Christmas 2004

A ‘Touched By an Angel Story’

By: Yvette Jessen

The snowflakes drifted down over the city and blanketed it in whiteness. It was Christmas Eve and Avery Collins sat, her tangled blonde hair hanging in clumps down over her face. People were rushing by her gaily, children smiling and laughing. “Maybe we’d have a white Christmas after all,” they were saying happily, every word hitting her like the frosty cold wind that blew around her and she could feel it literally attacking her from all directions.

She shivered, the cold beating her with a force to be reckoned, but also because her thin scarf and frayed clothing did very little to protect her from the damaging winds. The homeless teenager had heard the weather reports and how they had said that the night would freeze up, that she would have to find some sort of shelter that wasn’t a cardboard box, and going down underground would not have been her first or best option.

A white Christmas would perhaps be good for everyone, but this would be another stake in her virtual coffin, as it would mark another cold and miserable night of uncertainty. A day without a home, or family, but the worst was the night, because she spent it trying to find shelter without being run off by angry innkeepers or restaurateurs.

Yet, what did she matter? She was but one street urchin. There were hundreds of kids like her, some hiding in the nearby subway station amidst the catacombs of this strange and mysterious underground world. She and her contemporaries lived a life of something straight out of Dickens’ ‘Christmas Carol’ or ‘Oliver Twist’, perhaps a strange mixture of the two. She was, after all, a child of night, the pungent air around her caused her to be looked upon with distaste. People see her among them, and disdainfully cast her aside as though she was an old shoe, the crowds disinterested in her as they hurried on their way. Yet, she watched as the nearby church tower began to resonate the gonging of bells, the distant chimes thundering through her head causing it to ache dully as she remembered her life before the streets.

Last Christmas, things had been different, but one decision, one choice, and she was proof positive that everything had changed, and not for the better.

Her parents were, to say the least, well endowed; they worked hard, drove nice cars and lived high on the hog. Her mother, a housewife who played her part in the church bazaars and earned the admiration of the ladies in the bridge club, always wore a string of real pearls around her flawless neck. Her father, a big civic leader, talked of helping the community, but seemed, at the same time, to be doing just the opposite. Avery remembered how he would carry a gold incrusted money clip filled with enough cash, if put to the right use, go to feed the entire population of a small African country. Her parents always carried the air of monetary perfection about them, and they bestowed everything on their daughter that money could buy, but deep inside, she knew that gifts and material things could not give her what she truly needed: Their unconditional love. This was something that Avery had never had even heard of or been exposed to before, everything in her life was based on conditions, live up to, or measure your worth, but nothing was ever given freely. As long as she did what her parents deemed as right, then she’d get rewarded, but if she did not, then she’d get punished. Living on the streets had become her punishment for committing the ultimate sin, at least that was what her parents eventually said to her.

Sighing, she looked down at herself and remembered how pretty and perfect she had once been. She had gone to a special school, was the envy of her classmates, but now…now she sat amidst the drudge and humiliation and was paying the price for it.

After some time had passed, she looked down at the small object that now rested in her hand. It was the last reminder of her family, a small silver angel figurine, it was something that she had treasured from the first day she had it. She also had managed to keep hold of it even after being thrown out. Everything else that she possessed, she had managed to sell, but this one thing, she simply could not bring herself to part with, even if it meant to use the money from its sale to buy food. It was obvious that begging seemed not to help, two small copper coins sat in the basket now resting at her feet.

She had been accused so often of using her money to buy alcohol, drugs, or cigarettes, yet she did nothing of the sort; she used it mostly to buy sandwiches at the all-night café down at the other end of the promenade. Perhaps her abhorrence to alcohol, drugs, and cigarettes had to do with the words that had been literally engraved in her mind about the evils of using them. She didn’t know, but a warm bowl of soup or a sandwich would have truly hit the spot on such a cold evening as this. Now that the streets were emptying out and the shoppers were going home, she knew what would come to her, another in a string of cold, hungry nights.

Her thoughts once more drifted back to her parents. They had always been active churchgoers, the whole family seen as some sort of example for the rest of the community. Yet, behind closed doors, she knew about the relentless hypocrisy of her parents, and how her father tried without so much as a bat of an eyelash at trying to use his political influence to simply close the local AIDS hospice, or get the politicians to cease the funding to the women’s shelter, or to tear down the soup kitchens and build parking lots to the large shopping center that needed more space. He was a modern day Scrooge, and his treatment of his daughter proved it beyond the shadow of a doubt.

It came as a crushing blow for Avery to find out that these very same people were considered to be model citizens by others in their community, yet she knew now what her parents were doing, and the guilt that washed over her had simply become unbearable. Nothing in their behavior was a depiction of love or charity; it was all centered on an overwhelming desire to get more and more, by taking from others, even if among those ‘others’ meant robbing from their very own daughter.

Somewhere in all of this, Avery knew what was right and wrong, and when she tried to cover it from the rest of the world, it only succeeded in becoming more dominant in her life. Before she had been banished from her home, her parents had often yelled at her and expected her to live up to some unwritten code. They did everything in their power to protect her, but obviously they did not do enough, because when the truth came out about her life choices, they were absolutely outraged and reacted accordingly. She touched her swollen stomach gingerly as tears brimmed from beneath her solemn hazel eyes.

Shaking her head, she adjusted the thin shawl that covered her shivering shoulders, only to look up to see the curious eyes of a little boy staring at her as though he knew her, or had some sort of empathy for her horrid plight. This would soon end as the woman with the child took his hand and started to urge him away from her in the direction of the parking lot. “Come on, stop dawdling,” She grumbled impatiently, her eyes regarding Avery with disdain. “She’s probably on drugs, Tommy,” the impatient woman spoke and Avery felt a jab of hurt literally cursing through her frail body, but watched as the small child dropped a silver coin in her basket and covered his mouth with a gloved finger and she nodded and mouthed the words ‘thank you’ to him as he allowed his mother to pull him away.

“You’re not on drugs, are you?” A voice emerged from next to her after a few moments and she turned and looked into the green eyes of a man who had stopped and crouched down so that he would be eye-level with her. “My name is Andrew,” the man introduced himself and smiled gently.

Avery took a deep breath and offered him an honest answer. “No, I’m not on drugs,” she whispered, and looked away from the man, but picked up the coin that had been left by the small boy and slipped it into her pocket next to the silver angel. Sighing deeply, she wrapped her arms around herself in an attempt to keep some semblance of warmth.

Andrew nodded. “I understand, yet, you do know that two thousand years ago a poor boy was born in a stable and his parents didn’t have anything, either?” he offered and motioned towards the obvious signs of her latent pregnancy. “Perhaps you ought to find a place to stay.”

The girl nodded. “I know I should, but neither my child nor I are anything special like he was, I’m a street kid, Andrew, nothing more.” As she spoke, she unconsciously rubbed her stomach, the baby was kicking again, every kick stabbing against her stomach, and she cringed all the while somewhat surprised that this man was not judging her, he was regarding her as though she was more than just a vagrant teenager with nothing.

Instead of immediately speaking, he ran his hand through his hair as he adjusted the woolen hat he wore on his head. “You are one of God’s children, Avery,” he said softly as within seconds, he had gotten to his feet. “You need to find a warm place to stay tonight, or else you won’t make it through till morning.” He pointed in the direction of the large church that was positioned in the center of the marketplace. “Perhaps there you will find someone who can help you.”

She coughed in response to his words, but she did not move, his words seemed to resonate in her mind, but she said nothing, instead, she watched as he started to walk away. “Wait,” she eventually called out and he stopped and turned around, his eyes filled with openness and she finally found the courage to speak. “How did you know my name, Andrew, I never told you?” She asked.

He smiled gently at her. “My father told me,” was all he said, his green eyes filled with compassion, but in them seemed to be a secret that he was not able to tell. Of course, he was the only person in this city who had even stopped for a moment to talk to her. That fact suddenly became more important and significant to her than to have him drop some change in her small basket.

With those words spoken, he started to walk away, soon to disappear in the retreating crowd and she looked down at her clothing. Tattered and torn, she was in need of a shower, fresh clothing, and food, but one look in the eyes of the people who were around her, she knew that she was unworthy of the help that she so desperately needed.

After a few moments, she started to collect her things and slowly managed to get to her feet, her head lowered and her eyes no longer meeting those of the people who were rushing around her. Several people grimaced upon coming in contact with her, and others outwardly spoke saying that soap and water were available to everyone and she should use it.

The lights of Christmas dimmed and practically went out in the heart of Avery Collins. She wasn’t accepted because of how she looked, but no one in this place knew that she had been thrown out of her house when she had gotten pregnant and her parents cast her aside with the words, ‘you’re a disgrace to God and to family’. These words seemed to constantly ring in her ears, and today, she could feel the devastation that came whenever she thought about them.

She rubbed her stomach slowly; she loved her baby, but yet she pondered how she would be able to take care of an infant in the midst of winter. It was simply not possible, yet, she would do whatever she could for the child, it was a part of her, and would remain so.

Within ten minutes, Avery reached a concealed alleyway and sat down on the snow-covered ground, her body eventually collapsing against the wall, her eyes closing and slumping over her cold body. As she sat there trying to combat the cold, she eventually passed out of consciousness, the snow falling on top of her, thus leaving her forgotten in the cold.

Several feet from where she lay, Andrew stood, his eyes filled with sadness. Now, it would only be a matter of time…

~~~~~

At the same time, Father Benjamin Endler sat in the front of the church. It was the very same church as Avery had seen from the street. The chimes announcing the six o’clock hour had just resonated through the church and he realized that in less than six hours, he would be starting a midnight mass, and would have the chance to tell the story of the Christ child born in a manger over two thousand years ago. Yet, at this moment, he realized that the church was, for the most part empty, the choir’s latest rehearsal ending only twenty minutes ago and the priest sat alone in the front of the church, his hands folded as he bowed his head.

He closed his eyes for a moment and sighed, his silent prayer drifting to the heavens as he tried without success at keeping his fingers from going numb. As if by impulse, he began to breathe against them, his warm breathing only warming them slightly, but he eventually got up from where he had been seated and started to walk back towards his quarters. There, a warm heater would provide him some warmth and he would sit alone to eat the turkey dinner that the women of his parish had made for him prior to going home to their families.

It was quiet, the sounds from the streets barely audible from within the thick confines of the large church, but the cold winter air seeping into the sanctuary every time the large outer doors would open and close. The church itself was dark, frigid and cold, perhaps because it was empty and not all the candles had been lit yet for the service that would take place that night.

The life of a priest at Christmas was a lonely one. Sure, he saw people filtering in and out of the church, but very few stopped to speak to him, they were either intimidated by his position, or they simply did not wish to bother. He remembered the friends he had made at Seminary; he remembered how his ambition had brought him to this place, and to this moment.

Benjamin never really got into the formalities of his position, he much preferred the quiet, but even still, the priest was well liked among the parishioners, as well as by others in the community. Somehow, the priest was open and kind and could talk to anyone, whether it be to help an old lady on the street pick up packages, or a little girl look for a toy she was certain that she had lost. Often, people would stop by and said hello and ask how he was doing. Yet, if he were to have been asked what he preferred, he would have said that people should simply call him ‘Ben’, and leave the formalities at the door.

He felt as though he was a cross between Mister Rogers and Captain Bluntscheli from the George Bernard Shaw play, ‘Arms and the Man’. He had a sweet tooth and often joked with the children of his parishioners about putting chocolate chip and butter cookies in the collection plate, because he truly loved homemade cookies. Ben smiled as he remembered the play, he had so enjoyed reading it during his youth, and now that he was grown, he had been lovingly called: ‘Priestly Santa Claus’ by some of the kids. He chuckled despite himself as these thoughts filtered through his mind and with an added spring in his step, he walked slowly towards his quarters.

It would be a long night, that much he knew, the weather was getting colder and colder and he rubbed his hands together to elaborate that point, his head lowering. When he raised it again, he saw a pretty auburn headed woman standing in the doorway, her eyes a warm brown, and she carried a gentle smile on her lips.

“Oh excuse me,” he offered politely. “I thought everyone had gone home. The mass will start at midnight, if you wish to come back for it.”

“No, I won’t be able to come back for it, but thank you,” the woman shook her head, her pretty wavy hair brushing lightly against her shoulders. “I decided to come in and warm myself before I head for home. My name is Monica, Father Endler.”

“The pleasure is mine, the church’s sanctuary may be a bit cold for you though, I was just in there, and its quite nippy. I don’t have much to offer, but do have a small office where you can sit before trekking back out into the snow.”

“Yes, that sounds lovely, thank you,” Monica smiled. “The stores have been closed for about half an hour and there is nowhere to find warmth out there, and it is getting colder, it has even started to snow rather strongly.”

“That should make the children quite happy, they will have a white Christmas tomorrow morning,” he offered.

“Yes, but there are others who do not welcome the snow with such joy and gratitude,” Monica said softly as they walked into the office and he offered her a place to sit once he had moved the two chairs over next to the fire.

“I imagine you mean the homeless people who must live on the streets, but since one of the biggest homeless shelters has now been closed, the homeless youth have been forced onto the streets literally in droves,” he said softly. “I have had more than my share of battles with Mr. Collins and the church over on the east side of town.” He shook his head sadly. “Kids are dying on the street, Monica, especially this winter where it has been so dreadfully cold, and it is predicted to get even colder. How a church can even support this tragedy is simply beyond my imagination.”

“I know, and that’s why I’m here,” Monica said softly as she began to glow, the light of God’s love falling over her and she regarded the priest lovingly.

For his part, Ben’s eyes widened and he backed against the straight back chair he was sitting in with absolute surprise. “Who are you, Monica?” He managed to ask after a few moments had passed and he swallowed the lump that had lodged itself in his throat as though swallowing a large beach ball.

“I’m an angel, Ben, I was sent by God to give you a message,” Monica said smiling gently at the astounded man. “Don’t be afraid.”

“I’m not afraid, I’m overwhelmed. Why would God send me an angel, when there are so many people outside who need one more?” Ben asked softly.

“God uses all of us as instruments of good, if we allow His wonders into our heart. You as a priest, are a messenger of His good will, and you have said ‘yes’ to doing works in the name of the Father Almighty,” Monica smiled. “You have the capacity to change someone’s life tonight, and not just your own.”

“Someone’s life? Can you tell me who, or how?” He asked.

“You will recognize it before midnight tonight, so it will not be something that happens through your sermon, but it will happen through your heart,” Monica said softly and within seconds the angel had disappeared, and Ben was left staring at where she had been sitting.

“Through my heart?” He whispered to the stillness and shook his head. “Monica, please come back, I don’t understand…” His voice trailed as he looked around the now empty room.

There was an angel here, and it is Christmas-eve, he thought to himself, but his eyes were still scanning the room with wonder, his thoughts drifting as he went into the next room to sit down and have something to eat.

~~~~~

It was getting colder outside as Meredith drove her BMW through the streets of the city. She had been there to do her shopping, but now the night’s frost was making the streets dangerously icy, and she looked around the neighborhood where she was driving. As she released yet another annoyed sigh, she pulled up to a light and stopped the car to wait for the signal to change.

It was getting darker out, the fog getting thicker, thus giving the entire environment an eerie and disquieting feeling. It was such an unfortunate night to be out and about. As she waited, she dug inside her bag for the cell phone so that she could call her husband, Charles and tell him she was on her way home.

I don’t know why I insisted on going downtown to shop, she thought to herself when she noticed that her cell phone had no power and she could not make a simple call home.

She took a deep breath and as the lights switched from red to green, she pressed the accelerator and the car lurched forward several feet and abruptly lost power.

“No, this can’t be happening,” she whispered under her breath, as she tried to pull the car over to the side of the road so that it would not block traffic.

She looked around where she was now parked and sighed. She knew the neighborhood relatively well, but this was at least ten miles from the large house where she and her husband lived.

Sighing, she decided to leave the car parked where it was, maybe she could get a tow truck to come and help her. The houses were all dark, and the entire neighborhood looked uninviting and she cringed. “What a night to get stranded,” she grumbled as a convertible pulled up next to where she was parked and she got out of the car and went over to the side of the large red Cadillac.

“Are you stranded, baby?” The woman asked from behind the wheel once she had managed to lean over and roll down the window.

“Yes, can you give me a ride home?” Meredith asked.

“That depends,” came the automatic answer. “Where is home?”

“On the outskirts of town, about ten or so miles from here,” Meredith answered honestly. “I could pay you for your inconvenience and gasoline. I know that it is Christmas-eve and all, and you probably have a family to get home to.”

The woman nodded and smiled warmly. “I can give you a ride, but I have to make a stop in the city center before I take you out of town. Is that alright?”

Meredith nodded gratefully. “May I bring my packages with me, my husband’s Christmas present is here as well as some stuff I needed to pick up.”

The woman nodded. “Of course, baby, just toss everything in the backseat. If there’s not enough room, then we can move some of the things into the trunk. My name is Tess, by the way.”

“Meredith Collins,” she introduced herself with a smile. “I really appreciate your help Tess, I was scared that I would be stuck out here on Christmas-eve.” She touched the pearl necklace that was hanging from her neck and smiled weakly, all the while grateful that someone had come to her rescue.

“I understand that, baby,” the older woman said with a nod. “I see people like that all the time.”

“You do?” Meredith asked with a light laugh. “Do you always go about helping stranded motorists?”

“No, I work at one of the last soup kitchens here in town, and you’d be surprised how many people get stuck in unfortunate situations, especially during the holidays.”

“Our church and community does a great deal to help people,” Meredith said smiling brightly, but something in her voice emerged empty, almost hollow in nature and Tess did not have to be an angel to notice this instantly.

She wears real pearls, and talks about helping homeless people get through the holidays, Tess thought to herself, her eyebrows unconsciously arching in disbelief. This old angel has been on Earth long enough to know that people like Meredith Collins only intend on helping herself, but by the end of this Christmas-eve, she will change her tune, but it will have to be done before I can take her back home and without knowing that her rescuer is an angel from God.

Meredith looked at Tess at that moment. “So what do you do, Tess, that is when you’re not rescuing others?”

“Like I said, I work at the soup kitchen, and according to the folks downtown, I’m a very good cook,” Tess smiled. “But, we don’t have enough help to feed them all, and since the politicians closed most of them down, we are seriously short handed. Now with the numbers of homeless youth out there, well, every little bit helps”

Meredith nodded. “I see…” she offered, but no further words emerged and Tess drove them straight into the center of the city and stopped the car directly in front of a run down building and she cut the motor.

“I have to get some packages of food inside,” Tess offered apologetically. “Then we should be able to make one more stop before I take you home.”

“I thought there was only one stop,” Meredith offered softly.

“No, I have to drop these things here, and I will take something by the large church in the city center before I take you home. It should take about an hour,” Tess said.

“Maybe I should just take a cab,” Meredith offered.

“The taxi stand is about a mile from here, and in this cold, it would be absurd to try and risk it. You can either stay in the car or help me bring this stuff inside. It would go much faster if you were to help me,” Tess said meaningfully and after a few moments and one last check of her cell phone, Meredith realized that she still had no power left on the small device and she obediently got out of the car.

~~~~~

The stranger walked through the streets of town, his attire that of a monk, a hood covering his head, and his eyes peering out from the folds of fabric. So many had forgotten the true meaning of Christmas, he thought sadly, so many seeming to concern themselves with only their personal issues, but not for the goodwill of all people. He shook his head sadly as he walked, the snow crunching in rhythm beneath his feet, and he looked around, his eyes scanning the area with a certain amount of intensity, but it seemed more or less as though the stranger had lost something.

He continued to make his way through the streets, his actions completely unobserved by others around him, but he made note that all around him, the inns were full, the restaurants playing music that resonated out onto the streets, their interiors literally outpouring with happy people in the midst of celebration. Yet he did not stop, instead he walked rhythmically, his footsteps made as though in four quarter time. Slowly through the streets until he reached a cobblestone pathway and followed it to the end into a neighborhood that people tended to avoid at all costs. He stopped and peered sadly into an alleyway. He seemed to know precisely what or who he was looking for, and when he saw the hand of a young girl sticking out from beneath the snow, he nodded his head and approached quickly.

“Little one,” he spoke softly, his hands reaching out from beneath the cloak to wipe the snow away from her face. As he felt her skin, he noticed that her face was as white as the snow, her eyes closed, her hands covering her lower abdomen protectively, but the snow covered her, burying her beneath its cold.

He pulled her from beneath the surface of the snow and took a deep breath as he gently pulled her shivering body up onto his lap and tried to offer it some warmth. Avery’s body was shivering uncontrollably, her lips, white in the light, but the stranger knew that she was bordering on freezing. He took the edge of his cloak and wrapped it around her body, but the shivering continued.

As he sat there holding her a woman came outside of one of the inns and she stopped and stared at them for a moment as she approached.

“Is there room in the inn for her?” The stranger asked softly and the woman shook her head. “The child is pregnant, she could give birth this night.”

“No, I…I’m sorry to say that there is no room, but there is a church not too far from here, the priest that runs the parish is very kind and I think he might be able to help you,” the woman offered apologetically, but she came over to the stranger. “I just heard on the radio that we’re completely snowed in here, and…and we couldn’t get out of this area even if we wanted to, and the hospital’s on the other side of town.” The girl looked scared as she spoke, her eyes filled with empathy.

The stranger nodded. “Don’t feel badly, just tell me if you know what the name of the priest is, and then I can explain to him why I am coming to see him.”

Elizabeth smiled warmly and nodded, “His name is Father Ben, uh…Enton, or Endler, I met him only a few times, and he’s a very kind man, even to us non-Catholics. He doesn’t do the formalities very much, but I’m sure he can help you. But, I’d hurry, it’s snowing harder and it’s quickly getting colder,” the young woman said as she turned back to see that Tess had come out of the building and was waving to her.

“Elizabeth, could you come here?” Tess called out. “I don’t want to be rude, but I really could use some help if you don’t mind, baby.”

The young woman took a deep breath and nodded. “It’s no trouble, Tess, I’ll be right there.” She turned to face the stranger. “I’m terribly sorry, but I have to go, she’s the lady from the shelter and she needs some help with unpacking the food,” the young woman explained and reached over and touched the stranger’s cloak. “God go with you, kind sir, and thank you for helping her,” she smiled gently. “Let me know if there’s anything I can do for either of you, as you heard, my name is Elizabeth and I work at the soup kitchen here.”

“I will do that, God bless you,” the stranger reciprocated the young woman’s words and with a little bit of trouble, he managed to stand up with Avery’s body still in his arms and started to walk towards the cobblestone path that led back to the marketplace.

From the opposite side of the street, Andrew stood and watched these events, his presence concealed by the fog and shadows as he watched this event take place around him; the Angel of Death simply staring at the stranger as he from one moment to the next, had taken it upon himself to take care of Avery Collins.

In the distance, the stranger stopped walking and sighed as he touched her face, it was still warm, but Avery’s breathing was very weak. She would not have survived as long as she was here, and with her in his arms he continued to walk along the streets as partygoers stared at him and whispering amongst themselves as they stared at the shadowy figure and the homeless child he carried in his arms.

After awhile, she moaned and shifted in his arms. He nodded slowly without saying a word, but tightened his hold only slightly on her, the warmth of his cloak still covering her and it was at that moment that she realized that there was some semblance of warmth emanating from the stranger and unconsciously, she tried to snuggle up to him, her skinny arms and hands still holding her abdomen, but the stranger feeling her movement looked down at her, his eyes gentle. “I’m here with you,” he said gently, his voice a soft murmur. “And you will be alright, little girl. I will make certain of that.”

Andrew continued to stand watching as the stranger and Avery disappeared in the distance, but without hesitation, he began to follow the stranger’s footprints in the snow until ultimately the Angel of Death was told that the stranger was taking care of his assignment and that the young girl could possibly need him later that night. Yet, in the back of his mind, Andrew was at a loss as to who specifically this man was.

A block ahead of the angel, the stranger continued to walk brusquely through the snow as Avery painfully started to wake up, her eyes rolling to the back of her head, but she eventually managed to open her eyes to see a hooded figure carrying her body through the snow and she started to struggle in his hold, her fright suddenly taking control over her, specifically when she could not see the face of the man who was carrying her. She tensed up after her struggles proved futile and the stranger stopped walking and ultimately looked down at her so that she could see his eyes. “Shhh, I mean you no harm, Avery Collins.”

“Who…where?” She stammered. “Y…you know my name…”

“Yes, and I am taking you to a safe place, don’t be afraid,” the stranger repeated his words, his voice a gentle whisper, but also melodic. Avery could feel herself relaxing somewhat in his arms, her head once more resting against his shoulder, her body craving the warmth his presence provided her.

“I’m not worth your time,” she whispered after a few moments had passed.

“Oh, I think you are,” the stranger said softly as they reached the large wooden doors leading into the church that Elizabeth had directed him to. “Here we will find help,” he smiled gently. “For you and your child.”

Avery immediately recognized this place, she had seen the church a number of times, sometimes taking sanctuary against the back part of the large stone structure, but more often by seeing the postcards that depicted it at the various souvenir shops, which sold these small prints to tourists who visited the city.

“W...who are you?” She whispered as she once more passed out in his arms and never heard his response.

After a few moments, the wooden doors opened and Father Benjamin Endler peered out and made eye contact with the stranger.

“What has happened?” He asked softly.

“Father Ben Endler?” The stranger asked.

Ben nodded. “Yes, but how did you know?”

“A young woman told me that perhaps you could help us. This child got stuck outside during the storm, she’s expecting a child of her own, but needs to get warm,” the stranger said softly.

“Of course, come inside quickly,” Ben said softly as he backed up so that the man could bring Avery inside. Once the stranger and Avery were inside, Ben closed the large wooden doors and spoke. “The sanctuary’s too cold for her, but I have an idea.”

“Where should we take her?” The stranger asked softly, his voice gentle.

Ben took a deep breath. “Just follow me, my quarters are the warmest place in the church, and there’s a heater there which should help her.” Ben whispered and rushed through the rooms to his quarters and he motioned towards the sofa that was placed in the far corner of the room. “Lay her here for now,” he whispered and once Avery was lying on the sofa, the priest looked at the stranger. “She looks as though she would have caught her death out there had you not been there for her. I’ll get some blankets and perhaps you can sit with her until I get back.”

The stranger nodded as Ben quickly left the room and he sat down next to where she laid, the folds of his cloak, he placed over her. “You are one lucky young lady,” he mumbled as he reached over and touched her face and she shifted and started to wake up, her eyes opening once again and she reached up and touched the stranger’s hand and held it over her cheek, not letting him take it away.

“Please, don’t leave me,” she mumbled weakly. “I don’t even know your name, but you helped me…” her voice trailed.

“You are the reminder of two thousand years, Avery,” the stranger said gently. “I am your friend and will always be your friend. Do you remember what ‘unconditional’ means? It was one of your vocabulary words from the fifth grade.”

“Yes, it means ‘without…condition…or expectation’,” she breathed softly, but still would not let his hand go, instead, she began to cry, the tears streaming down over the stranger’s hand, and her soft sobs emerging in hiccups. “Help me…I’m so frightened…it hurts…my baby…”

“Shhh, I know,” he whispered gently as Ben came back and could hear the young girl weeping softly.

“Don’t leave me…” she whimpered.

“…I must go soon, but you have Ben to watch over you, and you’ll see me again, my little girl.”

As he spoke, the child once more drifted out of consciousness and Ben spoke, thus causing the stranger to look up. “I truly cannot imagine how anyone could have survived being out there alone tonight, specifically a child who is nearly full term in her pregnancy. If not for you, I imagine that she would have died tonight.”

“Yes, she would have, but God protects those He loves, perhaps not always in the way you expect, but always in the way that is right,” the stranger affirmed with a nod. “But, because you are here and will take good care of her, then she will be alright and I can continue on my journey.”

“Shouldn’t we get her to the hospital, though?” Ben asked.

“Have you been outside, Ben?” The stranger asked. “There’s practically a blizzard taking place as we speak, no one will be able to get in or out of town tonight, the entire marketplace is under at least three feet of snow and the marketplace looks like a ghost town as well. The only places that show signs of life are the inns and restaurants and neither will take in a child like this, they are too busy thinking about their own pleasures. It is very sad, but it is the reality. Avery must stay here tonight…”

“Then things are not looking good for her,” the priest whispered.

“No, but they are looking better, and I think that the weather will keep churchgoers out of the churches tonight,” the stranger said softly and glanced over at the clock that was on the mantle, it read seven, and he sighed sadly. “I must be off, there is far more work for me to do. Is she safe here in your care?”

The priest nodded. “Of course, I would never let anything happen to her,” he offered softly. “You have my word as a man of God, I won’t let anyone harm her.”

The stranger nodded reached down and touched Avery’s cold cheek. “You’re safe now, little girl, you have a friend who will watch over and protect you. You’ll see me again, I promise.”

With that, he left the room and Ben looked down at the young girl as she slept, her face smudged and dirty, but he reached over and grabbed a blanket and covered her with it.

He sat watching over her until she woke up once again, her eyes meeting those of the young priest. “W-where did he go?” She whispered as she tried to focus on the man who was taking care of her.

“Who? The man who brought you here?” Ben asked softly.

“Yes…” Avery whispered. “I didn’t even know his name…”

The priest shrugged his shoulders. “I never caught it myself, but I would guess that he brought you here so that you would be safe, and then went home to spend Christmas-eve with his family. It’s a very special night, some say, it’s a night of miracles.”

Avery closed her eyes dreamily. “A family, that must be nice,” she whispered. “Do you have a family?”

Ben shook his head. “No, I grew up in foster care, I don’t have a family, but the woman who raised me, taught me about God and His love for all mankind,” the priest answered honestly and anticipating her next question he continued. “I’m also alone tonight, just as you are, little one. I suppose I could have gone to the nursing home tonight for dinner and speak with the retired folks from the parish, but I decided to stay here instead and, all things considering, I think it was a good thing that I did.” He smiled gently at her. “Your name is Avery, is that not right?”

“Yes, it’s Avery,” the girl whispered as she licked her dry lips.

“My name is Benjamin Endler…” he began and she interrupted him.

“…I know of you, you’re the priest here, right?” He nodded and she continued, her voice weak, but answering his unasked question. “I read your name on the large plaque just outside the front of the church,” she whispered, the shame suddenly emerging in her words, and she backed up against the sofa and lowered her head.

The man nodded. “Yes I am, but you have nothing to be afraid of, I won’t hurt you, and more important than anything else, I will not judge you,” he affirmed gently. “But you can simply call me Ben, Avery.”

“You don’t understand…I’m…” her voice trailed and she looked down at herself.

“You’re?” He asked confused, his expression filled with gentility.

“Nothing,” the girl said softly as she once more licked her lips and glanced up at him. “Ben…I’m so cold…” she whispered trying to change the subject, her head lowered once again.

“Would you like to have a bath, I can find you something warm to put on, and maybe a bowl of soup might just hit the spot,” he said gently, his voice filled with kindness.

Avery nodded and as if on cue, she began to shiver, her body trembling from the cold and he reached over and touched her forehead.

“It seems to me that aside from possibly becoming a mother tonight, you are a very sick little lady,” he whispered gently and helped her to get to her feet. “I’ll take you to your bath, then I’ll see about dinner and bring you something warm and comfortable to put on. I have some clothing downstairs that needs to go to the shelters, but it seems to me that you could use it much more than they could and I’ll give you free choice. How does that sound?”

Avery nodded. “Thank you…Father.”

The priest smiled and nodded. “My pleasure little lady. Come, let’s get you to the bathroom so that you can get yourself cleaned up.”

Avery allowed him to lead her from the room.

~~~~~

At that moment the stranger was making his way back up the cobblestone streets towards the soup kitchen and when he saw that Tess’ car was still parked along the curb, he approached it slowly.

Meredith was still standing along the curb, she had helped Tess with the boxes until she broke a nail and then resolved herself to standing and waiting as she tried effortlessly to fumble with her cell phone. It was more than obvious that the woman was getting increasingly impatient with Tess. It had been well over the hour that Tess had promised her it would take and now she was looking at the prospect of being stranded in this God-forsaken place on Christmas Eve.

She was now cold and uncomfortable, and her thoughts kept returning to the prospect of drinking a cappuccino with her husband and curling up on the sofa to watch the snow falling outside her window. She liked the snow, so long as she didn’t have to be cold, miserable and right out here in the middle of it.

As Tess came back outside to get yet another box out of the trunk of her car, Meredith looked at the angel impatiently as she spoke, her voice filled with obvious frustration. “It’s been over an hour and my husband is waiting for me and will be worried sick…”

“There’s no way you will be able to get out of town, tonight,” the stranger offered freely before Tess could even respond. He came out of the shadows and walked slowly towards the car, his eyes regarding the impatient woman, neutrally. His gaze was not critical of her impatience, nor was it filled with hate, instead, his eyes looked upon the woman with open and complete honesty. “The streets are completely blocked by the snow. No vehicles will be getting in or out tonight.”

“You mean; I’m stuck here?” Meredith asked with frustration.

“Yes it would seem so, and all the inns and hotels are full, you wouldn’t be able to get a room with all the money in the world,” the stranger offered freely and looked at Tess as he shrugged his shoulders and ambled into the soup kitchen without another look back.

“I’m truly sorry baby,” the angel offered sincerely as Meredith regarded her through hostile eyes. “I honestly didn’t know that it would take this long…”

“…You didn’t know?” Meredith snapped. “You told me an hour, and it’s been over an hour, and if that monk over there is right, then I’ll never get home, and it will be all your fault.”

“No, I will not take responsibility for your hard luck,” Tess said as she put her hands on her hips and regarded the woman with every last bit of attitude that she could muster.

“Well, then who?” Meredith asked, her anger not receding.

“Perhaps no one, but yourself,” Tess said sharply as she pulled yet another box out of the trunk, and Meredith went over and peered into the back of the Cadillac.

“What is the meaning of this?” The woman shouted with outrage as she regarded Tess. “It’s still full, but yet, you’ve been pulling boxes out of this car for the last hour.”

Tess sighed deeply, but after a few moments, the angel looked at the woman, her temper now reaching the boiling point. “Listen, Meredith,” she began. “I never was the kind of person to beat around the bush with things, and I certainly don’t take orders from people when I have a job to do and I’m not about to start now. However, since you have backed me against, let me tell you something, I knew the moment I picked you up tonight what sort of person I was dealing with. Then when you implied through your tone of voice that I ought to take you with me, I did not object, however, you are sitting here with your pearls, your cell phone, and all those packages, and seem to think the world revolves around you. All I know is that it seems to me that all that you have not only lost your way, baby, but you have completely lost the true meaning of Christmas. I’m sure you can only imagine yourself sitting at home tonight with your husband and drinking cappuccinos while watching the snow falling outside your window. You have absolutely no idea about what is going on outside of that window. If you truly did, then I would bet that you would not have finely manicured nails, or flaunt real pearls for all the world to see.”

“Well, I never…” Meredith put her hands on her hips and regarded Tess for a second before turning on her tail and starting to walk away.

Instead of quieting, Tess continued however, the angel’s strong alto voice filling the air. “I must conclude that all the things you told me about in the car earlier, about helping the homeless was a load of nonsense. I would further bet that if it cramped your style, you would not be standing around here pouting like a child who didn’t get the right Christmas present, but instead would be helping me try to get all these boxes inside so that the food in them can go to help those poor homeless babies who must live on the cold streets because someone decided that this town was too good and haughty for a youth shelter. So, if you don’t want to help me, that is fine, but just remember this baby, at least you do have a place to go back to on Christmas, even if you cannot get there at this very moment.” She pointed across the street where two youths were huddled around a burning garbage can and trying to keep themselves warm. “But, let me remind you that those babies are only 16-years-old, and they have no home to go back to on Christmas, or any day, for that matter. Some of them may live to see Christmas morning, but others may not even survive this night at all. If I were you, I’d seriously start to count my blessings.”

With that the angel went back into the building with the box and Meredith was left standing on the street with obvious surprise on her face. As she stood staring at the youths, the stranger came back outside, in his hand three sandwiches and she watched as he walked across the street and approached the two boys.

“Merry Christmas, boys,” the stranger offered.

“What’s merry? We’re cold and hungry, and the snow just keeps falling,” one of the boys said angrily while his friend looked at the stranger.

“Sorry Mister, but my buddy’s right, we’ve got nothing to be merry about this year,” he said sadly.

The stranger handed the two boys the sandwiches and smiled gently. “Maybe I can help to change that.”

“You could try,” the first boy said smiling weakly as he accepted the sandwich.

“Well, there’s more where those sandwiches came from,” the stranger offered secretly.

“What do you mean? I mean; where did you get them?” The second boy asked as he too accepted the offered food.

“Well, inside that inn, the owners saw you two out here and they told me that if you two needed a place to stay tonight, they have an extra room in the back. Now, it’s not much, but it is warm and dry, and they’ll even provide showers if you’re interested,” the stranger said as one of the boys began to unwrap the sandwich and took a bite.

“Interested? Is this some kind of trick?” The boys asked almost simultaneously.

“No, it’s not a joke, it’s the truth,” the stranger said smiling gently. “Tess has just brought a ton of food, and all you’d have to do is let your friends out here know tomorrow morning so they could come and have Christmas dinner.”

The first boy looked at the stranger. “That’s all, just let our friends know…”

The stranger nodded. “Sometimes, the goodness comes back when a person lives a good life.”

The second boy shrugged his shoulders but after a few moments he looked at Meredith, who was now staring at them from the other side of Tess’ car. “Even when people do rotten things?” He asked. “I mean; that lady who’s staring at us, I know her, her oh so wonderful husband went and closed down our house.”

“Your house?” The stranger asked.

“Yeah, we lived at the youth shelter,” one of the boys said. “I had no other place to go after my dad just about killed me two years ago. I fled like nothing in the world, and Bob here, he left after his drugged out mother came after him with a rifle. The world’s not a pretty place, and with people like them, it’s even harder.”

“You know about the Collins family?” The stranger asked.

“How could any of us not? Word on the street, they’re Scrooges through and through,” the first boy said after he swallowed the bite of food. “We didn’t have much last Christmas, but we have even less this year, and it’s all thanks to them. Rumor has it; they went and threw their own kid out because she got pregnant. What kind of parents would do such a thing anyway?”

Meredith continued to listen to the conversation and watched as the stranger helped the boys put out the fire and walked back across the street towards the house. Wordlessly, the boys went down into the basement on the outside of the house and after the door closed behind them, she took a deep breath. “Avery…” she whispered under her breath, but shaking her head stubbornly, she leaned up against Tess’ car and waited.

A few moments later, the stranger came back outside and walked over to her. “You should get inside, this weather is not fitting for man or beast,” he offered as he literally started to push her towards the doorway.

“Why? No one wants me here, and I don’t want to be here,” Meredith said clearly annoyed.

“Because of what the boys said?” He asked. “The worst thing is, everything they said was the truth, wasn’t it?”

“No,” Meredith said softly. “We do help people.”

The stranger nodded. “Maybe, but who do you help, besides yourselves?”

“That’s not fair,” Meredith looked at him.

“It’s not? Well, is it fair to throw your own child out onto the streets? Is it fair to punish every homeless child by closing the only home they ever knew? Is it fair to determine who deserves help because they must measure up to your own selfish expectations?” The stranger asked mercilessly. “When you can find an answer to these three questions, then look me up, because you, Meredith Collins, have lost the spirit of the Christmas season completely, and your husband may not have visions of sugarplums dancing in his head this night. Maybe that’s why you’re stranded physically, because you’ve been stranded spiritually for so long.”

With that, he walked away, but turned around and continued to speak. “I saw your daughter tonight, by the way, she’s not doing very well, she would have died if she had to have slept on the street, and your Christmas gift, would have been lost to the world forever if that had happened.”

“My Christmas gift?” Meredith asked insecurely.

“Your granddaughter,” the stranger whispered and went back inside, thus leaving Meredith standing alone outside and staring after him.

Seconds later, she looked down at the cell phone that still rested in the palm of her hand, the sadness hanging in the air as she opened the car door, grabbed her purse and slipped the object inside.

Once she finished doing that she reached up and felt the pearls that were affixed around her neck and removed them as well. These she put in her purse and closed it before sliding it under the front seat. She got out of the car and closed the door as Tess came down the steps and approached the car.

“What can I do to help, Tess?” The woman cleared her throat and asked.

Tess smiled and nodded as she went and opened the trunk and she handed Meredith one of the parcels.

~~~~~

At this moment, Charles Collins was beside himself with worry. His wife had never been late like this, and right now weather reports were not looking too good, the entire city was ultimately covered with snow, and this all within the last few hours. The newscasters said that if people did not have to leave home then they shouldn’t.

He looked at the decorated tree that was placed in the corner of the living room, the house pristine and perfect, as it was just about every Christmas. Of course, Meredith always knew precisely what to do to make the house look decadent for the holidays. She had, after all, a degree in interior design, and had the knack for making the house festive for any occasion.

“She should have been here by now,” the man grumbled as he went over to the tree and stared at it for a few moments. After awhile, he sat down in the living room, only to glance out through the patio doors and see that the neighbors across the way had a large party going on. Light was filtering outside from the house’s interior, and he sat staring at it for a time. Everyone seemed to have someone to celebrate with on this night, but he was alone, completely alone. Not even the people from their church would dare venture out on a night like this to offer companionship to him or his wife.

As he grew tired of watching the neighbors and their festivities, he got to his feet and walked with weighted steps back in the direction of the kitchen. He seated himself at the table and stared down at the flat surface. After a few moments of sitting there, he decided to go, make himself a cup of tea, sit down, and wait for his wife to come home. The Christmas turkey was still in the freezer and he decided that he would go ahead and take it out and put it in the sink so that it could at least thaw somewhat for the feast Meredith wished to prepare for the following day.

“Why those idiots decided to freeze it, is beyond me,” he continued to grumble and looked around to see that their housekeeper had left a note on the door of the refrigerator. “Mr. and Mrs. Collins, make sure you take the turkey out by four in the afternoon on Christmas-eve or it won’t be thawed in time to bake first thing tomorrow morning.” The note was simply signed with a capitol letter G.

“So much for the turkey being finished on time,” The man continued to grumble as plopped the heavy frozen turkey in the sink and turned around. He continued to mutter under his breath, but ultimately reached into the cabinet and began to fumble with a large package of teabags.

Once he had managed to separate one teabag from the rest of the package, he haphazardly dropped it into the cup, went over to the sink, filled it with lukewarm water, and went over to the microwave oven with intentions of heating the liquid. After a few moments, he managed to open the door, put the cup in, close the door, and press the start button. As he impatiently waited for the water to finish boiling, he whistled off key, and then a loud beep sounded throughout the kitchen and he opened the door with the intention of removing the cup. Once the beeping of the appliance stopped, the house once more settled into an awkward stillness and quiet that would have been unnerving to anyone, especially on Christmas Eve.

As he finished preparing the tea, he took the cup over to the table and sat down again, the teabag, he dunked again and again in the cup as the front door abruptly opened and closed, and he looked up. “Meredith, is that you?” He called out, but without waiting for an answer he continued speaking. “You should know by now that that’s why I got you a cell phone, so you could contact me if there was a problem and you were going to be late.”

“It’s not Mrs. Collins, sir, it’s me, Gloria,” a strange voice emerged as a dark-headed woman in a burgundy colored overcoat appeared in the doorway. “I came back to make sure you got my note.”

“Yeah, yeah, I got it, but just now though,” he said crossly as he looked at the woman. “I suppose you already know I don’t come in the kitchen very much,” his voice softening somewhat as he continued. “Gloria, you wouldn’t happen to have seen my wife, would you? Or did she call here while I was out?”

Gloria shook her head. “No, she didn’t call at all, I’m afraid. The last thing I heard was that she had intended to go downtown to do the last of her Christmas shopping and that she would be back tonight.”

“Yeah, I knew, and I heard about the snow too, but she left hours ago, she should have been back by now, the stores closed at six,” he said as he took a sip of tea.

“True, but I wasn’t here at that time, I left at three, that’s why I left the note, I had some errands to run after I got off work,” Gloria said smiling brightly.

Charles did not return the gesture, instead he looked at her through frustrated eyes, and instead of speaking, he grunted as he took another sip of his tea, and put the cup back on the table with a thud, the liquid sloshing somewhat, a drop or two escaping from the confines of the cup.

“I think your wife is going to be all right, though, Mr. Collins,” Gloria offered after a moment. “If she got stranded somewhere, then she’ll get in touch with you as soon as she can establish telephone contact.”

“What do you mean by that?” He asked.

“Well the lines are down around town, and most cell phones aren’t working right now because of the snow,” Gloria said, “but I also do know something that you may not be aware of, Mrs. Collins is with my friend Tess, and I was informed that they’re both downtown taking care of some business.”

“Business?” Charles scoffed her words off. “What could be so pressing on Christmas Eve that will keep a woman away from her family?”

“I didn’t say that she wasn’t with family, Mr. Collins, I said that she was downtown,” Gloria said softly. “Your wife is helping at one of the hotels downtown, she’s helping by unpacking food for the homeless.”

“How do you know all of this?” Charles asked, his voice still cross.

“I know because I was sent here to let you know that you have no reason to worry about her, your wife will soon be joining your daughter, and granddaughter, and will spend the night in a safe, warm, and dry place,” Gloria said matter-of-factly as she looked at the man, her brown eyes intent.

“My daughter…” he whispered mockingly, but instead of giving Avery another thought, he took another sip of his tea and sighed, his thoughts drifting, and he tried without success to shut out Avery’s plight.

“Yes, I know that you have a daughter, Mr. Collins, and soon you will have a granddaughter, and that granddaughter will need a family,” Gloria said softly.

“My daughter disgraced her family,” he snapped.

“Your daughter is a human being who needs love and respect, Mr. Collins. Your only interpretation of disgrace comes because you are sitting here trying to play a role that is not yours to play. You are not God, Mr. Collins, and you are not the one who will decide who is worthy and who is a disgrace. This judgment is not your place, nor your church’s place to determine the things that your daughter has done. Yet, having been blessed with a child, you should know that as a parent, you have been given God’s blessings through the love of that child, and that child needs to know that both her parents love her, especially on this, the night of nights.”

Charles looked at Gloria. “Who are you?”

“I’m an angel, sent by God to give you a message. Forgiveness will not come from you this night, Charles Collins, it will be borne in the heart of your daughter, Avery, whom you may ultimately have to seek forgiveness from so that you can go living the life that God intended or hoped for you. Right now, the only people who have wronged anyone are you and your wife.” Gloria pulled a dollar bill from her pocket and held it up. “There is nothing wrong with having this, Mr. Collins, in fact, money is the reward for hard and honest work, it is the result of ‘dedication’ and can provide gifts to those whom you love and cherish, but it is not love itself. It’s a piece of paper, which has worth only because you place that worth in it.” As she spoke, she ripped the bill in half. “However, now, you are using it and your influence over this community to bring harm not only your daughter, but a number of children who must forge through life on the streets of this city alone. You have punished them for the simple crime of not having enough money or measuring up to your expectations. Sadly, it was your actions, which has brought about the possibility that children could die on the streets this night because you took away the only home they will ever know.”

“If you’re an angel, does God intend to punish me for my business deals?” Charles asked mockingly.

“No, you mock only yourself, just as you punish no one else but yourself, Mr. Collins, your hate and coldness of heart has denied you the joy of being a father, and tonight, it may cost you more than you can imagine,” as she spoke, the curtains blew to one side and Charles could see that across the street, the people at the neighboring house had a driveway full of cars and people were walking towards the house and ringing the bell with pastries, pies, and other desserts. Children were standing in the front garden, their gloved hands building snowmen, and their laugher drifted from their mouths and into Charles’ cold and lonely ears.

“Your neighbors have as much as you do, Charles, but they enjoy and share that, which they own. They have friends from every walk of life, and they are happy people, but all that they see of you is seen through the eyes of pity and sadness, because no matter how much you and your wife try to conceal it, every person in this neighborhood knows what you did to your only child,” Gloria said softly as she touched the glass and snow suddenly blew against it and stuck to the glass, thus concealing the actions taking place in the garden of the neighboring house. “How much of a Christmas is it if all you have to show for it is money?”

As she finished speaking, the angel disappeared and Charles was left sitting alone, the dollar bill floating through the air and landing right next to his teacup.

He shook his head once she was gone and rubbed his eyes before emptying the cup and placing it next to the frozen turkey in the kitchen sink.

~~~~~

Avery emerged from her bath warmer; she now wore an oversized nightshirt that practically dragged the floor as well as a flannel robe over that to keep her arms warm. She had thick woolen socks on her feet and she looked around as she came back into the living room. “Ben?” She called weakly. “Where are you?” Scared, she looked around the room, but noticed that the sofa was now pulled out to a bed and on it fresh sheets and a large pillow. She sat down on the edge of the bed and covered her face with her hands and shook her head as Ben returned to the room.

“I see you are finished,” he said smiling. “I was…working on my sermon for tonight’s mass, but I don’t know how many people will show up.”

Avery wrapped her arms around herself and nodded. “Is this for me?”

“As a matter of fact, it is,” Ben said smiling. “Come on, crawl in and I’ll tuck you in.”

The girl nodded and crawled over to the pillow and Ben took the sheets and blankets and tucked her in. She sat up and looked at him. “You’ve been very kind…I don’t know if I can repay you though…”

“…I don’t do what I do for payment, Avery, I do it because it’s the right thing to do,” he smiled.

“I used to think I knew what was right, I had been told so much,” she said softly as she lowered her head. “My parents…”

“…They threw you out?” Ben whispered, his question gentle.

“H-how did you know?” She whispered with shame shadowing her face.

“I have seen many children like you during the last months, Avery,” he said softly. “I also was the priest who tried to keep the youth center open, but failed.”

“That was you?” She whispered.

“Uh-huh, it was me,” he said softly and nodded. “I came to this town several years ago, the church brought me here, and they told me how I should run this parish and help the intercity youth find things to occupy themselves. I wanted to give all the children opportunities to find what it was that was the best for them, but I failed at keeping the center open because of funding, and the person who supported its closing had more clout than a humble priest from a small parish. You see, wealth and power bring corruption, and that’s what we have here, corruption that keeps kids like you on the streets.”

“No, its b-because God hates us,” Avery whispered. “I’m a sinner, and I should be punished for what I’ve done.”

Ben shook his head. “No, you’re not, but who told you that?”

“My dad, when he threw me out,” Avery whispered. “He said that I was disgrace to the family and the church.”

“Let me guess, because you got pregnant?” he asked gently.

Avery nodded. “He told me that I shamed his business, his family, and the community, and that he no longer had a daughter. My mother just sat there and listened, she didn’t say anything; she just let him throw me out.” She pulled the small angel out of her pocket and handed it to him. “This is the last thing I have from my home, it was given to me when I was little, and I managed to grab it before…before…” her voice trailed off and tears of devastation streamed down over her face.

“It’s OK you don’t have to continue, but this gift, it’s very beautiful, like your guardian angel,” he said gently as he pressed it back into her hand.

“I want to give it to you…” she whispered but he shook his head.

“…No, little one, just hold on to it,” he said compassionately, “a guardian angel cannot be given away as a gift, it becomes a part of you and it gives you strength to endure all that lies before you.” He smiled gently at her as he reached over and touched her feverish forehead. As soon as she closed her eyes, she had fallen asleep, her hand holding the small angel. Ben sat next to her and looked down as she slept, his eyes closing.

“Father, please help her to know that You aren’t like her Earthly father,” he whispered as he opened his eyes once more to see that the door had once more opened and the stranger peered into the room to see that Avery was now soundly sleeping.

“How is she?” He asked softly.

“Oh, I see you’re back,” the priest said smiling and waved the stranger into the room. “Please, cone and sit with her, she’s been asking about you.”

The stranger nodded and came over to where she was lying and took her hand in his. “She’s very ill,” he whispered after a few moments. “It’s not just because of her pregnancy, she has been out in the cold for so long that she’s gotten sick from it.”

“Yes, I can tell, she’s got a fever, I can only hope that it will not cause long-term damage to her child,” Ben whispered.

“It shouldn’t, the fact that she’s now clean, warm, and dry should help her immensely,” he said smiling gently.

“That’s all thanks to you, I mean; you’ve been an angel to her, you brought her here and helped her,” Ben responded. “Monica said that something would happen tonight, but I just had no idea.”

The stranger smiled secretly, but continued to hold the girl’s hand in his. “Ben there is a great deal that you must know about her. One of them is that Avery’s last name is Collins.”

“You mean like the people who tore down the youth shelter?” Ben asked.

“Yes, and tragically, Avery’s parents are behind it, but as you have noticed, she is not like her parents, she’s a sixteen-year-old girl who is full of hopes and dreams for the future. While her parents have lost the spirit of hope, she has carried it in her heart. Of course, she’s made choices, and reaped the results from them, but she does understand that all things are a cause and effect equation, and all the things her parents have done to others should not ever reflect on the child, as she is just as much a victim of her parents as the children in this town are. This should never change the caring that you have towards her.”

Ben rubbed his chin contemplatively and looked at the stranger. “I believe you, but is she truly homeless, or is this just a façade for my sympathy?” The priest asked sadly. “I don’t want to believe that Avery is like her parents. I simply cannot believe that she is like them, but at the same time, she looks so lost.”

“It is her reality, Ben, when she got pregnant earlier this year, her parents threw her unmercifully out of the house, and they did not think twice about destroying any means of support that could have helped her. Good people in this city can only do so much to help these kids, and God must do the rest, and Avery is, sadly one of them.”

“That means they’ll eventually die out there,” Ben whispered. “So many kids will probably freeze to death out there, and even if this church is cold, it probably isn’t as cold as it is out there.”

“Yes, and the ones who are responsible for this will know specifically who they are before this night is out,” the stranger said softly. “You are the miracle that this child has been waiting for, you have stepped in and become a father figure to her, and through that, you have given her something that she had completely lost; you have given her the will to live.”

Ben looked at the stranger. “You’re an angel, aren’t you?”

The stranger shook his head. “No, I am nothing more than a friend, Benjamin, a friend to you, and a friend to Avery,” he reached over and touched the girl’s face, thus waking her and slowly the teenager opened her eyes.

“It’s you?” she whispered. “You’re back just as you promised…”

“Shhh, lay quietly and try to rest, this night will be long and hard for you, conserve your energy, for this is the night of miracles; big ones, and small ones.” As he said those words, he rested his hand on top of the blanket, which covered her swollen stomach.

“Will you stay with me?” She whispered. “Please say you’ll stay with me, you saved my life and…I’m so frightened.”

“Shhh,” he soothed her gently. “I will stay until you are asleep, my little girl.”

Ben looked at the stranger, “I have an idea; will you stay with her? I’m going out there. If this town doesn’t have people coming to the mass tonight, then the kids at least can stay inside…it might actually help.”

The stranger nodded. “Yes, but be careful, it’s very cold out there.”

Ben nodded and looked down at Avery, “you get some rest, I’ll be back soon,” he said gently as he touched the girl’s forehead and slipped quietly out of the room. Once he was gone, the stranger looked down at the young girl. “This night you will not be alone,” he said softly as he began to hum.

Avery nodded and closed her eyes. “What’s your name?” She whispered, but the stranger smiled secretly at her and watched as she once more drifted off to sleep, his hand stroking her hair gently; his eyes filled with love.

“Conserve your strength,” was all he said smiling, and he continued to watch over the young girl. “Soon, your parents will be here…where they belong.”

~~~~~

As Meredith unloaded the last box from the back of Tess’ Cadillac, she carried the box up the stairs and into the large hotel. She had never worked as hard as she had done that night, but there was a small trace of pride in her for having done this. This had indeed been the most fulfilling Christmas Eve she could remember ever having, and she looked around the large dining area where young people and homeless adults were sitting and eating soup.

She took a deep breath and sat down at the table as a boy about fourteen came over to the table. “Would you like a bowl, Ma’am?” He asked as he ran his hand through dirty brown hair.

Meredith nodded. “Thank you, that sounds wonderful,” she offered sincerely as she began to rub her hands together. “I didn’t realize how hungry I was.”

The boy walked away only to come back about two minutes later with a bowl of soup. Behind him, Elizabeth had emerged from the kitchen and she was carrying a large bowl with some pieces of bread in it. She placed the bowl on the table.

“Thanks for all your help, Tess said that she couldn’t have gotten finished without you,” Elizabeth said smiling sincerely.

“It felt good to help,” Meredith said, “besides I didn’t seem to have anything else to do, so why not?”

“It must be hard to be away from your family during this time, I mean; it is Christmas-eve,” Elizabeth said smiling weakly.

“I usually spend the holidays with my husband, but…” her voice trailed off and she looked down at her lap. “…I suppose I had to experience being here in this place to understand the significance of the holiday.”

Elizabeth looked at her. “I don’t understand.”

Meredith shook her head. “It doesn’t matter, perhaps it is just that I’m tired, but being here has made me realize some things that I had forgotten. Elizabeth, I have to find my daughter. I know that she lives down here, I’ve seen her on the streets here, but have never gone to talk to her.”

“Your daughter?” Elizabeth asked.

“Yes, her name is Avery,” Meredith said softly.

“Avery?” Elizabeth asked as she covered her mouth with her hand. Now, she understood what had happened. The kids had seen Meredith before; the woman was one of the people who had thrown the kids out of their shelter. Just like that, the young woman looked at Meredith, anger shadowing her expression. “Then that means that your last name is Collins and Charles Collins is Avery’s father.” She stood up and backed away from the table. “You’re the heartless woman who threw your daughter out. How do you sleep at night having tossed your child out like an old shoe?”

“I didn’t,” Meredith managed to speak, but she shook her head sadly as her gaze lowered and she unconsciously wrapped her arms around herself.

Elizabeth shook her head and started to walk away from the woman. “This stranger in town found your daughter passed out in the snow earlier tonight, he carried her away from here to a place where someone could help her by giving her individual attention. She would have died tonight if not for this stranger, but you…a mother who abandons her child…that’s shameful. I would guess that she’s better off without the likes of you…”

Fuming, Elizabeth walked away and Meredith took a deep breath and sighed as she got to her feet and went to retrieve her jacket.

Nothing mattered to her anymore, she would have to leave this place, find another place to stay for the night. Perhaps Tess would allow her to sleep in the backseat of her car. She grabbed her jacket and put it on, and made her way towards the door leading outside.

The first thing she noticed as soon as she came outside was that Tess’ car was no longer parked in front of the building. “Tess!” She shouted the angel’s name, but at this point she realized that the car and the angel were both gone. “Where are you?” She called out as she looked around the area in the hopes that Tess had merely moved her car and that she was not completely alone and stuck in this place.

“Tess,” she called the name again, but when no one answered, she sighed deeply as she felt the coldness of the winter air literally blowing through her. It was still snowing, but at present she seemed not to recognize it, the weather now the least of her concerns. “Please, Tess, don’t leave me here alone out here, its…its Christmas Eve…”

She walked slowly towards the cobblestone road that the stranger had walked many times during his journey. She rubbed her hands together and tried without success to get some feeling back into them. “Tess…” she called out again, but eventually shook her head, the fog had grown thicker, and the worse it got, the more helpless Meredith was feeling.

After a few moments had passed, Meredith watched as three homeless teens walked past her, their voices carrying as they made their way. “Yeah, it’s true,” one of the boys was saying. “The priest from the church at the end of the walkway said that he was going to open the church tonight so that we wouldn’t have to sleep outside. He said that it was cold inside, but he said that it was dry and that we could hang out there until after Christmas.”

“I don’t believe it, you know how selfish some of these church people can be, look at the bozo who closed our youth home, he used the church as his back-up for throwing us out…but rumor has it he did it with his own kid too…”

Meredith swallowed as she heard these words and she lowered her head. Avery had spoken about them, no doubt, and now all the kids were angry with her and Charles for what they had done. She looked down at the ground and nodded sadly. She really couldn’t blame any of them, in fact, it truth were known, the more time she spent here, the more ashamed she felt. She was now beginning to understand many things about her actions leaving an impact, but she was also starting to contemplate and understand why it was she was in this place.

She walked slowly towards the church, her head still lowered as she reached the large stone structure. As she climbed the steps that led to a large wooden door, she noticed that numbers of homeless kids were filing into the sanctuary, and without knowing what to do; she followed and watched as the kids sat down in the sanctuary. They were either looking around curiously, or had stretched out on the seats. She stood for several moments staring inside as Ben had returned.

“I’m sorry, but mass has been cancelled tonight, I have converted the church into a shelter because of the weather,” he offered, literally bringing her out of her reverie and she managed to turn and face the young priest. Upon seeing her for the first time, he spoke. “Have we met? You look familiar to me.”

“You may actually not wish for it, but my name is Meredith Collins, and I…” she began, her voice trailing.

“…You’re looking for your daughter?” He asked.

“I’m not sure, is she here?” Meredith asked softly.

“Yes, she was brought here earlier tonight and I have been trying to take care of her,” Ben said stoically, his voice filled with aggravation, but also with a trace of sadness. “You can come inside, of course, but before you will be able to see your daughter, I must ask Avery if she even wants to see you.”

“What do you mean by that?” Meredith asked, her voice taking on a trace of indignation. “She’s my daughter, of course she would want to see me.”

“I wouldn’t be so confident of that, Mrs. Collins,” Ben simply responded. “God may forgive his children for betraying Him, but human beings have a much harder time finding forgiveness, especially after what Avery has told me, I have my doubts if she truly is ready to see the one who put her in this dire situation.” He started to turn away and Meredith grabbed the sleeve of his shirt.

“I didn’t put her on the streets, Father,” Meredith said, her voice filled with urgency as she looked at the priest sadly.

“That’s not what the word on the street is,” one boy snapped as he breezed past them and walked into the sanctuary. “Everyone knows that you and your husband are the ‘Scrooges’ of this town. It was you who took our home away, so in our opinion, you’re capable of doing anything, and seeing you hanging around here only affirms what Avery has already told us.”

“Avery told you this?” Meredith asked with profound disbelief.

“Yeah, she also said during the first cold night that she had to spend on the streets that she would spit on your graves when you die, and that if she ever saw you again, it would be too soon,” the boy said smugly. “After everything that has happened during the last months, I personally don’t blame her whatsoever.”

With that the boy disappeared inside and Meredith started to follow him, but Ben stopped her. “If you really want to see your daughter, then I’d suggest that you wait here and let me mediate.”

“I don’t need someone to mediate between me and my daughter,” Meredith insisted, but Ben shook his head.

“I think you do,” the priest said and motioned towards a small bench that was next to the door. “If you would, please wait here, and I’ll be back to let you know if your daughter wishes to see you. For once, the wishes of your daughter will go before your own.”

With that, he disappeared inside and Meredith was left staring after him.

Her eyes were filled with confusion as the door opened and closed and a girl walked inside. She had her head wrapped in a thin shawl and she was rubbing her hands together. The signs of poverty were evident as she wore a tattered jacket, but she continued to rub her hands together for warmth and Meredith found herself staring at the girl. She wore her stringy blondish brown hair in a braid, but when she sensed that someone was staring at her, the girl turned around and looked at Meredith.

“What are you looking at?” The girl asked.

“Nothing,” Meredith whispered as she lowered her head. “Excuse me.”

“No big deal, don’t sweat it, but why are you here, you’re not from the streets, you look as though you are put together pretty well,” the girl commented. “You stick out here like a sore thumb.”

Meredith looked down at herself immediately feeling out of place. “Maybe I do, but the weather has stranded me and the lady who was going to take me home seemed to have gotten busy and forgotten. I think I’m supposed to stay here tonight with all of you.”

The girl shrugged her shoulders. “I’m sorry,” she offered freely, her voice filled with kindness. “I guess it must be hard for you to be separated from your family on Christmas-eve and be stuck here…”

Meredith shrugged her shoulders. “I’ve had a lot of time to think through this experience,” she said softly, “but I’ve also concluded that maybe it was good for me.”

The girl nodded as the stranger came out of the room and looked at the young girl, his face filled with gentility as he handed her a wrapped sandwich and she smiled at him. “Thank you, sir,” she said politely and went inside.

The stranger smiled as he watched as the young girl left him alone with Meredith. “Did you know that she’s only fifteen?” he asked sadly. “One of her mother’s boyfriends molested her,” he said simply. “She ran away from home when she was thirteen to get away from him, and now has lived on her own ever since.”

“How do these kids manage?” Meredith eventually asked.

“They take care of each other, just as your daughter has a number of peers in this church who simply took care of her after she got thrown out of her home. If not for those two boys at the inn, then she would have died at least twice since being out here on her own,” the stranger said softly. “She’s a brave little girl, but she is a little girl who has had to grow up quicker than most because of the responsibilities that she’s had thrown on her lap. Today, she has handled herself better than most adults, but at the same time, she has inherited something from her family, and that’s her overwhelming pride. She’d much prefer to help others than to be helped, and this is the way she was when I found her tonight.”

“You found her?” Meredith asked shyly.

“She was practically buried under the snow and close to death when I found her,” the stranger said softly. “I brought her here because a young woman said that Ben would help her, and he has. He’s been more of a father to her than even her earthly father.”

“This isn’t fair, I know my husband has made mistakes…” Meredith objected.

“…Then accept it, as parents you and your husband have failed, not only your daughter, but God. You were given a gift when she was born, and you have taught her nothing but conditions centering on crime and punishment, pleasing you and doing what others may consider right, but not ever being told to follow her conscience and live a truly good life. Avery is capable, I have seen it, but she has been hurt and she does not wish to see you as a result of that pain. She does not trust you, and has requested only two people to be with her during that time, Benjamin Endler and me.”

“Why you?” Meredith asked. “Why doesn’t she wish to see me?”

“Because, deep in her heart, she knows that I will be there for her and will never turn my back on her, she cannot say the same for you, nor can she say that for your husband. Neither of you have accepted her; she has wished to seek your forgiveness, but the reality is, if anyone who should forgive, then it should emerge from Avery, and not from either of you. This night has hopefully shown you this, Meredith Collins, but at this moment, your daughter does not wish to see you. Ben has asked me to convey this information to you.” He stood up with the intention of walking away, but she reached out and grabbed the sleeve of his cloak.

“How do you know all of this? And please don’t tell me that it is because you have seen kids like her, because this really has nothing to do with that. I know that something strange is going on here; it has been since this evening when I was driving home. I mean; earlier, you gave me those three questions and you’ve been showing up out of the blue.”

“I am here because Avery needs me,” he said softly as he stood up and pulled up the sleeves of his cloak. “You have referred to me as a ‘monk’ when speaking to others, and yes, there is some truth to that, as I am here to bestow the words I believe on those who will but listen. I will say this to you, Meredith Collins, and you can believe me or not, but there have been angels appearing in and out of your life as well as the lives of others around you during this night. All four of you are connected to one another, and the angels know that beyond any doubt, and they have accepted what their tasks in this place have truly been.”

“I don’t understand,” Meredith asked softly. “Please, you’ve got to explain this to me, I just don’t understand.”

“You will understand in time that it was that appeared to you, but it will be in God’s time, not in yours, and that is something that both you and Charles must learn to understand,” he said softly.

Meredith looked at him, but all she could see was the folds of the cloak that covered his head. She could not even see beyond the gentle eyes and the bridge of the man’s nose, but finally she spoke, her next words a plea. “Who are you? Please, tell me something…”

Without saying a word, the stranger reached up, grasped the hood of his cloak, and lowered it so that she would be able to see his face. Seconds passed, and she eventually looked up and into the face of the man; her words literally stuck in her throat as she recognized his face. She shrank back away from him upon recognition, the tears brimming from beneath her eyes, but she got to her feet and fled from the church’s foyer and straight out into the cold December night.

The stranger returned the hood of his cloak to its place and started to follow the woman outside.

~~~~~

Charles was, at this moment, sitting at the table, he had not moved since he had put his teacup in the sink. His eyes filled with worry and sadness, the time seemed to have stood still since the angel’s visitation, and although he didn’t want to believe her, he knew that he ultimately had no choice in the matter. Gloria was an angel, she had been sent by God to give him a message, but the message had been one that he was not willing to hear.

Shaking his head, he looked around the room, it all felt so empty and cold. He lowered his head. “God where is my wife? Where is my daughter? Please, Father, help me, I don’t know what to do, and I…I’m frightened.”

“You have been afraid for a very long time, haven’t you Charles?” A strange voice emerged and he looked up to see that Tess now stood in the doorway.

“You’re another angel, like Gloria?” He asked as he looked at the clock on the wall, it read 10:37 and he swallowed the lump that had unconsciously formed in his throat.

“Yes, baby, I am,” Tess said gently as she came into the room and sat down across from him at the table. “I am the angel who was with your wife, but now I’m your angel.”

“My angel?” He asked softly. “But, I don’t understand.”

“Well, honey, of all the people who have needed an angel tonight, you have been the one who needed one the most. You’ve made a lot of mistakes, Charles, but God wants you to know that you can make things right for both of your children,” Tess said softly.

“Both? But, I only have one, Avery,” the man whispered. “I don’t even deserve to have her as a daughter.”

“Perhaps you don’t, honey, but you have two children, and they have been brought together tonight to help one another,” Tess said. “Your son is someone you have met, honey, it’s someone who happens to have far more in common with your daughter than you or your wife does. Charles, you have a son.”

“A son?” Charles whispered; his eyes widening as he lowered his head. “Only an angel would know about the first baby…that was thirty years ago.”

“Yes, you kept that fact away from everyone, even your daughter. You swore your wife to secrecy, thinking that if she and you hid the truth, then no one would ever know. You have pretended to be perfect for so long, and now you’re both crumbling from the truth.”

“Meredith was 15 when the first baby was born, she and I had decided to give him up for adoption because we were too young to have a child. She hated the fact that we had to do that, but the baby was…too much for us. Her parents couldn’t afford to take care of him, and I…I had been in and out of trouble myself. How could God have expected us to take care of the baby?”

“He didn’t expect you to do anything but what you have done, but Charles, you’ve been running from the truth for so long, that you’d have done everything that you could to prevent others from finding out the truth,” Tess said softly. “When Avery got pregnant, you decided that it was too much like what you had already lived through, and so instead of telling her that you and Meredith had another child, you got angry and threw her out.”

Charles looked down at the table and shook his head. “I didn’t want to, but I was so scared that when she would have this child…that the truth about our past experience would come out…and…”

“…And people would stop respecting you,” Tess said, her voice firm, but gentle. “Charles, how much do these people truly respect you?”

“I don’t know, I kept making excuses for the things that had happened, and I didn’t realize until tonight that they really didn’t care. They cared about my money, but…”

Tess nodded. “Now you have a choice, baby, and that choice may ultimately mean telling the truth.”

“But how? You said that my children are together, but who is my son?” Charles asked. “Who is he, Tess?”

“His name is Benjamin Endler,” Tess said softly. “He runs the parish downtown, and worked harder than any man alive to keep the youth home open, and he did this for one simple reason, because that was where he grew up, in this group home, with foster parents who taught him about the love of God. This is why he chose to devote his life to serving God.”

“The priest?” Charles looked at the angel. “He’s our son?”

“He doesn’t know, but tonight, it was foreseen that all of your lives will change and now, you have a choice to either accept that change, and come with me, or remain here and deny that any of this ever happened. Just remember this, Charles, whatever you decide, it will come from your free will.”

“But how can we go anywhere?” He objected. “Tess, everything is snowed in, it would take a miracle to get out of here at all.”

“Well, then aren’t you lucky that I am an angel, and this is Christmas-eve? Now, whether you believe it or not, I am here to make that miracle happen, thanks be to the Father,” the angel said smiling as she held up a clunky key chain and smiled. “But, I’m driving.”

The man nodded and got up from the table. “Then let’s go, I have to get to my family hopefully before the baby is born.”

“Well, that may be a bit hard to do, but we’ll see what we can do to make that happen,” Tess said and went to the hall closet and opened it. She pulled out a large, thick coat and tossed it to him. “You make sure you bundle yourself up good.”

Charles nodded and put on a coat and they walked towards the front door, as they reached the door, he glanced across the street and could see that the neighbors were out on the street looking at the snowmen that the children had built. “I think I missed out on a lot, Tess.”

“I think you did too, but God always gives you a few extra chances, and then you can take this night and make some changes in your own life.”

Charles nodded, but without saying a word, he climbed into the passenger seat of the angel’s Cadillac and stared down at his lap as she crawled behind the wheel and started the car.

“We have to hurry, your wife may now be in some kind of danger…” Tess whispered and Charles looked at her with alarm in his eyes.

“What do you mean?” He asked softly.

“She’s out in the snow…” was all Tess said and Charles could only stare out the window and hope that he would make it back to town in time to help his family find their way back together.

~~~~~

By the time Tess and Charles were driving towards the church, Meredith had made some distance between herself and the church, the old marketplace looking like something in a story of haunted houses and ghosts. It worked for Halloween, but not for Christmas.

She shook her head as she ran, her body lurching as she tried to make as much a distance between herself and the church as was possible. Her face, by this time was streaked with tears, and as she reached what appeared to be a small cemetery, she stumbled and fell face first into the snow. “Oh God,” she cried out, her voice piercing the cold air. “Why do You do this to me? Why do You take everything from me? I can’t bear to go through anymore.” Her voice rose in pitch from one moment to the next until it had reached a hysterical level.

“God didn’t do anything to you and He didn’t take anything away from you, Meredith,” the stranger’s voice emerged and she looked up to see him standing in the distance and was looking at her. Seconds later, he came over to her and watched as she cringed, and backed away from him. “Don’t be afraid, I won’t hurt you,” he said softly.

“Why did all this happen?” She asked.

“Because you needed to face the truths of your life before they tore you apart,” he said gently as he sat down on the snow next to her. “You can only take so much of this sort of thing and then you feel as though your spirit will ultimately collapse from beneath it. This is what will happen if you were to keep going without facing the truth.”

“The truth?” Meredith whispered with trembling lips. “I don’t know what the truth is anymore. I’ve never been so frightened and felt so despised as I do right now…” As she spoke, she wrapped her arms around herself, as the cold seemed to seep through her clothing and chill her to the bone. “When you looked at me, what I saw was something I had forgotten even existed in my life. I saw…I saw, love, real and unconditional.”

The stranger reached over and rested his hand on her shoulder. “The truth is what you have hidden from, Meredith, it was hidden beneath the materialism, the church, and a damaging promise that you made to your husband so many years ago, but now it is time for you to release yourself from the bondage of that promise. Every word I said was for the betterment of you, but it was hidden beneath harshness as well as deeply rooted sadness. You are not a bad or unfeeling person, but you have lost your way, and tonight, God sent you a number of messengers to tell you how to find your way back.”

“When I was helping Tess, I felt complete somehow, like what I was doing was making a positive difference to someone. It felt good, but at the same time, I also knew that people hated me, they hear my name and they ask me how could I have done what I did, but they didn’t know the whole story, they didn’t truly know everything that had happened to me,” she whispered and looked at him before lowering her head once more, the shame washing over her.

“Then tell me what happened, in your own words,” the stranger said softly. “But don’t tell me in judgment of yourself, tell me because you desperately need to release the pain that the past has brought back to you.”

“When I found out that Avery was pregnant, I was immediately thrown back into the past with full force. History had repeated itself, and I couldn’t explain why. Charles simply hit the ceiling and did what he did. He insisted that it had been for the best, that it would protect our secret, but it didn’t. It was painful to watch, so painful for me to realize that she is truly my child and that I had abandoned her after she had made the same decisions that I did.”

“You mean because of your son?” The stranger asked and she nodded.

“Yes, I had had another child, and I had to give him up. My husband didn’t even know it was a boy, but I knew, I always knew, and on the day of his birth, I asked the nurse in the hospital to put the name Benjamin on his birth certificate. I told her that even though I had given him up for adoption, that I wanted him to have something from me, and Benjamin was my favorite name in the world. I was only sixteen…” Meredith looked down at her lap. “…I never even knew what family name he got, or what ultimately became of him, I never even told Avery about him, she never knew that she had an older brother…but I loved him…so much more than I ever loved myself.” As she finished speaking, she began to weep uncontrollably and the stranger could do nothing except pull her into his arms.

“You showed the world that, Meredith, in the way you lived your life,” he said gently as he patted her shoulder, but continued to speak. “You allowed your husband to tell you how to live, and what to say or do, you feared that if you didn’t do as he said, that he would leave you. When you got older and had your daughter, you raised her with those very same conditions intact.” He touched her face gently. “It wasn’t the best way to raise a child, but it was all you knew.”

Meredith bit down on her lip. “And you came here tonight to tell me so?” She asked softly, she shame washing over her.

The stranger nodded. “I came here, because this time of year marks the rebirth of all God’s children, and you needed to find that in order to forgive yourself and start new,” he said gently as he continued to stroke her tearstained face. “My work here tonight was to bring you and your family back together. Angels have been with you tonight, and they have also been with your children as well.” As he spoke, he motioned towards the gate that led out of the cemetery and there at the gate, she could make out the figure of two people as they walked towards them.

When they got closer, she recognized them as being Tess and her husband. “Charles?” She whispered and the stranger helped her get to her feet and she stumbled through the snow straight into her husband’s waiting arms.

“Meredith, you’re safe, oh thank God you’re safe,” Charles whispered. “I tried to call you, and I waited for you all night at home, and then Tess showed up at the house and told me that…that…” His voice broke and he looked at her shaking his head.

“…That we made mistakes, that what we have done here has caused more harm than good, and it was from trying to keep a secret from everyone else. Charles, how could we have been so stupid?”

“I don’t know, but perhaps it’s not too late to change what we have done, maybe there’s still time to make right the wrongs we have done,” he said softly and glanced over to Tess, his eyes filled with fear as he motioned her to come over. “But, what are you doing out here by yourself?”

“I wasn’t by myself, there was a man here with me, a kind and loving man…” Meredith looked around to where the stranger had been sitting on the ground, and she gasped when she realized that he was gone. “H-he’s gone…Charles, I don’t understand, what’s happened, he was here…honest…he was here.”

“…Maybe he was needed elsewhere,” Charles offered softly and stroked his wife’s cold face. “Just try to calm down, maybe he went back to the church to take care of our daughter.”

“Y-you believe me?” She whispered.

Charles nodded. “It’s been a pretty incredible night, angels popping in and out and it’s not over yet. We truly need to talk about everything that’s happened, Meredith.”

“You mean about our son and the promises that we had made about him, right?” She whispered.

“His name is Benjamin Endler, Meredith. I don’t know exactly how it happened, but that guy is our son, the priest at the church is truly our son,” Charles said softly. “Avery’s brother…”

“Avery…Oh God, we have to get back to the church, the baby’s coming, and God’s given us a chance to be there,” Meredith whispered. “Hopefully, Avery will want us to be there too.”

Charles looked at her. “I don’t know if she will want us there, but if we tell them both the truth, maybe they will both forgive us.” He shook his head, the tears streaming down his face. “If this is truly the season of miracles, then maybe there is hope for us yet.”

“Scrooge was changed,” Meredith whispered more to herself than to her husband. “Maybe that’s what God’s message was supposed to be, that even the coldest of hearts can change, if given the right circumstances.”

Tess nodded and watched as they came towards where she was standing. “Come on babies, get in the car, and I’ll take you to your daughter.”

~~~~~

It was close to midnight when Avery’s water broke and the contractions started. The young girl was now frightened, the pain unbearable, her body shivering from her rising fever, and Ben sat by her side, wet compresses were applied to her forehead every so often, but the priest sat in constant prayer as he watched over the young girl. His sermon for the mass was no longer important; in fact, he had simply posted a sign on the front of the church saying that the mass had been called on account of the weather.

What else could he do, his young friend was about to give birth to a baby, and looking at the clock, he smiled; the child would surely be born on Christmas morning.

As Avery’s frightened cries filled the room, the stranger returned to her side and seated himself next to her. He took her hand in his and held it as her breathing became irregular. “The child is coming,” the stranger said softly and looked at Ben, but after a few moments he looked down at Avery’s sweat covered face. “Just relax, little one, we’re here for you, and your baby is going to be just fine,” he said gently as he brushed a lock of her hair out from in front of her face.

Ben quickly arranged the pillows, retrieved the necessary towels in order to make ready for the baby. Ultimately, he finally turned his attention to Avery as her agonized cries filled the room. “Oh God it hurts so much…” she gasped, the tears washing down from her pain filled eyes. She finally glanced over to see that the stranger was next to her. “…Please…oh God…please don’t leave me…”

“…I won’t ever leave you, Avery, not ever,” he said gently as he stroked her face. “Just keep breathing, little one…that’s it, sweetheart, that’s it…”

As the night slowly dragged on, Ben and the stranger helped the teenager bring a new life into the world and at 12:04 on Christmas morning, a little girl’s cries filled the room as Meredith, Charles, and Tess arrived at the church and came running into the room as the first cries of the baby were heard.

As Ben took the newborn child and placed her in Avery’s arms, the teenager looked at the stranger. “She’s beautiful,” Avery whispered.

“She’s your gift to the world, Avery,” he said softly and touched the top of the child’s forehead. “What will you call her?”

“Noelle,” Avery said without hesitation and closed her eyes as Ben picked up the child and brought it over to a small makeshift bed and laid her there as Meredith went over to him and rested her hand on his shoulder as he turned around and looked at her curiously.

“Noelle’s a very lucky little girl, Ben, she’s got an uncle who can teach her about love,” she said softly as she glanced over at Avery who now slipped into an exhausted slumber.

“An uncle, I’m just doing what I have to do to help them both,” Ben said softly.

Charles went over to the bed and sat down next to where his daughter rested, and gently, he reached over and took her hand in his and squeezed it gently. “My little girl,” he whispered and looked up at Ben. “You are Noelle’s uncle, Ben.”

The priest looked at the stranger, and he nodded. “They speak the truth, Ben, the angel Monica said tonight that your life would change, and it is this moment that has changed.”

“I gave birth to a little boy when I was sixteen-years-old,” Meredith said softly. “I asked the nurse to give him two things, a silver angel like this one,” she said as she held up a small object, “and the name Benjamin.”

The priest sat down on the edge of the bed and looked at them. “This isn’t possible,” he whispered as he touched the pocket where his small angel was kept. “I carry an angel, and my foster mother always said that it was my guardian angel.” He looked at Meredith. “Why has it taken you so long to tell me this? We’ve known each other…or better said, we battled each other for years now.”

“We didn’t know during those times, either that or we were just was too blind to see it, but it’s the truth, you are our son, and Avery’s brother,” Charles said softly. “How else could you explain that you look exactly like I did twenty years ago and the closeness that you felt to Avery was not an accident?”

Ben looked at the stranger as he looked down at Avery. “A sister?” He touched her face, his fingers gentle, and when he looked up his eyes met those of Charles. “This doesn’t change that you threw her out,” he said softly.

Meredith nodded. “You’re right, it doesn’t change very much, but all I can do is ask you to hear us out, to understand what has happened and why.”

Ben looked at her, his eye cold, but he nodded. “OK, tell me.”

As Meredith and Charles began to relate their story, Tess and the stranger got up with the intention of leaving. The stranger leaned down and kissed the top of the teenager’s forehead. “You’re going to be OK now, my little girl, just as I promised.”

As he and Tess left, their eyes met those of Andrew and Monica who also standing in the room and listening as Ben found healing with his birth parents. They looked over at Avery, who slept peacefully.

The Angel of Death leaned over and whispered to her. “You’re going to be OK now, Avery,” Andrew whispered as he brushed her hair out from in front of her face. “God will always watch over you and your little angel when you need Him.”

With that, the two angels disappeared as a gentle breeze filtered through the room.

It would be several moments later when Charles, Meredith, and Ben would realize that Tess and the stranger were now gone. “I wonder where they went,” Charles finally whispered softly, his voice etched with emotion.

“Maybe they went home,” a soft voice emerged and they turned to see that Avery was now awake, and she was regarding the three of them sadly.

Meredith looked at her daughter. “Would you ever forgive us, Avery?” She whispered softly. “We were both trying to protect you, but it doesn’t seem that way right now.”

The teenager looked at Ben. “What would you do?” She asked weakly.

“The stranger helped to bring us together, maybe what we need to do is remember what he tried to show us tonight, that forgiveness is important,” Ben said softly as he sat down next to his little sister.

“Who is this stranger?” Charles asked, “I didn’t see anyone.”

“He was the man who sat with me tonight, but at one point he said to me that my parents would be here, he knew that it would happen, that you would come and find me and we would be a family again,” Avery said softly.

“Would you really want that with us?” Charles asked softly.

Avery looked at Ben and then at her parents, “I think so, but on one condition,” she whispered as she looked at her baby who lay sleeping. “We have to find a way to reopen the youth center. My friends need it.”

Ben reached for the hand of the teenager. “Then we’ll make this a family effort,” the priest promised softly.

Charles and Meredith smiled and nodded, they finally knew what it meant to get a second chance and this time they were not going to ruin it. The forgiveness of their children had come, but it would take time for them to become the family they were meant to be. Looking at the their two children and their grandchildren, the warm spirit of the holidays washed over them, and they understood for the first time in years what the season really meant.

Epilogue, Five Years later

“Merry Christmas,” Charles greeted the group of people who stood outside their front door on Christmas Eve. “Come in.”

As the guests filtered into the house, Meredith came rushing down the stairs. “Hello, everyone, the party is in the living room, and Avery and Ben have already started on the eggnog, so you’d better hurry,” she smiled as she as adjusted the angel pendant that hung on a simple silver chain from around her neck. Gone were the pearls, but the house still carried a decadent air about it, and the guests smiled and nodded as they reached the room.

Avery was happy, she was now a lovely young woman of twenty-one, her hair now beautifully gathered in a loose braid and wore a simple red dress. She was smiling and laughing as the guests filtered into the room and her brother, still dressed in priestly clothes had gotten down on the floor and started looking through the packages that were placed under the tree.

“You’re just like a kid, Ben,” Avery giggled.

“I have a few years of childhood to catch up on,” he smiled impishly. “Besides that since the church heard about my lost childhood, they said that I could keep the toys that Mom and Dad wanted to give me.” He smiled as he continued to dig around under the tree as Charles came into the room.

“Where’s my son?” The man asked and about five of their guests and his daughter pointed under the Christmas tree. “Oh yes, that backside is rather familiar to me, seems as though Ben does this same act every year.”

Avery began to laugh and she too crawled under the tree as Meredith came into the room with a video camera and began to tape them.

Seconds later, she handed the machine to her husband and looked at them. “I’ve got to go upstairs, to check on Noelle and make sure she’s tucked in.”

The others nodded as she slowly climbed the stairs and she came into the child’s bedroom where Noelle was sitting on her bed and staring into the corner of her room.

“Noelle, shouldn’t you be sleeping now?” Meredith asked.

“Tomorrow’s my birthday,” the child said proudly, “I’ll be five whole years old. Do I get a party, Grandma?”

“You know you do, with me and grandpa, and your mom, and uncle,” Meredith said smiling, but noticed that the child was still staring in the corner. “What are you looking at?”

“My best friend,” Noelle said smiling proudly as she crawled into bed and waved to the corner of the room.

After reading Noelle’s favorite Christmas story to her and turning off the light, Meredith looked in the corner where Noelle had pointed and she gasped when she saw that now the stranger was standing in the corner.

“Did you think that I would go without saying good-bye?” He asked smiling.

“I had hoped you wouldn’t, but did you see the others?” Meredith asked softly.

“I will during the coming days, but I wanted to see you tonight,” he said smiling. “You have done good work, my friend.”

“It’s been five years, and every year, I remember you, and cannot even begin to thank you for all you’ve done for us. Can’t you at least tell us your name?”

The stranger came over to her and touched her face, his voice gentle as he spoke. “Just listen with your heart, and you will know who I am.”

Meredith nodded and rested her hand against his on her cheek, and for a moment it remained, but seconds later, the room filled with light, and then the stranger was gone, her face still warm from his touch and she briefly closed her eyes. When she opened them once more, the light was gone and she could see from Noelle’s window, the stars shone over the house.

After a few moments had passed, one of the stars shot across the sky, and in her mind, the words, ‘make a wish’, could be heard.

“I can’t make anymore wishes,” she whispered to the stillness, “they have already come true.”

She made her way across the room and opened the door. As the light from the hallway shone into the room, she glanced over to a small mobile that hung over the child’s bed. She smiled as she recognized a string of real pearls that now hung along with Popsicle sticks, Lego’s and other children’s toys. She smiled gently. “Sweet dreams little angel,” she said before quietly slipping from the child’s room and making her way down the stairs to the guests.

~~~~~

The End

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