been watching me? he asked, disbelievingly. At a close distance his figure was less bulky than I’d first thought. I always assumed he was heavier, but it was just his jacket. So, he was a little thinner than I was usually attracted to, but his face was so adorable, so youthful and full of life.

      You saved me today, uh… He flipped open the card. Thank you, Jeff. Would you believe that I asked for a sign that people even noticed me? He grinned. And then your card plopped into my lap.

      That explained the laughter—whether it was a sign from

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