Hi, everyone. This scene, from Bayou Fire, doesn’t take place during Christmas … but it’s definitely one of the happiest I’ve written. Enjoy!
“Miss Diana, you and Uncle Amos need to hurry up and put on your pajamas,” Jimmy exclaimed as she and Amos came back inside “Uncle Harm’s gonna read to us from Br’er Rabbit and he says everyone needs to be ready for bed.”
“It’s true,” Amos said in response to Diana’s puzzled look. “Ever since I can remember, when all of the cousins were together there’d be a bedtime story. My daddy used to read them, but since he died Harmon took over.”
Diana was glad she’d brought something nice with her: a long-sleeved blue-and-white cotton nighty that reached the floor, and a matching robe. They had some white embroidery on the square neckline, but were otherwise both plain and modest. In short, the ideal thing for a sleepover in a houseful of people she’d only just met.
When she joined the group in the front room, there were kids in little sleeping bags all over the floor. A fire had been lit in the wood stove and the room was cozy; Diana was surprised by how much the temperature dropped after dark. Harmon had an old book in his hands, and the adults — all in nightwear — were waiting for him to start, too.
Jimmy, wearing pajamas printed with zoo animals, came up and introduced his corduroy elephant to her.
“This is Elmer. He’s my elephant. When I grow up, I’m going to be a zookeeper. Maybe you and I, and uncle Amos, can go to the zoo some time. I can tell you about all the animals. Well, I’d better get settled down in my bedroll for the story, but I wanted you to meet Elmer.” He was in his sleeping bag in seconds.
Amos came down to the living room and found Diana seated in a comfortable chair toward the back of the crowded room. He wore a pair of green and gold plaid flannel pajama pants and no shirt. Amos was slim-hipped and muscular, with just a scattering of black hair on his chest, and a tattoo on one of his pecs. Diana had to avert her gaze to keep from staring as she thought about how Amos had held her, just minutes ago, against that rock-solid body.
“Jimmy surely has taken a shine to you,” he said. “I hope he isn’t driving you crazy. He’s a precocious kid, and I think he’s lonely. Still, he can be a little overwhelming.”
“On the contrary; he’s a delightful little boy,” Diana replied.
Harmon cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention then. The room became quiet except for the rustling of sleeping bags.
“So, Miss Diana,” Harm said, “Everyone here probably knows this but you … and if you already know, I apologize. But I’ve been a school teacher for a lot of years, and I can’t help myself.”
Everyone laughed.
“These stories were collected right up the way at the old Duparc place, which is now called the Laura Plantation. You make that couillon brother of mine take you, hear? Anyway, let’s see what ol’ Br’er Rabbit is up to.”
Christmas Town by Shawn Inmon
Hi, everyone. I am sorry it’s so late in the day, but I wanted to pop in with a Blogmas post regardless.
Hi, everyone. This snippet is from In The Eye of The Storm. The narrator is Veronique LeMaître, Erik’s daughter, writing about her mother, stepfather, and family friends. This holiday concert really did take place in San Francisco, Calif.
Sharon E. Cathcart 