| Destiny of my Heart! By Sharon Holtz Chapter Two |
| dd |
_____________________________________________
As they walked, Mouse asked Vincent, “Why is Father always
mad at me?”
Looking over at Mouse, he explained, “Its not that Father is mad
at you only, rather, his patience seems to have grown thin of late. If
you recall it always does around Christmas time. So much to be
done…memories of Christmas past…it is an emotional time for
him.”
Agreeably Mouse said, “Guess so.”
As they entered Vincent’s chamber, Mouse looked around, and
Vincent’s broken snow globe immediately caught his attention.
After inspecting it, he sadly asked, “What happened?”
Unhappily Vincent replied, “The water seems to have dissipated
since last Christmas.”
Disappointedly, Mouse offered, “There's a crack here.”
Taking the broken snow globe, Vincent gave it a once over again
himself, and regretfully said, “Yes, somehow it was damaged.
Unfortunately, there is no apparent way to repair it; however the
music box still functions.”
He then wound it and as the music played, Mouse happily
replied, “Still good!”
Warmly, Vincent smiled downward; pleased for the fact Mouse
wasn’t totally disappointed, and repeated, “Yes still good.”
Putting the globe back in its place of honor, he then picked up
the garland, and said, “Take this end and attach it in the corner, I
will take my end to the opposing angle.”
As Mouse did his part, he inquisitively asked, “Do Father’s
chamber next, then Mouse’s?”
Matter-of-factly, Vincent replied, “Yes, as per tradition, we shall
do Father’s chamber next, then yours.”
Loving the Christmas rituals he had inherited once he became a
tunnel resident, Mouse speculated, “Hmm wonder if Mary and the
others will remember their tradition too.”
Smiling at his friend, Vincent answered, “I suppose time will tell
uh?”
Just then they heard a gaggle of carolers outside the threshold,
and Mouse noted excitedly, “Guess Mary remembered!”
As Mary and her repertoire waltzed in with a kettle of hot cider
and warm sweet Gingerbread, they finished singing “We need a
little Christmas.”
Boisterously, Vincent welcomed them, saying, “Ah sweet angels
of mercy.” Brook poured the two some cider, Samantha, served the
Ginger bread, as Mary, Jamie, Laura and Rebecca critiqued the
motif within Vincent’s chamber.
Excitedly, Laura signed she liked the new way Vincent and
Mouse hung the garland this year, along with the red bows right
over the threshold!
To which Rebecca replied, “Yes…that does look festive!”
Taking in a deep breath, Mary sighed, “Very well then…we are
glad to see you two are doing a splendid job. Enjoy your
refreshments boys, we better keep moving, as we have many more
stops to make. Onto Kanin and Olivia’s next, then Father’s.”
To which Jamie asked, “I thought Father’s next.”
Eagerly Mary answered, “Originally yes…however I cannot wait
to see where Olivia has hung the wreath I had made, out of those
old branches from that artificial Christmas tree! I noticed she chose
the wreath for one of their decorations.”
Purposely, so the ladies could overhear, Vincent teasingly told
Mouse, "If we hurry, perhaps we can finish here, and be at Father’s
in time for another helping of this delicious gingerbread.”
Sarcastically, Rebecca noted, “Yeah, we know you have it all
timed out, and know exactly when you two should be there to get
seconds!”
The girls giggled as they walked out into the tunnels saying see
ya later, and began their choral catalog as they made their trek onto
their next destination.
Happy to hear they might enjoy another sweet square of
gingerbread, Mouse asked, “Shall we hurry then?”
Handing Mouse a sprig of mistletoe, motioning toward the
threshold, Vincent said, “Indubitably!”
As Mouse hung the mistletoe, he became thoughtful before he
cautiously asked, “So are you gonna ask Catherine to come
tomorrow night?”
Vincent who was preoccupied with the task of garland hanging
in another area, casually answered, “Yes, it would mean very much
to me if she could come.”
Mouse then worriedly made a statement more than asking a
question, softly asked, “People in love always get married don’t
they?”
Noting the seriousness in his little friends tone, Vincent agreed,
saying, “Yes, I suppose they do…”
Wondering what was on his mind, Vincent clarified, “…why do
you ask?”
In reply, Mouse answered, “Just wondering if Catherine will like
living in the tunnels after you get married.”
For just a moment Vincent was surprised by his question. Weren’
t his and Catherine’s differences obvious? How could Mouse think
marriage was an option for him and Catherine?
But then Vincent reasoned it was sweet, that his simple friend
Mouse asked the question, and it warmed his heart to know, the
differences between he and the rest of the world were NOT an
apparent issue to his dear friend.
And so with care, Vincent informatively replied, “Marriage is
not a possibility for us Mouse.”
In a confused manner, Mouse asked, “You and Catherine not in
love?”
As the frustrating reality of his plight once again came crashing
down on his heart, sadly Vincent tried to explain, “What we
have…how we feel goes beyond love…I am not sure anyone else
can understand…”
Nodding, Mouse clarified, “So, won’t get married like Kanin and
Olivia, and Catherine won’t live here?”
Looking over at Mouse who was at the other end of a string of
cranberries, Vincent answered, “No Mouse.”
Tipping his head, Mouse asked, “And that is ok?”
Solemnly, Vincent explained, “Sometimes you have to accept
things as they are…and just live moment to moment…”
Searching for an example to help Mouse understand, Vincent
told him, “As Brigit taught us in her book “300 Days”, if you love
someone…you must take chances in life, and maybe a moment of
happiness is all you can have, but Brigit promises us…the journey
is worth all you risk.”
Prominently, Mouse excitedly noted, “All I know is since
Winterfest, you and Catherine are together a lot. She is here, or
you going above.”
Letting go of a smile, Vincent thought to himself, it was true.
Winterfest had been a decisive watermark in their timeline together.
And so he merely said, “I pray that does not change Mouse.”
Understanding, that may always be the way of things between
Vincent and Catherine, Mouse asked, “Then visiting is good
enough?”
Looking downward before answering, Vincent whispered,
“Yes…I am blessed by this bond with Catherine…in what ever
shape or form it assumes. Visiting must be good enough, I dare not
want for more or I may lose what we have. Do you understand?”
Nodding, Mouse said, “Think so. Kinda like the snow
globe…may not have snow, but it’s good that it still plays music.”
Smiling, Vincent nodded as he took in a deep breath, loving
Mouse’s pure straightforward way of looking at the world.
He then offered, “I believe we are done here…everything looks
magnificent. Let’s finish our cider, and then go onto Father's.”
Sitting down at Vincent’s writing table to finish their cider and
gingerbread, Mouse got up to retrieve the snow globe. As he sat
back down, he wound the turn key on the bottom, to play “Have
yourself a merry little Christmas”, and then happily repeated, “Still
good.” Causing Vincent to smile once more, he too repeated,
“Yes…still good.”
The rest of the day in the tunnels was quite busy, filled with all
the activities which make this time of year hairy, yet extremely
joyous.
With a focus on Vincent and Mouse in particular; second
helpings were had of the refreshments, decorating was completed
in both Father’s and Mouse’s chambers, and there were a couple of
emergencies of which the duo had to respond to, as well.
One of which was Rebecca, who needed help hanging her
popcorn string, and the other was Kanin, who wanted to move a
huge stone, to better make room for his family’s Christmas tree.
Ah yes indeed, the pipes were a buzz with calls for help, and
other such communications this day, and then later, after everyone
was finished with their own dwellings, it was then customary to
join up to decorate the Dining Hall.
Everyone dug in, implementing some new decorating ideas, and
replicating last year’s. Of course there were some conflicts of ideas
due to taste, but all had been resolved, and the end result was a
beautifully decorated hall.
As Vincent hung his last sprig of ivy, Rebecca came up behind
him and excitedly observed, “Very nice!”
Nodding in agreement, Vincent looked at his ivy placement and
then all around, and proudly said, “Yes it all does.”
With low ebb excitement, Rebecca noted, “Father made a
special note of it, that he wanted it looking extremely festive this
year for the gathering tomorrow night.”
She then hugged herself, as she gushed, “It really feels like
Christmas this year doesn’t it? I mean there seems to be something
extra special in the air this year…do you feel it too?”
Thoughtfully Vincent answered, “Yes…I believe I know what
you mean.”
Handing Vincent the other end to her string of pine combs, she
then added, “I don’t know why, or what it was…but last year, I
never got in the spirit…did you?”
Aloud Vincent questionably repeated, “Last Christmas?” as he
tried to recall.
Privately, Vincent again repeated his last words to himself as he
became reflective thinking on where his head and heart was a year
ago. Never could he have imagined then, that this Christmas…he
would be sharing this blessed Holiday with someone as wonderful
as Catherine.
“Vincent? Vincent?!” Rebecca giggled as she addressed him
once more, and then teasingly asked, “What were you just
thinking?”
Vincent revealed with an embarrassed demeanor, “Thinking of
how Catherine has changed my life.”
Smiling, Rebecca acknowledged, “I believe she has changed all
of our lives Vincent. She has given us all something…”
Warmly she then tried to explain, “…when she arrived here for
Winterfest…and her father too, I don’t know, it connected us to
the rest of the world somehow. It took away our isolation. She
made me feel…I don’t know…”
Vibrantly, Rebecca then inserted, “Accepted!! I think that is the
word I want for how she made me feel! Accepted.”
Tipping his head thinking, perhaps acceptance was part of what
he was feeling, but it was because of who HE was. After all…the
tunnels really were his only option for existence. He then looked at
Rebecca and thought but she…she could live above. Wasn’t the
isolation, part of the appeal of the tunnels for the others, and why
they chose to be there?
And so he asked, “Rebecca, have you ever considered leaving
the tunnels? Making your life above?”
Surprised by his question, Rebecca fervently said, “No…this is
my home Vincent, everyone here is my family. Why would I ever
want to leave?”
Thoughtfully, he replied, “Because of the satisfaction you
derived from feeling accepted. This is an unconventional life style
after all, for those of you who choose it.”
Understanding Vincent’s point, Rebecca explained, “Perhaps so,
but I grew up here like you, and I have never felt a restlessness like
some of the others have. I have never wanted to leave; life here
suits me just fine.”
Teasingly she then sternly asked, “Now are you going to help me
hang this pine comb garland or not?”
With a smile in his heart, Vincent nailed his end up, and asked,
“How does that look?” Hugging Vincent around his middle,
Rebecca, looked up at where Vincent had hung the garland, and
warmly said, “Perfect!”
To be continued
Chapter Three
As they walked, Mouse asked Vincent, “Why is Father always
mad at me?”
Looking over at Mouse, he explained, “Its not that Father is mad
at you only, rather, his patience seems to have grown thin of late. If
you recall it always does around Christmas time. So much to be
done…memories of Christmas past…it is an emotional time for
him.”
Agreeably Mouse said, “Guess so.”
As they entered Vincent’s chamber, Mouse looked around, and
Vincent’s broken snow globe immediately caught his attention.
After inspecting it, he sadly asked, “What happened?”
Unhappily Vincent replied, “The water seems to have dissipated
since last Christmas.”
Disappointedly, Mouse offered, “There's a crack here.”
Taking the broken snow globe, Vincent gave it a once over again
himself, and regretfully said, “Yes, somehow it was damaged.
Unfortunately, there is no apparent way to repair it; however the
music box still functions.”
He then wound it and as the music played, Mouse happily
replied, “Still good!”
Warmly, Vincent smiled downward; pleased for the fact Mouse
wasn’t totally disappointed, and repeated, “Yes still good.”
Putting the globe back in its place of honor, he then picked up
the garland, and said, “Take this end and attach it in the corner, I
will take my end to the opposing angle.”
As Mouse did his part, he inquisitively asked, “Do Father’s
chamber next, then Mouse’s?”
Matter-of-factly, Vincent replied, “Yes, as per tradition, we shall
do Father’s chamber next, then yours.”
Loving the Christmas rituals he had inherited once he became a
tunnel resident, Mouse speculated, “Hmm wonder if Mary and the
others will remember their tradition too.”
Smiling at his friend, Vincent answered, “I suppose time will tell
uh?”
Just then they heard a gaggle of carolers outside the threshold,
and Mouse noted excitedly, “Guess Mary remembered!”
As Mary and her repertoire waltzed in with a kettle of hot cider
and warm sweet Gingerbread, they finished singing “We need a
little Christmas.”
Boisterously, Vincent welcomed them, saying, “Ah sweet angels
of mercy.” Brook poured the two some cider, Samantha, served the
Ginger bread, as Mary, Jamie, Laura and Rebecca critiqued the
motif within Vincent’s chamber.
Excitedly, Laura signed she liked the new way Vincent and
Mouse hung the garland this year, along with the red bows right
over the threshold!
To which Rebecca replied, “Yes…that does look festive!”
Taking in a deep breath, Mary sighed, “Very well then…we are
glad to see you two are doing a splendid job. Enjoy your
refreshments boys, we better keep moving, as we have many more
stops to make. Onto Kanin and Olivia’s next, then Father’s.”
To which Jamie asked, “I thought Father’s next.”
Eagerly Mary answered, “Originally yes…however I cannot wait
to see where Olivia has hung the wreath I had made, out of those
old branches from that artificial Christmas tree! I noticed she chose
the wreath for one of their decorations.”
Purposely, so the ladies could overhear, Vincent teasingly told
Mouse, "If we hurry, perhaps we can finish here, and be at Father’s
in time for another helping of this delicious gingerbread.”
Sarcastically, Rebecca noted, “Yeah, we know you have it all
timed out, and know exactly when you two should be there to get
seconds!”
The girls giggled as they walked out into the tunnels saying see
ya later, and began their choral catalog as they made their trek onto
their next destination.
Happy to hear they might enjoy another sweet square of
gingerbread, Mouse asked, “Shall we hurry then?”
Handing Mouse a sprig of mistletoe, motioning toward the
threshold, Vincent said, “Indubitably!”
As Mouse hung the mistletoe, he became thoughtful before he
cautiously asked, “So are you gonna ask Catherine to come
tomorrow night?”
Vincent who was preoccupied with the task of garland hanging
in another area, casually answered, “Yes, it would mean very much
to me if she could come.”
Mouse then worriedly made a statement more than asking a
question, softly asked, “People in love always get married don’t
they?”
Noting the seriousness in his little friends tone, Vincent agreed,
saying, “Yes, I suppose they do…”
Wondering what was on his mind, Vincent clarified, “…why do
you ask?”
In reply, Mouse answered, “Just wondering if Catherine will like
living in the tunnels after you get married.”
For just a moment Vincent was surprised by his question. Weren’
t his and Catherine’s differences obvious? How could Mouse think
marriage was an option for him and Catherine?
But then Vincent reasoned it was sweet, that his simple friend
Mouse asked the question, and it warmed his heart to know, the
differences between he and the rest of the world were NOT an
apparent issue to his dear friend.
And so with care, Vincent informatively replied, “Marriage is
not a possibility for us Mouse.”
In a confused manner, Mouse asked, “You and Catherine not in
love?”
As the frustrating reality of his plight once again came crashing
down on his heart, sadly Vincent tried to explain, “What we
have…how we feel goes beyond love…I am not sure anyone else
can understand…”
Nodding, Mouse clarified, “So, won’t get married like Kanin and
Olivia, and Catherine won’t live here?”
Looking over at Mouse who was at the other end of a string of
cranberries, Vincent answered, “No Mouse.”
Tipping his head, Mouse asked, “And that is ok?”
Solemnly, Vincent explained, “Sometimes you have to accept
things as they are…and just live moment to moment…”
Searching for an example to help Mouse understand, Vincent
told him, “As Brigit taught us in her book “300 Days”, if you love
someone…you must take chances in life, and maybe a moment of
happiness is all you can have, but Brigit promises us…the journey
is worth all you risk.”
Prominently, Mouse excitedly noted, “All I know is since
Winterfest, you and Catherine are together a lot. She is here, or
you going above.”
Letting go of a smile, Vincent thought to himself, it was true.
Winterfest had been a decisive watermark in their timeline together.
And so he merely said, “I pray that does not change Mouse.”
Understanding, that may always be the way of things between
Vincent and Catherine, Mouse asked, “Then visiting is good
enough?”
Looking downward before answering, Vincent whispered,
“Yes…I am blessed by this bond with Catherine…in what ever
shape or form it assumes. Visiting must be good enough, I dare not
want for more or I may lose what we have. Do you understand?”
Nodding, Mouse said, “Think so. Kinda like the snow
globe…may not have snow, but it’s good that it still plays music.”
Smiling, Vincent nodded as he took in a deep breath, loving
Mouse’s pure straightforward way of looking at the world.
He then offered, “I believe we are done here…everything looks
magnificent. Let’s finish our cider, and then go onto Father's.”
Sitting down at Vincent’s writing table to finish their cider and
gingerbread, Mouse got up to retrieve the snow globe. As he sat
back down, he wound the turn key on the bottom, to play “Have
yourself a merry little Christmas”, and then happily repeated, “Still
good.” Causing Vincent to smile once more, he too repeated,
“Yes…still good.”
The rest of the day in the tunnels was quite busy, filled with all
the activities which make this time of year hairy, yet extremely
joyous.
With a focus on Vincent and Mouse in particular; second
helpings were had of the refreshments, decorating was completed
in both Father’s and Mouse’s chambers, and there were a couple of
emergencies of which the duo had to respond to, as well.
One of which was Rebecca, who needed help hanging her
popcorn string, and the other was Kanin, who wanted to move a
huge stone, to better make room for his family’s Christmas tree.
Ah yes indeed, the pipes were a buzz with calls for help, and
other such communications this day, and then later, after everyone
was finished with their own dwellings, it was then customary to
join up to decorate the Dining Hall.
Everyone dug in, implementing some new decorating ideas, and
replicating last year’s. Of course there were some conflicts of ideas
due to taste, but all had been resolved, and the end result was a
beautifully decorated hall.
As Vincent hung his last sprig of ivy, Rebecca came up behind
him and excitedly observed, “Very nice!”
Nodding in agreement, Vincent looked at his ivy placement and
then all around, and proudly said, “Yes it all does.”
With low ebb excitement, Rebecca noted, “Father made a
special note of it, that he wanted it looking extremely festive this
year for the gathering tomorrow night.”
She then hugged herself, as she gushed, “It really feels like
Christmas this year doesn’t it? I mean there seems to be something
extra special in the air this year…do you feel it too?”
Thoughtfully Vincent answered, “Yes…I believe I know what
you mean.”
Handing Vincent the other end to her string of pine combs, she
then added, “I don’t know why, or what it was…but last year, I
never got in the spirit…did you?”
Aloud Vincent questionably repeated, “Last Christmas?” as he
tried to recall.
Privately, Vincent again repeated his last words to himself as he
became reflective thinking on where his head and heart was a year
ago. Never could he have imagined then, that this Christmas…he
would be sharing this blessed Holiday with someone as wonderful
as Catherine.
“Vincent? Vincent?!” Rebecca giggled as she addressed him
once more, and then teasingly asked, “What were you just
thinking?”
Vincent revealed with an embarrassed demeanor, “Thinking of
how Catherine has changed my life.”
Smiling, Rebecca acknowledged, “I believe she has changed all
of our lives Vincent. She has given us all something…”
Warmly she then tried to explain, “…when she arrived here for
Winterfest…and her father too, I don’t know, it connected us to
the rest of the world somehow. It took away our isolation. She
made me feel…I don’t know…”
Vibrantly, Rebecca then inserted, “Accepted!! I think that is the
word I want for how she made me feel! Accepted.”
Tipping his head thinking, perhaps acceptance was part of what
he was feeling, but it was because of who HE was. After all…the
tunnels really were his only option for existence. He then looked at
Rebecca and thought but she…she could live above. Wasn’t the
isolation, part of the appeal of the tunnels for the others, and why
they chose to be there?
And so he asked, “Rebecca, have you ever considered leaving
the tunnels? Making your life above?”
Surprised by his question, Rebecca fervently said, “No…this is
my home Vincent, everyone here is my family. Why would I ever
want to leave?”
Thoughtfully, he replied, “Because of the satisfaction you
derived from feeling accepted. This is an unconventional life style
after all, for those of you who choose it.”
Understanding Vincent’s point, Rebecca explained, “Perhaps so,
but I grew up here like you, and I have never felt a restlessness like
some of the others have. I have never wanted to leave; life here
suits me just fine.”
Teasingly she then sternly asked, “Now are you going to help me
hang this pine comb garland or not?”
With a smile in his heart, Vincent nailed his end up, and asked,
“How does that look?” Hugging Vincent around his middle,
Rebecca, looked up at where Vincent had hung the garland, and
warmly said, “Perfect!”
To be continued
Chapter Three
