The Ghost of Krismas Past
A Holiday Flash Fiction
by Linda Mooney
“Hey,
they’re golden oldies,” she remarked aloud. “They only come around once a year,
they hang around for a few short weeks, and then they’re gone. They’re not
repeated over and over constantly like most of the music is nowadays.”
The song
came to the Gloria chorus, just as she reached the red light, and she joined in
enthusiastically. She was in an especially happy mood. Christmas was four days
away, and she’d finally finished all her shopping. Even the stocking stuffers.
All that was left was to get everything wrapped and under the tree, after which
she could kick back and enjoy the season.
“Hey. I
wonder if Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is
on tonight?” It was also a classic. One of her childhood favorites.
The light
changed, giving her a green arrow. She turned to head for the house, when she
heard the first strains of “I’ll Be
Home for Christmas.”
Automatically, tears rose in her eyes. Kris had loved that song. He’d loved
it because it had become a beacon of hope for him during those years he was
serving overseas.
“I’ll Be Home for Christmas.” During the four years he’d been deployed,
her husband never spent any of the holidays at home with his family. It wasn’t
until he got injured and was given a medical discharge that he arrived back in
the states the second day of December. He’d missed Thanksgiving, but she and
Kris had planned to make up for all those lost special days that Christmas.
They never
got the chance. On December twenty-first, Kris was taken from her.
Traffic
slowed. A large furniture truck stopped in front of her. It edged up a few
inches, and she did, too. It wasn’t until the front tires bumped over the
tracks that she realized where she was.
Tumbril
Road.
No!
First the song. Now here she was
on the same road.
And worse,
straddling the same damned railroad tracks.
How could
fate be so cruel? She’d been in such a good mood, and now it was crushed.
Hard sobs
racked her. Closing her eyes, she pressed her forehead against the steering
wheel as the tears ran down her face.
The
accident had taken place three years ago, and she still wasn’t over it. She
thought she’d gone through the grief cycle. She believed she had reached the
point where she could go on with her life without him.
It had
taken a beloved carol and a road she normally avoided to prove her wrong.
A strident
clanging drowned out the music. Tina jerked upright in her seat as the blood
drained from her face.
“No!”
The arm to
the crossing gate came down, obstructing the front of her vehicle. The truck
ahead of her moved forward, but she was still blocked in. A quick check behind
her showed the arm on the other side had bookended her. And a car sat directly
on her bumper, preventing her from backing up.
It couldn’t
be happening again! It couldn’t be
happening again!
But a glance out the passenger
side window confirmed her worst fear.
The train
was heading straight for her. Its front light nearly blinded her.
“Not again!
Not again!”
She reached
for her car door to open it, but she already knew it wouldn’t open. Just like
it wouldn’t open that afternoon three years ago when she and Kris had been trapped
on the railroad tracks. These same railroad tracks on the same road. At the same
time of the year.
Where Kris
lost his life.
She
struggled with the door, trying to open it.
In the
distance, the train hit its horn in warning as it continued to barrel toward
her.
She was now
in full panic mode. She tried to climb over the center console to try to open
the passenger side door, when a hand reached out and grabbed her upper arm. Tina
froze in place as Kris gave her one of his warm, wonderful smiles. She
screamed, but he quickly shushed her.
“Shh, shh,
shh. It’s okay, honey.”
“There’s a train coming at us! We’re going to
die!”
Around them, cars were honking
their horns. Somebody appeared at the driver’s side door and jerked on the
handle. She wasn’t the only one panicking.
Another
person banged on her car to get her attention, but all began to fade as Kris’s
gaze locked onto her. She found herself sinking into those chocolate-brown
depths that melted away her terrors like ice cream in a rain storm.
Tears
blurred her vision once more, forcing her to reach for him. Finding his face,
she clutched it between her hands. “Kris!” Her breath hitched in her chest as
she struggled to blink away the wetness blinding her.
“It’s all
right, Tina. You’re safe. We’re safe.
It’s all over.”
Miraculously,
the train disappeared. The cars and people around them disappeared.
The car
they were in vanished.
Kris pulled
her into his arms as she buried her face against his chest and sobbed. He
continued to speak soothingly to her, reassuring her that all was well as he
stroked her back and hair.
“K-Kris,
what’s go-going on? What’s ha-happening?”
To her
surprise, he chuckled. “You do this every year on the anniversary of our
deaths,” he gently told her.
Sniffing,
Tina leaned away from him and gave him a look of disbelief. “Our deaths?”
He chuckled
again. She felt it vibrate against her, familiar and comforting. They both were
standing, surrounded by a fine white mist, as if they were enveloped inside a
cloud.
“You have
to stop blaming yourself for my death.” He caressed her cheek. “It’s not your
fault we got stuck on those railroad tracks. It’s not your fault the doors
jammed. It’s not your fault. But
every year, you go back and relive the tragedy. Over and over, you put yourself
through the terror and pain we felt because you’ve never forgiven yourself.
Tina.” He bent over to kiss her, caressing her lips with his. She felt herself slumping
against him.
“Kris,
we’re dead? We’re both dead?”
“Yes,
darling. And we’re together. We’ll always be together from here on out. There’s
nothing to be afraid of anymore. But you have to stop blaming yourself!” He
gently shook her by the shoulders, and for the first time she saw anger in his
face. “Tina, if you continue to wander this earth, bearing the guilt with you,
you’ll always return to this moment in time every year, and you’ll be forced to
relive it over and over, and there’s no reason why you should!”
Tears sparkled
in his eyes. “Tina, darling, please. Stop doing this to yourself. Come with me.
Come and stay…stay with me. I’m begging you. I love you. I’ll always love you.
It hurts like hell to see you go through all this crap year after year. Tina,
sweetheart, please.”
He bent his
head, touching his forehead to hers. “You are not responsible for our deaths,
but you are responsible for us being
together for the rest of eternity. Remember that. Put that in your heart and
never forget it.”
Pulling her into his embrace, he
held her tightly. “The entire time I was overseas, my biggest fear was being
killed over there and never seeing you again. I prayed and prayed that I would
be able to come back to you, even after I got wounded. And now…now I’ll never
have to worry about that anymore. You’ll never have to worry about me dying
away from you, because we’re here now. We’re together. Forever,” he whispered.
“Stop this stupid cycle and come with me!”
Somewhere, from far away, the sound
of music reached them. Tina recognized the tune immediately. “I’ll Be Home for Christmas.”
“Kris, do you hear that?”
He paused to listen, and a smile
lifted the corners of his mouth. “My favorite Christmas carol. Except, now,
it’s no longer in our dreams. We’re home,” her husband murmured. “The past no
longer matters. We’re here. We’re together. And we’ll never be parted again.”
He kissed her once more, long,
soft, and slow. When he finally pulled away, he begged, “Please let go of the
past. It no longer matters. It’s gone. Let’s walk together in the light where
we belong.”
Tina sighed. “Never let me go?”
“I never have,” he admitted. “I’ve
always been here. With you. For you.”
“Okay.” She nodded her head and
smiled back. “I’m ready. Oh, and Kris?”
“Yes, darling?”
“Merry Christmas.”
He laughed softly. “Merry Christmas,
sweetheart.”
Drawing his arm around her waist,
he turned her around to face the warm golden light coming toward them, and led
her into eternity.
~~~
THANKSGIFTINGS
Six Short Stories Celebrating the Season
By Linda Mooney
Fantasy/Contemporary/SciFi
Word Count: 11.9K
$0.99 e
Stories Included are:
BARNEY - She looked forward every day for him to come by. Then came the one day
when he didn't.
GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE - All it took was one missing ingredient to melt the heart
of a lonely old man.
AN EXPLOSIVE COMBINATION - In a post-apocalyptic future, a group of survivors reminisce about their first Thanksgiving after that climactic event.
THE LEG - Doug was determined to have turkey legs for his Thanksgiving dinner. He never planned on getting so much more.
THE WISHBONE - A grandfather finds out which end of the wishbone is the lucky
part.
DAY 280,662 - When the last survivors of a doomed Earth reach their new
planetary home, they discover the date of their first landing has special
significance.
Excerpt and Buy Links: https://lindamooney.com/anthologies.htm
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