barryspragg
08-13-2013, 12:15 PM
Father Christmas pulled on the reins. The six faithful hooves dug in and scraped the crisp, white snow. He secured the reins and decided to relax for a few minutes before making his final delivery.
His chest was heaving trying to catch as much air as was physically possible. To him it was ironic that he should feel this way. After all, he was the legend - Father Christmas - but alas this particular legend, after two centuries, was just plain tired!
He manoeuvered himself on the sleigh seat. His bottom was a little tired too! “Ah that’s better!”
Above him was a clear blue midnight sky, with a beautiful full, round moon. He had come many times to this green and pleasant land and admired these small islands within the Atlantic whose people had, over the centuries, suffered great tragedies, invasions, wars and yet, had at many times, overcome all!...and had many, glorious moments. These islands had sent its people to all corners of this small earth, not always wisely. Yet they had also created nations that had millions of people with free minds, free choice, and the ability to choose the men and women they wished to speak for them and to create a better world for themselves and their children!
The six faithful shuffled. He realised they were telling him that there was work to be done! He climbed down from the sleigh with the heavy sack. His feet and the sack settled onto the snow. He leaned his back on his “transport” which, like him, had seen better days.
He was outside a very large gated house. The open gates were attached to tall large squared Corinthian pillars but, the surprising thing was, these pillars were not mounted above by the usual sculpted lions or eagles but, on one side, by a group of children - three little boys aged around four, all sat cross-legged listening intently to an elder little girl around ten who was kneeling and opposite her sat three little girls, again listening intently to the elder little boy. Father Christmas had seen many things in his travels but nothing quite so heart rendering. Also, there were no walls! This beautiful house was open to all who needed to enter. “How strange”, he thought. As he lifted his sack his legs started moving. He knew he'd need to cover five hundred paces down this golden, stoned pathway to this amazing house so far away.
As he plodded nearer to the house it became more and more interesting and unusual. It was neither Gothic, Victorian, Regency or even Elizabethan. Whoever had constructed this house wanted all the observers to wonder and gaze at the magnificence of this structure as its mode and style had centuries of man’s ability to create joys for the eyes!
The centre had magnificent double doors, again hand carved, throughout, with children playing together in groups and with animals from all corners of this tiny planet. At the oval top of these monsteR doors were half-moon coloured glass leaded windows again depicting children playing
At each side of these doors were half rounded pillars stretching to the full height of the building, At each side were bow bay windows again stretching to the overhanging roof. Each bay sat on a stone base, with a middle stone support for the upper bays at the left, then at the right of these bays one long half-moon Corinthian pillar stretched to the roof. All of the stones were carved and again conveyed the children playing and in each of the four bays were coloured leaded windows superbly depicting the scenes of the children. This structure was as Father Christmas had seen many times in places of worship throughout this land. It was glorious to all his senses.
Then the doors opened!! He suddenly had a feeling of foreboding he'd not felt over centuries? Why? He stood ten paces away. With the opening came the light, then the voice ….. “Come forth. Come forth.” The light was blinding. His tired legs moved in total obedience to the voice and the 'light'. “Why?” he thought? “Why?” ....he would soon know!
His feet stopped crunching the new Christmas Eve snow as he moved onto the beautifully lawned grass. “Grass inside?” he pondered. Then, stopping, he marveled. The interior of this wondrous place was magical!!
In front of him lay a lawn of deep green grass. It stretched way beyond the size of the exterior of this place.
On each side of these lawns were flowers and herbs of every type and size he'd ever seen on this good earth. The scent hit his nostrils and brain like a thunderbolt as he stood still, observing in wonder. Behind this display of scented colour were trees, again of all sizes and colours prevalent throughout this planet. He spoke to himself as was often done on Christmas Eve .....”Father what is this ...what is this place??”
Behind the trees stood pillars again made of stone reaching to a gallery. This half-moon gallery again supported stone pillars which reached to further galleries. These continued up and up into infinity. At the top of this cathedral-type monument was a gigantic circle with beams of coloured rainbow lights beaming down onto the green lawn in front of him. His eyes hurt.
On the first floor gallery were continuous rungs of doors, each one different from its neighbour. All of these doors he had seen throughout his travels in many countries and continents. “Why? Why?” he wondered. He also presumed this pattern continued on each level within this gigantic dome. His eyes still hurt as they moved down to the beautiful green lawn he stood on. He looked forward again; his eyes startled by rays of rainbow light coming from behind a large break in the treed garden in front of him. Then the voice came......”Come forward...you are welcome to this house....come forward”. Father Christmas knew that he must move forward.
Many paces later the blinding light receded. At that moment he knew it was the one place that after all these centuries he thought he would never be allowed to enter.
The voice came...”Please come forward. Please come forward”. He moved towards the voice. As he moved the blinding lights slowly became dimmer. And then the second shock came.
He stood trying to absorb what he was witnessing. Between the break of the flowers and trees a set of majestic stairs came down from the first gallery. These were wider at the top then moved down to a half moon shape and became wider at the bottom. Their height and depth were larger than Father Christmas had ever seen. Each side of the stairs carried stair rails following down into the half-moon shape. On each side were squared pillars with hand carved wooden sculptures of a boy and girl sitting crossed leg smiling in that childlike way, a way in which you wanted to smile with them.
Father Christmas didn’t really want to see what he was now seeing at the base of these glorious stairs, but he knew he had to. The eleven were all sat down up to the fourth step. Above “he” sat......The Nazarene....the Galilean.....the Master........ They were all there! Beneath him sat on the other steps.......John.....Mathew......Mark.........Simo n called Peter.....the Doubter?
He fell to his knees as he felt overwhelming joy and overwhelming guilt. He also remembered what was said so long ago......'In my father’s house there are many mansions'.
Then, the voice came to him again. It was Simon called Peter.....also the dreaded name he never wished to hear again.......... “Welcome to this house......Judas of the house of Isocrates....please Judas our brother rise!” He did rise very slowly. He now felt so very, very tired.
Peter spoke again..... “Please Judas...please come forward and join us”. “No Peter. I have not the right to sit among you”. Then the Nazarene, the Christ stood and spoke. “Judas. Judas. He who is called Father Christmas. You have now earned the right. Penance has been done. Your mission given by my father has been achieved. Too long now you have served”. Judas looked into those reassuring eyes he remembered from so long ago. ”Yes Lord I am tired, but what of the children Lord?”
The Nazarene rose and moved down the steps slowly among the disciples. Judas shivered as the man called Christ from the House of Joseph moved towards him. His arms soon felt the warmth of his Master’s touch as he was held by both arms. The Christ never spoke but those eyes did. They said “Fear not for the children. They will know comfort from these arms!''
The Christ then kissed him on the cheek in the same way that the then Judas had kissed his Lord on that dreadful night so long ago. The Christ said...''go forth and become again the Twelve''. Father Christmas knew then at that one moment forgiveness had come.
He moved willingly then and once again became one of..... “The Twelve”
They all watched as the Master moved towards the doors. They all knew he would never look back. He stood at the door and outstretched his arms like they all remembered he'd always done before his many sermons to the believers.
The six faithful stared as the light from the 'house' beamed out across their new Master’s body. It formed a shadow of a cross the length of the snow-covered lawn to the gates. They all pulled themselves up onto their hind legs in acknowledgement of their new Father. At that one moment in time they all new there was a new “beginning”.
The End
His chest was heaving trying to catch as much air as was physically possible. To him it was ironic that he should feel this way. After all, he was the legend - Father Christmas - but alas this particular legend, after two centuries, was just plain tired!
He manoeuvered himself on the sleigh seat. His bottom was a little tired too! “Ah that’s better!”
Above him was a clear blue midnight sky, with a beautiful full, round moon. He had come many times to this green and pleasant land and admired these small islands within the Atlantic whose people had, over the centuries, suffered great tragedies, invasions, wars and yet, had at many times, overcome all!...and had many, glorious moments. These islands had sent its people to all corners of this small earth, not always wisely. Yet they had also created nations that had millions of people with free minds, free choice, and the ability to choose the men and women they wished to speak for them and to create a better world for themselves and their children!
The six faithful shuffled. He realised they were telling him that there was work to be done! He climbed down from the sleigh with the heavy sack. His feet and the sack settled onto the snow. He leaned his back on his “transport” which, like him, had seen better days.
He was outside a very large gated house. The open gates were attached to tall large squared Corinthian pillars but, the surprising thing was, these pillars were not mounted above by the usual sculpted lions or eagles but, on one side, by a group of children - three little boys aged around four, all sat cross-legged listening intently to an elder little girl around ten who was kneeling and opposite her sat three little girls, again listening intently to the elder little boy. Father Christmas had seen many things in his travels but nothing quite so heart rendering. Also, there were no walls! This beautiful house was open to all who needed to enter. “How strange”, he thought. As he lifted his sack his legs started moving. He knew he'd need to cover five hundred paces down this golden, stoned pathway to this amazing house so far away.
As he plodded nearer to the house it became more and more interesting and unusual. It was neither Gothic, Victorian, Regency or even Elizabethan. Whoever had constructed this house wanted all the observers to wonder and gaze at the magnificence of this structure as its mode and style had centuries of man’s ability to create joys for the eyes!
The centre had magnificent double doors, again hand carved, throughout, with children playing together in groups and with animals from all corners of this tiny planet. At the oval top of these monsteR doors were half-moon coloured glass leaded windows again depicting children playing
At each side of these doors were half rounded pillars stretching to the full height of the building, At each side were bow bay windows again stretching to the overhanging roof. Each bay sat on a stone base, with a middle stone support for the upper bays at the left, then at the right of these bays one long half-moon Corinthian pillar stretched to the roof. All of the stones were carved and again conveyed the children playing and in each of the four bays were coloured leaded windows superbly depicting the scenes of the children. This structure was as Father Christmas had seen many times in places of worship throughout this land. It was glorious to all his senses.
Then the doors opened!! He suddenly had a feeling of foreboding he'd not felt over centuries? Why? He stood ten paces away. With the opening came the light, then the voice ….. “Come forth. Come forth.” The light was blinding. His tired legs moved in total obedience to the voice and the 'light'. “Why?” he thought? “Why?” ....he would soon know!
His feet stopped crunching the new Christmas Eve snow as he moved onto the beautifully lawned grass. “Grass inside?” he pondered. Then, stopping, he marveled. The interior of this wondrous place was magical!!
In front of him lay a lawn of deep green grass. It stretched way beyond the size of the exterior of this place.
On each side of these lawns were flowers and herbs of every type and size he'd ever seen on this good earth. The scent hit his nostrils and brain like a thunderbolt as he stood still, observing in wonder. Behind this display of scented colour were trees, again of all sizes and colours prevalent throughout this planet. He spoke to himself as was often done on Christmas Eve .....”Father what is this ...what is this place??”
Behind the trees stood pillars again made of stone reaching to a gallery. This half-moon gallery again supported stone pillars which reached to further galleries. These continued up and up into infinity. At the top of this cathedral-type monument was a gigantic circle with beams of coloured rainbow lights beaming down onto the green lawn in front of him. His eyes hurt.
On the first floor gallery were continuous rungs of doors, each one different from its neighbour. All of these doors he had seen throughout his travels in many countries and continents. “Why? Why?” he wondered. He also presumed this pattern continued on each level within this gigantic dome. His eyes still hurt as they moved down to the beautiful green lawn he stood on. He looked forward again; his eyes startled by rays of rainbow light coming from behind a large break in the treed garden in front of him. Then the voice came......”Come forward...you are welcome to this house....come forward”. Father Christmas knew that he must move forward.
Many paces later the blinding light receded. At that moment he knew it was the one place that after all these centuries he thought he would never be allowed to enter.
The voice came...”Please come forward. Please come forward”. He moved towards the voice. As he moved the blinding lights slowly became dimmer. And then the second shock came.
He stood trying to absorb what he was witnessing. Between the break of the flowers and trees a set of majestic stairs came down from the first gallery. These were wider at the top then moved down to a half moon shape and became wider at the bottom. Their height and depth were larger than Father Christmas had ever seen. Each side of the stairs carried stair rails following down into the half-moon shape. On each side were squared pillars with hand carved wooden sculptures of a boy and girl sitting crossed leg smiling in that childlike way, a way in which you wanted to smile with them.
Father Christmas didn’t really want to see what he was now seeing at the base of these glorious stairs, but he knew he had to. The eleven were all sat down up to the fourth step. Above “he” sat......The Nazarene....the Galilean.....the Master........ They were all there! Beneath him sat on the other steps.......John.....Mathew......Mark.........Simo n called Peter.....the Doubter?
He fell to his knees as he felt overwhelming joy and overwhelming guilt. He also remembered what was said so long ago......'In my father’s house there are many mansions'.
Then, the voice came to him again. It was Simon called Peter.....also the dreaded name he never wished to hear again.......... “Welcome to this house......Judas of the house of Isocrates....please Judas our brother rise!” He did rise very slowly. He now felt so very, very tired.
Peter spoke again..... “Please Judas...please come forward and join us”. “No Peter. I have not the right to sit among you”. Then the Nazarene, the Christ stood and spoke. “Judas. Judas. He who is called Father Christmas. You have now earned the right. Penance has been done. Your mission given by my father has been achieved. Too long now you have served”. Judas looked into those reassuring eyes he remembered from so long ago. ”Yes Lord I am tired, but what of the children Lord?”
The Nazarene rose and moved down the steps slowly among the disciples. Judas shivered as the man called Christ from the House of Joseph moved towards him. His arms soon felt the warmth of his Master’s touch as he was held by both arms. The Christ never spoke but those eyes did. They said “Fear not for the children. They will know comfort from these arms!''
The Christ then kissed him on the cheek in the same way that the then Judas had kissed his Lord on that dreadful night so long ago. The Christ said...''go forth and become again the Twelve''. Father Christmas knew then at that one moment forgiveness had come.
He moved willingly then and once again became one of..... “The Twelve”
They all watched as the Master moved towards the doors. They all knew he would never look back. He stood at the door and outstretched his arms like they all remembered he'd always done before his many sermons to the believers.
The six faithful stared as the light from the 'house' beamed out across their new Master’s body. It formed a shadow of a cross the length of the snow-covered lawn to the gates. They all pulled themselves up onto their hind legs in acknowledgement of their new Father. At that one moment in time they all new there was a new “beginning”.
The End