The Greens of Jericho

 He was falling, through the darkness, deep into the ground. This was the end. He was sinking into his own grave…

    He landed with a thud. He opened his eyes. He was on the floor in his room, twisted in his sleeping bag. There were rays of sunshine peaking through the cracks in the blinds on the small window. Breathing heavily, he looked around the room. There were no eerie lights, jolly laughter, or nightmare-inducing spectres. Just the dim lighting of his store bedroom.
   
    Then maybe it wasn't over. There was time.
   
    He threw on his coat and shoes, not bothering to change into new clothes. He raced down the hall and through the front room of the store, unlocking the front door.

    The street looked as it had the day before, covered in soft white snow, glistening in the midday light. The sky was bright and just as they had in his dream, people were strolling along, exchanging Christmas greetings. So it hadn't happened yet, the present or future things he'd seen. He had to be sure.
   
   He saw a young boy running past, a sled in tow.

   “Hey!” he called. “Hey, kid!”

   The boy stopped. Dale recognized him as one of the boys from the class of carolers. Pushing aside his guilt at how he'd sent them away, he went on.

   “What day is it?” he asked.

   The kid stared at him as if he'd lost his mind. “It's Christmas,” he said.

    Dale laughed out loud. “So I'm not too late! It happened all in one night. Well, I guess they could do it all in one night, they're ghosts, they can do whatever they want.”

    The kid was watching him with his mouth open. “Mister, do you need help or something?”

   “Help?” asked Dale, a distracted smile on his face. “Oh, yeah, that would be great. Do you know if the church service let out yet?”
         
   The kid shook his head. “It's on in a little while. I'm supposed to meet my parents there.”
       
   Dale clasped his hands together. “Oh, that's great, that's really great! Listen, I have some things I've got to bring over there. Would you mind helping me, you know, with that cool sled you've got there?”

     “Uh, okay,” said the kid, a little confused.
   
     “Thank you!” exclaimed Dale. “You're a great kid, thank you!” He led the way into the store and got to work.
             
      About twenty minutes later, Dale and Justin (for that was the kid's name) were walking towards the Church, dragging the sled behind them. When they reached the church, they dragged the sled up the steps. “Thanks, Justin. Can I give it back to you when church is over?” asked Dale.

     “Okay,” said Justin, going inside to find his family.

    Dale took one shaky breath before he went in too. He hadn't been inside the church in a long time. The service had already started and it was packed with people. He carefully pushed his way through the crowd until he spotted Jimmy Taylor. Jimmy was watching the front of the room, beaming. Dale followed his gaze and saw Jimmy's daughter, dressed in her angel costume, standing on a podium and saying something about “the new-born king”. He couldn't tear Jimmy away now. He looked around again.

    He spotted Gail Green near the front, also watching the kids' pageant. He waited until the pageant was finished and the congregation was singing a hymn before sneaking up to the front.

    “Mrs. Green,” he whispered.

    “Dale,” she said with surprise.
         
    “Do you think you could come out here for a minute?” he asked.

    “Right now?” she whispered back.
         
    “I don't want to interrupt, but I think you should see this before everyone leaves,” he said. He tried to show her he was earnest. She seemed to buy it, because she got up and followed him, mouthing “I'll be right back,” to an anxious looking Jake.

    She came out to the front of the church, and he pointed to the sled. It was piled with things from the store.

    “What's all this?” she asked.

    “Just a donation I helped deliver,” he said nonchalantly. “I don't know if it's too late, but I thought maybe the people at this service, the refugees especially, could take some stuff on their way out. And people could take things for their friends and neighbours who aren't here.”

    She bent down to look at the stuff. “I couldn't really find any more winter clothes, but I thought people could still use some of these things. We still had some travel games and kids' stuff stocked in the back too.”

    She was speechless for a moment, as she looked through the bundles of toys, dishes, and household items. “This is a generous gift, Dale,” she said.

    “No, it's just-” Dale stammered. He really wished he could remain anonymous this time. “Do you think it'll work? Handing it out after church?”

    “I don't see why not,” she said grinning. “Do you want to help hand it out?”

    “If it's all the same, I'd rather not. I have some other things I have to do soon,” he said.

    “Okay,” she said conspiratorially. “I'll get a couple others to help me. Do you want to go back inside?”

    Dale shrugged, but went back inside anyway. He was busy formulating his plan as he searched through the crowd. He could see the Richmonds, not far away, and there was Art, sitting with some of the others who worked for Dale. He made a mental note to plan something special for all his crew when they came back to work. They really didn't get to relax very often, and he wanted to start celebrating more himself. He noticed Emily Sullivan, sitting across the aisle. She was smiling now, watching the kids singing. He sighed. He hoped he was going about this the right way.
         
    Just before it was over, Gail Green made an announcement that Santa had left some presents down in the basement, and any family who was in need of anything should come downstairs and pick something. She said it delicately enough that everyone knew the gifts were for people who really needed them, but no one would feel bad accepting them. The ripple of excitement that spread through the crowd, especially the kids when they heard Santa had visited, made Dale’s cheeks glow.

     As the service let out, he was one of the first people to exit, since he had been at the back. He stood off to the side, watching as people streamed out. If everything was really happening the same way it had with the ghost of Christmas present last night, he'd have to be careful in his timing. Of course, some people were downstairs this time, checking out his gifts. He looked around quickly.

    Art was standing nearby. “Merry Christmas, Art!” said Dale, cheerfully.

    Art looked like he'd seen a ghost. “I didn't - didn't expect to see you here,” he said.

    “Listen, Art. Would you like to take tomorrow off too?” asked Dale. “You did work Christmas Eve, after all.”

    “Seriously?” asked Art, suspiciously.

    “Yes,” said Dale, putting on the most serious face he could. “And I'm sorry if it was a pretty miserable Christmas Eve. I wasn't the most friendly.”

    “No, you were okay,” said Art carefully.

    “Well, I've got to go, but have a Merry Christmas!” said Dale, chuckling to himself at the stunned look on Art's face as he wished Dale a Merry Christmas.
       
    Dale stepped aside and looked around hurriedly. Who did he have to see next? The Richmonds! He spun around. He could see them walking across the icy sidewalk. That meant any moment, Mimi was going to...
       
     He dashed forward as Mimi slipped on the ice, catching her arm just before she fell. Three pairs of eyes stared at him in surprise. “Dale!” Bonnie choked out.
 
     “You'd think with all the salt we have, we wouldn't have icy sidewalks,” said Dale with a grin.

     “Thanks,” said Mimi, still looking shocked.

    “No problem,” said Dale, turning to Bonnie. “Bonnie, I just wanted to know if I'm still invited to your party tonight.”

    Her expression changed from amazement to pleasure. “Yeah. Of course. If you don't think celebrating is for idiots.” She raised an eyebrow.

    “No, believe me, I don't,” he said. “But I'm not sure how I'm going to get there. The road's pretty snowy. Do you know anyone with a truck or something?”

    “My cousins. They can bring a bunch of people in the back of their truck,” she said. “We can let them know to pick you up on our way home now.”

    “That would be great,” he said. “But do you think they could pick me up somewhere else?”

    He whispered the location to Bonnie, who looked puzzled, but nodded. He watched out of the corner of his eye. Jake was approaching. That meant he had to move on to the next person. “I'll see you guys later!”

    “Bye Dale!” called Bonnie as he made his way over to the corner of the building. There was Emily, standing and waiting.

    “Miss Sullivan!” he said as he walked up to her.

    “Oh, hi Dale!” she said distractedly. She recovered quickly and gave him a smile. “Merry Christmas!”

    “You too,” he said. “What are you doing for the holiday?” he asked.

    She laughed. “You know, hang out with a friend or two, read a book. How about you Dale?” she asked.

    He sighed. She didn't know her friend was going to the party yet. “Listen, I have this idea, and if you're not doing anything, maybe you can help. Would you mind? I'd only need your help later today.”

    He hoped she wouldn't ask too many questions. He explained a little of what he had in mind. She didn't seem very enthused, but she agreed, he suspected, because she didn't want to disappoint him.

     “That's great, Miss Sullivan. I'll meet you at the house,” he said. He was afraid for a minute she was going to keep waiting, but she left then, off to get her part of the plan ready.

     He walked through the throng of people again. Jake was waving goodbye to the Richmonds and Mimi. “Jake...” he said cautiously.

    “Yeah?” asked Jake, a little suspiciously.

    Dale walked backwards a little, hoping Jake would follow him. He did, reluctantly. Now he only had to stall a little. “Uhhh, I hope you guys are having a good Christmas. I know it's been hard on your Mom.”

    “Yeah, it has,” said Jake, a little harshly. His expression softened then. “But thanks, I guess. How about you?”

     Dale glanced over his shoulder. “It's been really strange so far, but I think it's going to turn out great. Well, I hope.” He turned around. Heather was walking along the sidewalk, struggling with the pile of costumes.

     He looked back at Jake. He had seen too. “Uh, I'll see you later Dale. Have a good one!” said Jake.

     He walked over and held out his arms. Dale couldn't hear what they were saying, but could tell she was telling him she could handle it herself. Finally, she accepted and dumped half of the costumes in his arms.

    Dale smiled as he turned away. He knew he couldn't make things right for everyone, but he could try to show them potential.

    Now, he had some time to enjoy the day before the evening came and the rest of his plan was put into motion. He decided to go for a walk.

    As he passed houses and streets, a lot of the scenes looked familiar. He had seen these things in his dream, but this felt so much more real. He could feel the December winds brushing through his clothes, and he could feel the snow crunching beneath his feet. The smells of food cooking made his stomach growl.

    He walked past the Hawkins' house. Allison was helping her little brother make a snowman. He didn't know Allison very well, but he approached the house anyway.

   “Hi,” he said when she looked over at him.

   “Hi Dale,” she said.

   “Hi!” said the little brother, who introduced himself as Sam. After Dale admired the snowman, he told Allison about his plan. She agreed to it, and Dale felt triumphant as he walked away.

    Next, he stopped at Jimmy Taylor's house. Jimmy's daughter answered the door, still wearing an angel costume.

    “Hi!” said Dale. “I saw you in the play at church. It was really good.”

    “Thank you,” she said with a shy smile.

    “Do you think you could get your dad for me?” he asked.

    She ran down the hall, and a minute later, was back with Jimmy. “Dale,” he said seriously.

     “Hi Deputy Taylor,” said Dale. He swallowed. He wanted to say this carefully. “I just wanted to say sorry if I offended you at the store yesterday. I said some things I didn't mean. Well, I may have meant it at the time, but I don't believe it now.”

    Jimmy just nodded.

   “Do you like eggnog?” asked Dale.

    Jimmy looked surprised. “Yeah, sure.”

    Dale handed him the bottle from his fridge. “Don't serve it to the kids. Mimi Clark made it and I think it's alcoholic.”

    Jimmy chuckled. “Thanks.”

   “And here's something for the kids.” Dale thrust a jar of bubbles and a yo-yo into Jimmy's hands. “I know it's no Playstation, but-”

    “No, it's great, thanks,” said Jimmy. “What do you say, Sally?”

    “Bubbles!” the little girl shrieked, grabbing them from her father's hand. “Thank you!” she said after her father nudged her.

     Dale smiled. “Merry Christmas,” he said, giving them a wave and leaving them to stare after him in amazement.

     He kept walking down the street, and then stopped. He could see the Carmichaels’ house. He didn't know if Skylar was there right now, or if she was visiting somewhere else. He kept walking. He'd have time to think about that later.

     As he turned down another street, he saw Heather walking along the sidewalk. Fate seemed to be helping him out, as he now knew the missing piece in his plan.

     “Heather!” he called across the street. She stopped and looked over in puzzlement. He dashed across the road, hoping she'd be as willing to help as the others had.













     Dale ate a quick Christmas lunch/dinner in the break room. Next year he'd plan ahead and get himself invited to someone else's dinner. Maybe he'd even host one himself. Of course, next year, things would probably be a bit more stressful, with the army...He stopped himself from dwelling too much on that future possibility. He could imagine the ghost of Christmas present, telling him to focus on what he can do instead of the things he really can't control.

     He quickly cleared away his dishes, and went to sit in the front of the store. It wasn't long before Heather appeared at the door. He unlocked it and led her into the back room.

    “Wow,” she said softly, looking around at all the things that Gracie had procured by trading, back in the days after the bombs. “So none of these were plugged in, right?”

     “Right,” he said. “I thought most of them were useless, that's why they're still here, but the Greens have a got an old t.v. that works. They just don't have anything to watch. Do you think there's anything here that would work?”

     She bent over and examined a few things. “I think this one might,” she said. “Or maybe this one.”
     
     A few moments later, Dale was locking up the store. He bent down and picked up the bundle wrapped in a tarp, and he and Heather, carrying a similar package, set out.

     Dale felt a little awkward walking along with her, since he'd never spoken much to her in real life, but he'd witnessed her future, sad moments and all. He got over it quickly, though, as she asked him a bunch of questions. He told her about growing up in Jericho, and, surprisingly, about his mother. He had spoken of her seldom since she had died last year, but seeing her the night before, he felt eager to hold on to her, somehow. Talking out loud about her, to someone else, made her feel real again, like she had really existed outside of his dreams.

    Quickly, they reached their destination. It looked so much like it had in his dream the night before, he could almost picture the spirit of Christmas present peering in the window.

    Heather stopped, looking up at the house a little nervously. Dale continued up, knocking on the door, knowing she'd follow.

    Eric answered the door, wearing the same funny combination of sweaters. “Dale, Heather. What are you guys doing here?”

    Jake and Mary came to stand near the door too. Dale smiled to himself at the surprise on their faces.

    “Come in,” said Jake, pushing his brother and sister-in-law out of the way.

    “I know I'm early, but Dale had a gift he wanted to bring you,” said Heather.

    They all looked at him. “It's for - well, it's for all of you, but it's especially for Mrs. Green,” said Dale.

    Jake was looking at him strangely, but a smile was forming on his face. “Should I go get her?” he asked.

    “Actually, you should go get the t.v. from the basement,” said Dale.

    He looked like he would ask more questions, but Heather gave him a look, and he went to get the t.v.

    Eric clapped his hands together. “Anything we can do to help?” he asked.

    “Are you guys finished the dish - uh, dinner?” asked Dale.

    “We were just finishing dessert actually,” he answered. “Mom's still in there.”

    “You guys go back in there, and we'll work on the present,” Dale said.

    Eric and Mary went back into the dining room, sneaking glances over their shoulders.

     Heather, meanwhile, had unwrapped the two v.c.r.'s and was busy examining them. She had opened her backpack, which Dale noticed was full of tools. Jake came into the room, lugging the old television set. “Whoa, do those work?” he asked.

    “We'll see,” said Heather, not looking up from her task.

    Jake put the old t.v. down on the floor and started clearing off the t.v. stand. Eric stuck his head through the door. “Dale, Mom wants you to come in here. If you're not working on the project right now,” he said, glancing over at the others, who didn't even look up.

    “Sure,” said Dale, smiling to himself as he followed Eric.

    He went into the dining room. Gail was sitting at the table, a warm smile on her face. The dessert plates were still on the table. Dale had forgotten they had had apple crumble.

    “Would you like some, Dale?” she asked, holding up a plate.
 
    He accepted eagerly, sitting in front of the dessert and spooning it into his mouth. It was the most delicious thing he'd eaten in a long time.

    “This is so good, Mrs. Green,” he said. She smirked.

    “Eric made it,” she said. “With my directions.”

    “Well, it's really good, Eric,” said Dale.

    The others were sitting too, and they were all watching him as he ate. He didn't mind tonight. He was so glad to be invited.

    When he was finished, Eric and Mary cleared all the plates, and went to start the dishes. Dale leaned back in his chair. Gail cleared her throat.

    “I wanted to thank you, Dale,” she said. “The gifts you brought earlier today - they were a real hit.”

    “It's nothing, Mrs. Green,” he said.

    “I know how you feel about the whole holiday spirit thing, so it means a lot that you decided to help out the rest of us anyway,” she continued.

    “About that...” he started. She looked at him curiously. “I don't think I believe it anymore. It's important that we celebrate while we can.”

    She nodded.

    “And Mrs. Green?” he asked. She raised her eyebrows. “I know you've been sick lately, and if there's anything I can do, you know, any way I can help-”

    She shook her head, chuckling softly. “Dale, that's sweet of you, but you know there isn't anything you can do about it.”

    He frowned. “There has to be something,” he said.

    “There is. Stop worrying about it,” she said. “I'm not. I'm just trying to enjoy all of this while I can. I've got my boys here with me, and even Mary, who I never would have expected to have over last Christmas,” she laughed. “And of course, our friends. They make it all bearable, don't they?” she asked.

    He nodded.

    She looked at him again, her eyebrows knit together. “I still don't know why you've made this miraculous turn around. It's like you changed your mind over night. Is there something in the eggnog?”

    “Probably,” he said with a short laugh. “But, I guess you could say, I've re-evaluated things. I didn't like the way things were going.”

    “Good for you, honey,” she said. “I'm proud of you.”

    He sighed deeply. He felt very full, of more than just dessert. “Thanks,” he said.
           
    Mary stuck her head in from the kitchen. “Eric wants to know if the surprise is ready. He's really excited,” she said, whispering the last part.
           
    “I'll check,” said Dale, rolling his eyes. He got up and went to the door to the living room, opening it a crack. Jake was sitting on the couch, playing with the remote. Heather was crouched in front of the television, fiddling with the v.c.r. They weren't talking about the task at hand, however.
       
    “...and you know, even though I already knew he was dead before I got to New Bern, it was really weird that he wasn't there. I kept thinking, 'I'll go over to Dad's and decorate the tree.' It was worse than our first Christmas without Mom,” Heather was saying.
       
    “The first is the worst, right?” asked Jake. Heather nodded.
       
    “I just keep thinking about how many holidays I missed, when he was still around. I had the chance, and I-”
     
    Dale shut the door before he heard any more of what Jake was saying. “It'll be a minute,” he told Mary and Gail.
   
    “Aw,” he could hear Eric saying from the doorway.
   
    “Actually, Eric, can I ask you to help with part of the surprise?” asked Dale. He followed him into the kitchen and whispered what he needed. Eric agreed wholeheartedly.
 
    A few minutes later, Dale, Eric, Mary and Gail were sitting around the table, trading stories about Christmases long past, when Jake opened the door. “It's ready,” he said. He took his mom's arm and led her into the living room.

    Heather was beaming as Gail was offered a seat on the couch. Eric went to the shelf and retrieved a video. “What are we all looking at?” asked Gail.

    “The new v.c.r.,” said Jake. “It works, by the way.”

     Gail looked from Jake, to Heather, to Dale, a grin spreading across her face. “This is the gift you brought me?” she asked Dale.

    He nodded. He looked over at Eric. Eric went up and slid the video into the machine. Jake pressed play on the remote. The grainy picture of a homemade video came up on the screen. Dale recognized the front steps of town hall. He looked around at the others in the room. One by one, they were realizing what they were watching. Gail breathed in sharply. Jake sat beside her on the couch, and Eric sat on her other side. Mary perched cautiously on the couch arm.

    From the screen, they could hear a voice speaking. “Citizens of Jericho, I present to you your new mayor - Johnston Green!”

    A much younger Johnston stepped into view, nodding to the crowd and raising his hand to wave. “Thank you. I'd just like to say that of all the places I've been, and all the people I've met, nothing has made me prouder or happier than to be able to stand here today...”

    The occupants of the room watched quietly as Johnston made his inaugural speech. The camera panned over to a beaming Gail Green, standing with her sons. Jake looked a little annoyed to be wearing a tie, but was clapping at his father's speech. Eric was watching in awe. Johnston's father stood behind Eric, looking extremely pleased.

    “I was so afraid Jake was going to insist on wearing jeans,” said Gail. Everyone giggled softly.

    When the speech was over, there was some footage of the crowd, at what seemed to be a reception. Gracie Leigh waved at the camera, covering her mouth because she was eating a finger sandwich. Jake could be seen running by, with a sandy haired boy. Jake tapped Heather on the shoulder, as she was sitting on the floor in front of the couch. “Stanley,” he whispered.

    Now, the camera came up to Johnston and Gail, who were busy greeting well wishers.

    “Mayor Green!” came a voice, presumably the cameraman. “Give us a quote!”

    Johnston feigned exasperation. “Come on, Bernie. Don't you have enough footage?”

    “I promised Gail I'd capture the whole occasion,” the voice said. In the video, Gail smiled apologetically, but then pushed him closer to the camera.

    “Come on, we'll play this when we're old and our grandchildren can see what you were like when you first took office,” she teased him.
       
    “Alright, alright,” he said. He looked into the camera. “I'd like to thank everyone who helped me along the way. I have a lot of hope for this place, and for these people, and I'm sure I won't be disappointed. This is the beginning of a what I hope will be many good years.”
       
    He paused, took a sip from the cup of root beer he was holding, and spoke again. “I'd like to thank my wife too, for everything she's done for me, and everything she puts up with. I couldn't do it without her. And I'd like to thank my sons for agreeing to share their dad with the whole town. And of course, my father, for teaching me how to be a leader. So, thank you guys. I love you.”
 
    He held up his glass to the camera. “And to the grandchildren watching this many years from now - I hope you're giving your dads as much trouble as they gave me.”

    With a chuckle, he turned to talk to more of the townspeople. Bernie apparently moved on to taping the trays of vegetables and dip.

   The Green family was still watching silently, all with teary eyes.

    Even Mary and Heather looked as though they might cry, and Dale felt his own throat tightening. He also felt certain that he had brought the right gift.

    Finally, Gail turned towards him, saying, “Thank you, Dale.” She gave him a small smile through her tears.

    The others were all looking at him now, emotion frozen on their faces. He shrugged. “I used to think that it was better not to think about the people you miss, but I recently got the chance to look back, and now I think maybe it's better to remember. It hurts, but it makes you feel better too. Stronger, I guess.”

    They were all still watching him, faces showing their reactions to the scene. Jake nodded then, as if to agree with and thank Dale all at once. Dale nodded his head back.

    Jake stood up then. “Well, that's about all the memories I can take for now,” he said. He reached down for Heather's hand and helped pull her to her feet. “Should we get ready to go?”
   
    “We should,” she said, grinning. “Blankets?”
     
    They left, as they had before, and Dale went to stand by the door. Any moment now, the next piece of the puzzle would fall into place, and this part was the part most likely to go horribly wrong.
     
    Eric was gathering a handful of other videos, laying them out on the coffee table for Gail to choose from. “Are you sure you'll be alright staying here?” he asked.
   
    Dale glanced out the window again. He could see a figure coming closer, reaching the lawn and coming up to the porch. He slipped over to the door and opened it.

    “Miss Sullivan!” he said. “Glad you could make it.”

    She nodded, and looked apprehensively into the house. This would be the tricky part.

    “Come on in,” he said.

    She followed him into the living room, where Gail, Eric, and Mary exclaimed things like “Emily!”, “What a surprise!”, and “Happy Christmas Night!”

    “What brings you out here, sweetie?” asked Gail.

    “Oh, I heard a rumour you guys had a v.c.r. I was wondering if you might want to watch a classic.” She held up a copy of The Santa Clause.

    “Well, the rumours are true,” said Gail, gesturing dramatically towards the t.v., which was now playing a video of a teenage Eric performing in West Side Story.

    “Oh, I remember this!” Emily laughed. She came over and put her video on the coffee table.

    “Would you like some apple crumble?” asked Gail.

    “That would be great,” said Emily. Gail started to get up from the couch, putting a hand over her mouth to suppress a cough.

    “How about I go get some myself?” suggested Emily.

    “Well, you know where everything is,” said Gail.

    She gave Dale a meaningful glance as Emily went into the kitchen. He nodded to show her he understood what he had to do next. He dashed down the hall to where he knew the closet of blankets was located. Jake and Heather were both leaning against the wall, joking about something. Dale cleared his throat loudly.

    “Miss Sullivan's here,” he said, trying to sound as innocent as possible. “She, uh, was going to spend her night all alone so I thought maybe she could hang out with Mrs. Green. She's got this movie she really wanted to watch.”

    “Of course,” said Jake, looking away.

    Heather looked troubled. “Poor Em,” she said.
 
    “Don't worry. I think she'll be okay,” he said, knowing it wouldn't really assuage Heather's guilt.

    “Do you think...can I go say hi?” she asked timidly.

    Dale shrugged. Why did people keep expecting him to know? He noticed then that she was looking at Jake.

    “Yeah, you go,” said Jake. “I'll get these things ready.” He motioned at the blankets.

    Heather went back down the hall, and Dale watched Jake watch her go, with amusement.

    “Do you want help?” asked Dale.

    Jake looked at him suddenly, like he had forgotten he was there, and said distractedly, “I'm okay, thanks.”
         
    They walked down the hallway slowly, and Jake waited a moment near the door to the living room. Dale took the lead, peering around the corner. Heather was hugging Emily.
         
    “Have a good night,” she was saying. “You too,” Emily said. With a quick goodbye to Gail, Heather hurried out the front door.
         
    Eric and Mary were already outside too, so Dale turned to Jake. “I think they're ready to go,” he whispered. He walked into the room, and Jake followed.
   
    “Hi Em,” Jake said. “Hi,” she said, gazing at him quietly.

    “You guys going to be okay?” he asked, looking from his mom to her.

    “We're going to be fine, Jake,” said Emily, rolling her eyes. “Go on, get out of here.” She smiled quickly to show she meant it in the nicest way.

    “Have fun Jake,” said Gail, reaching up to kiss him.

    “You too,” he said. He went over to the doorway. “I thought you were coming too,” he said to Dale.

    “Nah, I don't think you'll have room,” he said. Jake was eyeing him suspiciously. “I mean, you know, there's four of you and I have my own ride I should probably wait for.” He remembered the sleigh was supposed to be a secret.
         
    “Okay. See you there,” said Jake, and with that, he went outside.
       
    “Dale,” Gail waved him over to the couch. “Thank you,” she said, standing up and giving him a hug.
         
    “You're welcome,” he said. He smiled at Emily, who nodded her appreciation. He called one last “Merry Christmas” at them as he went out the door.
       
    He could see the four adults shrinking as they walked farther away. He stood, breathing in the cold, smoky air. He went to wait at the side of the road for his ride.
       
    Not very much later, the truck with Bonnie's cousins pulled up. They had piled the back with blankets. He went up front to ask them to make a few additional stops. They agreed, and soon, they were driving towards the old Thompson place. Allison must have been waiting near the door, because she came outside as they pulled up.

    “Hey,” said Dale, lifting the blankets in the back of the truck. “Hey,” she said back.

    It was really cold riding in the back, and they didn't speak much as they drove to the next destination. Dale worried the whole time, hoping this part of his plan would work as well as the last part. Just like the spirit had said, he had a harder time seeing things closer to his heart than messing around in other people's lives.

    They stopped outside the Carmichaels' house, and Allison prepared to jump down. She turned back to Dale. “You know, she doesn't really know me well,” she said. “What if she doesn't want to come?”

    He shrugged. “At least we'll have tried. But she might agree to go if you ask. I don't think she will if I do. She needs a friend. If you don't want to, it's okay...”

    “No, I'll do it,” said Allison, climbing out of the truck.

    Dale watched as Allison knocked on the door, and spoke briefly to Mrs. Carmichael. Mrs. Carmichael vanished for a moment, and Skylar appeared in the doorway. They talked back and forth for a few minutes, and Skylar looked over at him with a guarded expression. Allison talked to her some more, and she listened, interjecting at intervals. Finally, she went back inside the house. Dale sighed, but Allison smiled over at him and nodded. In a few moments, Skylar was back, wearing a coat, scarf, hat, and mittens.
   
    They approached the truck and climbed aboard. Skylar sat on the other side of Allison, and mouthed a quiet “hello” to Dale. He tried to keep from looking too pleased. He didn't want her to think he was trying to win her back. He just wanted her to have a good evening.

    When they arrived at the Richmonds' house, He could see the sleigh tracks in the snow. Allison and Skylar, and the cousins, had missed the sleigh's grand entrance. Oh well, he thought. They'd probably see a lot of it this winter, as long as there were snowy days. Everyone got out of the truck, and walked across the snow to the house. Bonnie's cousins opened the door and let themselves in, so Dale, Allison, and Skylar followed.

    The scene was as warm and cheery as it had been, but once again, Dale felt it was much more real, now that he was a part of it. He put his coat in the bedroom and followed the others into the living room, where they were pulled into hugs and handshakes from Stanley and Bonnie. Mimi quickly brought them cups of eggnog, and Dale accepted his, walking away quickly before he would have to take a sip in front of her.

    Skylar looked shy for once, but she allowed Bonnie to lead her to a seat near the fireplace. Dale noticed Jake and Heather had occupied an armchair, sitting side-by-side but squashed in so they'd both fit. Eric and Mary had squeezed onto a couch with several others, and Dale found this time, he and his travelling companions were the ones without seats. He leaned against the arm of Mimi's chair, and motioned to Allison that she could take the arm of the couch. She held a mug of cider in her hand, and passed the bowl of popcorn to him.

    “Having fun yet?” he asked.

    “Yeah, actually,” she said, looking around.

     “Just wait 'til the games start,” he said. He leaned closer. “If we play blind man's bluff, try to catch her.” He motioned over his shoulder at Mimi. “She's wearing shoes that are hard to run in.”

    Allison giggled. “I'll keep it in mind,” she said. “Any other pointers?”

    For a while, Dale explained to Allison the parlour game strengths and weaknesses of the various party guests. After Stanley gave a very silly toast, mentioning just about everyone in the room, Bonnie hurriedly got the games started. Dale just shrugged at Allison when Stanley announced that they would play blind man's bluff first.

    Dale bit his lip to keep from laughing as they spread out. Memories of the first time he'd seen this game were still fresh in his mind. As before, Bonnie went first. She caught James, who crashed into a wall again. The game went on much as it had before, but this time, Allison guessed Eric on her first try.

    Dale ran around the room with the rest of them, trying to avoid the 'it' person, but he couldn't stop turning to watch each development, laughing as Mimi snarled at Stanley's teasing, laughing as Bonnie and Mimi trapped Stanley, and as Stanley went after Jake. He considered, briefly, doing something about the crash he remembered, as he had stopped Mimi from falling on the ice, but decided against it. Even though he'd been using his new knowledge to arrange a few things around town today, he'd have to let other people pick themselves up most of the time.

    This time, when Jake and Heather hit the floor, they were laughing before everyone else. The game went on, and Dale was half-surprised when Will caught him. He accepted the blindfold, and stretched out his arms, running towards the shrieks and laughs ahead. He bumped into furniture several times, and eventually, he grabbed someone. They were standing still. He knew it was her when he felt her hair.

     “Skylar,” he said quietly. He pulled off the blindfold. Everyone else was still laughing, but she was dead serious. Her mouth was a thin line and she stared straight ahead. Dale stepped aside awkwardly, but after a moment, Skylar took the blindfold, which he'd passed to Will, and she joined in the game again.

    He stood by the fireplace, watching as she raced after the fleeing people, laughing as she picked up speed. She turned into the hallway, and kept running until she collided with someone, or rather, two someones, who jumped apart.

    “Jake and Heather, play along or get out of the way!” yelled Stanley. “Or get a room!”

    “Stanley!” scolded Mimi, flashing an apologetic look at Heather, who was turning red. Jake leaned down and whispered something in her ear, and she grinned. The two of them raced after Stanley, linking their arms in front of him and pushing him towards Skylar, who shouted “Stanley!”

   “Aw, two times in one night. You're all cheaters!” he said, taking the blindfold and running over-dramatically in the opposite direction.

    Dale laughed to himself, and walked over to the table, where Bonnie was pouring more drinks.

    “Great party,” he said to her.

   “Thanks,” she said, offering him a mug. “Cider?” he asked. She nodded. He took a sip. It was hot and spicy, but delicious. He closed his eyes. He wanted to hold on to this, more than any of the moments he'd visited with any of the spirits. It was beautiful, and imperfect, and could go horribly wrong at any moment, but it was real.

    The rest of the evening was just the same. They played twenty questions (though nobody made fun of Dale this time), they played charades, and they talked a lot.

     Later in the evening, Sean shouted out “Snowball fight!” and dashed out the door, with most of the younger party guests, and Stanley in the middle of the group. The elder guests took their chance to sit in the best seats near the fire, and tell stories. Dale stayed inside, unable to resist playing a fly on the wall a little while longer since he'd never seen this part of the party. He listened to the full version of Jake's present-hiding story, and Mimi talked about her college roommate's vicious cat that she'd once agreed to pet-sit over the holidays. After a while, they slowly stopped talking, and just sat quietly in the warm room. Dale noticed the fire getting low, and went up to put another log on it. Skylar was sitting on a stool near the fireplace. She looked as though she were falling asleep.

    “Thank you,” she said quietly as he stood up. He looked at her, vaguely surprised. “Thanks for inviting me. I know it was your idea,” she said.

    He shrugged. “I thought you might have fun, hanging out with some friends.”

    She nodded, wrapping her arms around herself. “I'm not sure everyone here thinks of me as their friend.”

    “So what?” he asked. “You've had fun, right?” She nodded. “You can be friends with anyone you want. Anyone here would be lucky to be your friend. And I'm sure they will.”

    “I hope so,” she said quietly. “I was starting to think stuff like this was not going to happen ever again.”

    He shook his head. “There will be more times like these. As long as we keep making things like this happen.”

    With that, he stood up. “It's really quiet in here. Want to join in that snow fight?”
 
    She thought for a moment. “Okay.”
   
    They stepped outside a minute later, and Skylar ran over to Allison and Bonnie, who were frantically making snowballs behind Stanley's truck.
     
    He looked up at the sky again. It was so black, it was almost blue, and he could see stars twinkling. The winds had died down, and were only whispering through the night now. He almost felt like he could hear jolly, ghostly laughter, but it was probably just coming from one of the party guests playing in the snow.