Christmas on the Anvil

by Michael Penmore

  It was Christmas Eve of 2072. The Chus had just left immigration office where a bald asylum facilitator had told them bluntly that they were going to be served their eviction notice on the first working day after New Year’s Eve. The family had nothing to their name besides the little two bedroom apartment in an unattractive part of town. Now they were poised to lose that. And without a work permit, mom and dad couldn’t secure anything else.

  “She’s me,” Nadie whispered. She kept staring at the frowning face of the 7-year-old self. Chunwei Chu was trying to distract her with jokes and empty promises but the girl knew the truth. They were in deep trouble.

  “What is this? How are you doing this?” Nadie confronted Nick.

  “I’m not doing anything. It is your heart, remember? Look and listen. They won’t see or hear you. It’s a memory of things past. A little bit of Christmas magic to remind you of things that really matter.”

  “I’ll give you Christmas magic!” She was about to punch him when Nick turned into a puff of snow and vanished. Nadie kept searching the street for him, but he was gone completely. Steadying her heart beat, she looked again, this time for the faces she knew. Her parents. She hadn’t seen them in years. She did not even know if they were still alive. But here they were, and here was she. The spectacle wasn’t real but, for the first time, she wanted it to be.

  Her younger self stopped to watch and listen to the Salvation Army band playing their brass instruments. The parents allowed her this one indulgence. They didn’t celebrate Christmas. It was not their tradition. There wasn’t much to celebrate this year anyway. But their child deserved this one good moment before they hurried back to their soon-to-be-removed hovel.

  The band stopped playing. The man with the tuba put his large musical instrument on the ground against a bench and walked straight to Nadie.

  “Hello, little girl. What’s your name?”

  “Don’t talk to strangers, Nadine,” her mother said and tightened her fingers on the girl’s shoulder. Adult Nadie rubbed her own collarbone, remembering the feeling. Yawen was one fiercely protective mother.

  “My name is Captain Ted Simons. Now I’m not a stranger anymore, am I? Would you like some candy?” The tuba player reached into his pocket and presented before young Nadie several small squares wrapped in glossy paper.

  The girl’s eyes were glinting. Her older self felt a sting and blinked away an onslaught of salty tears. Sweets were not her common fare as a child. It was bare minimums for a family of political refugees with temporary asylum.

  Young Nadie tried to paw the squares of sticky, sweet fudge without saying anything. Her mother was vigilant. She slapped her daughter on the hand.

  “No. We don’t take charity.”

  “Come on, let’s go home,” the father started to pull his girl away.

  “No, dad. Let her... let me have something sweet for a change,” adult Nadie tried to intervene. Chunwei Chu did not even look in her direction.

  “They can’t hear you,” Nick reminded her. He was suddenly standing right next to her.

  The Anvil’s XO jumped. “Don’t sneak up on me like that. How did you do that last thing?”

  “What thing?”

  “You know. The disappearing act.”

  “Stop focusing on me or you’ll miss all the important bits,” Nick pointed her in the right direction.

  The Chus were about to walk away, with young Nadie looking back with a longing for sweets. They underestimated Captain Simons’ resolve.

  “You are refugees, right? From Taiwan?”

  It was Yawen who stopped and turned. “What do you know about that?”

  “Quite a lot, actually. I have helped many people in need. And you are in need, I can see that. Those three black rings on your sleeve,” Captain Simons pointed and Yawen immediately hid her cuff in the palm of her hand. To her, it was an embarrassment and vulnerability. “They mean you’ve been evicted from free placements already. One more time and you’ll land on the street, or worse, they will deport you. The Chinese aren’t very welcoming of people who escaped their so-called liberation of your island.”

  “You do know quite a lot,” Yawen admitted.

  “And I also think I know how to help you. For free. That’s what our Army is all about. To help others in the name of God.”

  Chunwei’s face creased with new wrinkles at the mention of Christian deity. He reached out and took his wife gently by the wrist. “We need to get home before dark.”

  “I’d like to stay a minute longer. Maybe this man can help us, as he says.”

  “We talked about this already. We don’t take charity.”

  “It won’t be charity. Chun, there is no shame in accepting help when we need it. We tried to solve our situation on our own and look where it got us. We have to look outside for support or we are doomed. If it was just us two, I wouldn’t mind fighting in any way necessary. But we have to act responsibly. It’s about Nadine’s future.”

  Chunwei squeezed young Nadie’s hand as a reaction to that speech. His words were filled with a force that was persuasive, not violent. “We shouldn’t talk about this in front of other people.”

  “I agree.” Yawen Chu turned back to Captain Simons. “Is there somewhere we can talk in private?”

  Adult Nadie listened with one ear only. Her focus was on the other self. She was starting to remember this day and its significance. That it happened on the eve of Christmas was just a coincidence.

  Captain Simons slipped the candies into young Nadie’s hand while the parents weren’t watching. The girl unwrapped one square popped it into her mouth in absolute quiet. Her eyes went big and round. When the sweetness of fudge spilled over her tongue, she smiled like the happiest child in the world. She had been denied simple luxuries for a long time.

  Captain Simons smiled back, got up from one knee and replied to the mother’s question, “Yes, there is. Boys, break’s over. Play two more numbers before you head back to the centre.”

  The members of the band picked up their shiny instruments. A trumpeter began to play a slow tune in C major. The others quickly joined in.

  “Come with me, please. It isn’t very far from here. We’re having Christmas dinner today. There’s hot soup and turkey for everyone.”

  “A refuge?” Chunwei Chu asked warily.

  “A day centre. Safe and warm place to celebrate God’s coming to Earth. Don’t worry, there won’t be any mass or preaching. We’re respectful and inclusive of all beliefs. Even disbelief.”

  Captain Simons started walking down the road with Yawen. They immediately got into a conversation. Chunwei had no choice but to follow them with young Nadie in tow. The girl was already sucking on her second sweet of the day.

  Adult Nadie started to walk with them when the Santa appeared right in front of her.

  “How are you doing this?”

  “I told you. Magic.” He never stopped smiling. “This bit’s boring. Let’s speed things up a little bit, shall we?” He ran circles in the air with one finger.

  The reality fast-forwarded all around them. Within seconds, they were standing in the middle of a large hall, with a Christmas tree and tinsel on the walls, and rows of simple chairs and folding tables on the edges. Children turned one corner in their play area; they tried toys and chased each other on the floor while adults talked and ate all over the place.

  Nearly all of the attendants looked as though they had fallen on hard times. Some even wore the same refuge clothes Nadie’s family was assigned. The telling fashion sense was the law and breaching it meant instant revocation of asylum. Young cadets of the Salvation Army and energetic women with mugs of hot chocolate moseyed around, infusing energy in the gathering. They managed to bring a clear sense or warmth, hope and belonging in people who had no means to celebrate Christmas on their own.

  Nadie blinked several times, adjusting to the change. She was disoriented, her head was spinning and she couldn’t wrap her mind around what just happened. It w
asn’t just a simple holographic projection. The Kringle character was messing with her perception of time and space and bringing out long forgotten memories. There had to be a simple explanation beyond some Christmas magic nonsense. Did he drug her?

  She looked for the bearded culprit and found him bending over a large soup pot, wafting steam vapour into his nose.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I’m taking in the flavours. It’s amazing how a simple broth can fill a person and lift their spirits up to the skies.”

  “You can lift yourself. Take me back to my ship before you go.”

  “It doesn’t work like that. You have to see everything to its natural finish. Look, there’s that lovely little girl again, playing with some new friends. Does she remind you of someone?”

  Nadie groaned but had a look. Nick was right. Her younger self was having a good time playing in the corner on her hands and knees. She had picked up a plastic horse and chased other children’s toys. Another girl was holding a soft doll. She put it over Nadie’s horse and they both laughed.

  “That’s Jenna,” Nadie recognised the playmate. “Her family and mine were good friends until we landed in Australia and got separated after the induction.” She observed the girls reunited at play for a few moments. Her throat got tingly and her eyes heavy, so she abandoned them and looked for the adults instead.

  Her parents were on the other side of the room, talking animatedly with Jenna’s family. Captain Simons was with them still. He had brought old friends together because he knew of some opportunity.

  “They seem to be having fun. Why don’t you come closer and find out what they are talking about?” Nick proposed.

  Nadie was curious to hear them. She stopped on the edges of the group of five people. Captain Simons was the one speaking.

  “I know the facilitator. I’m certain that I can convince him to put your family on the ship list. Your skills will be a natural fit.”

  “He is right,” said Jenna’s father over a chunk of Christmas pie. He loved to eat. Refugee life failed to slim down his roundness. “Engineer and teacher. You have great skills. I’m jealous! Gliese will welcome you with open arms. You’ll help us persuade them into investing. Our colony will be great! Who knows, maybe you’ll become our leaders!”

  “Hold on. We haven’t even decided yet if we’re going,” Chunwei put the dampeners on his friend’s excitement.

  “Of course you will go. What else is there for you? You see how the immigration is treating all of us. They’re just dying to get rid of us all!” The man laughed like it was some kind of joke.

  “You’re not wrong there.”

  “My husband and I need to think about it. It’s a big step, leaving Earth to go to space. Especially for a young girl,” Yawen looked back to her daughter with a serene smile. Adult Nadie felt an urge to come and give her a big hug. She hadn’t seen her mother and father in such a long time. A war tore them apart. Seeing Yawen and Chun at this crucial point in their lives was precious to her. She didn’t even know if they were alive in her proper time. She would gladly stay for a few days. She was too young then to observe and to ask. It would be interesting to see how her parents adjusted to the reality of space.

  A handbell rang to bring the assembly to silence. A tall man came in through the door. His beard was long and flowing, obviously a fake. He was wearing red clothes and a sack. “Ho, ho, ho! Merry Christmas, everyone! Especially the little ones!”

  “Santa!” cried one of the boys playing in the corner. All the children rose to a run. They surrounded the man’s knees. Jenna took young Nadie by the hand and convinced her to join in this innocent bit of fun.

  “Oh great. They brought in a quack!” Nick complained. He had a little less colour in his face, and no smile for the first time.

  “What’s wrong, Nick? Afraid of a little competition?” Nadie teased him.

  “Ho, ho, ho! That’s no competition at all. It’s just an impostor. Look at that pyjamas he’s wearing, and that sack is so bare you can almost see through it! He’s clearly never seen what real Christmas magic is. He shouldn’t even be here. Why do people have to dress as me?”

  “You’re jealous.”

  “Of him? Pah! He’s just a poor man’s version of me, no splendour, no substance! That’s not even a real beard!”

  Nadie moved on. “This is a gathering of poor people. I don’t see you giving them any presents.”

  Nick got flustered. “I... I... That’s not how things are done. I would come in the night—”

  “Like a burglar.”

  “Like a good Santa. I would drop in through the chimney, check my list and put the right gifts under the tree—”

  “What if someone has no tree?”

  “I’d put them in a sock—”

  “What if they don’t hang out socks?”

  “Will you stop interrupting me?” Nick erupted, red as his costume. “The point is, there is the right way to do things. It doesn’t involve dressing up and lying to children.”

  “I don’t remember ever getting anything from you.” Nadie left him with that and went to watch what the other Santa Claus was doing. He sat down and children lined up to sit on his knee one by one. Her younger self looked to the parents, unsure if she should take part.

  “It’s not our tradition, Nadie,” Chunwei reminded her.

  But Yawen was of a different view. “Oh give it up, Chun. Let our blossom enjoy a bit of foreignness for once. It can’t hurt her.”

  Chunwei agreed with a slight nod. Young Nadie jumped in the line, right after Jenna.

  “This is going to be good,” said Nick.

  “What is?” Asked adult Nadie with her trademark scepticism.

  “Wait and see. He might be the impostor, but the magic is real. I can feel it on the tip of my tongue.” He opened his mouth and probed the air like a snake. “It works in strange ways.”

  “I don’t believe in magic, or Christmas, or that you’re the real Santa.”

  “And I don’t believe in taxes. That doesn’t mean they don’t exist.”

  “You’re a strange man, Nick.”

  “Why thank you, little Nadie. Now look ahead, it’s finally your turn.”

  He must have sped up the time again because the queueing had finished. Now it was young Nadie’s turn to climb on the fake Santa’s lap. She did so slowly and with concern written on her face.

  Adult Nadie remembered this moment, and how she felt. She was scared of doing something that she’d never done before. She had to sit with an unknown man and tell him what she really wanted. She wasn’t afraid of the stranger. She just didn’t want to do things wrong and embarrass herself and her parents.

  “What is your name, sweet little girl?” said the man in his warmest voice.

  “Nadine.”

  Come on, you can do this, Nadie was suddenly cheering her younger self. She knew it was a big moment for her. Something special, something magical was going to happen. She just knew it.

  “And what would you like to get for Christmas, Nadine? Is it a new doll?” Young Nadie shook her head. “No? Then tell me what it is, my dear child, and I promise I will do my best to grant your wish. After all, that is what I do, ho, ho, ho!”

  “What a hack,” Nick said. Adult Nadie elbowed him over the hip. She wanted to hear every word.

  “Can you...” her younger self started and stopped.

  “Yeees? You can tell me anything you want. Don’t be afraid.”

  The girl swallowed and gathered her courage. Adult Nadie watched with her fingers crossed. She remembered word for word what she had said that day. She said it along with the little girl that was her:

  “Can you make my mom and dad happy again? They have been through a lot and now they are told we can’t live in our home anymore, and... and they are very scared. Can you give them a new home so they can smile again?”

  There was a perfect silence as everyone watched what would happen next. Yawen Chu dabbed her eyes, p
retending something got into them. It was tears. Chunwei embraced his wife with both arms and together they watched the daughter with a sense of pride swelling their postures.

  It was the fake Santa’s moment to speak. Everyone turned to him with expectation. How would he handle this?

  The fake Santa nodded his head. “I see. I see. My child. Sometimes it’s difficult to be happy. Especially when someone wants to take away your home. But you’ve been a very brave girl today, telling me this. And I promise with all my Santa power, I will speak with my elves and we’ll see what we can do. We will do our absolute best to grant you your wish and make your mommy and daddy happy and smiling again. That is what Christmas is all about. Happy families.” He put his hand over young Nadie’s head and stroked her hair. “Now, let’s see what Santa has got for you.”

  He reached into the big sack lying at his feet. It was nearly empty now but he came up with a small box. Nadie accepted the gift and opened it immediately. Inside was a toy spaceship. Adult Nadie covered her mouth. She recognised that shape. It looked exactly like the Anvil.

  “Here you go, Nadine. Now, run to your parents and show them what you got. I’m sure it will put big smiles on their faces.” He patted the girl on the back and she climbed down and did as he told her. Chunwei picked up his girl, all smiles, and Yawen joined them for a family embrace. They all seemed so very happy for the first time in a very, very long time.

  “Not bad for a charlatan,” Nick nodded and pouted. “I think we are done here.”

  “No,” Nadie said. “I want to stay a little longer.”

  “What did you say? I thought you wanted to go back on your ship as quickly as possible.”

  Nadie said nothing. She watched her family all wrapped up in warm love. Her heart leapt out to them. It was acting silly, but she didn’t mind. Her throat was all tickly, like she was getting a cold, but it was a different kind of sickness that enveloped her. Suddenly, the queen of ice was nostalgic.

  “Sorry, little Nadie. That’s as far as the magic can take you.” Nick rolled his finger way above his head. There was a puff and a white whirlwind took everything away.