Belle Cottage

Belle was driving to Belle Cottage to stay for a couple of days just to get away from the city. The lonely road stretched for miles in front of her. The swishing of the windshield wipers going back and forth kept her awake, and the heater blew out a steady stream of warm air. A little distance down the road, she heard a loud pop and she pulled over on the side of the road to see what caused the noise. She got out in the frigid air, and walked around the car. Just as she thought, the tire on the passenger side was completely gone, and the snow was drifting down a lot faster than she liked.

Opening the trunk, she looked to see if there was a spare tire. Her brother occasionally borrowed her car and she had hoped he had left a tire and the tools she needed to change the tire. Unfortunately, he did not so she pulled her cell phone out to see if there was a signal in the area, but no such help from there.

She checked her surroundings and remembered a church. She seen while turning down Camp Creek road a few miles back. She locked her car and started walking down the road toward the church. She noticed the stars twinkling in the sky. The fields around her were lightly coated with snow and the cows mooed softly as she walked alongside them. To her, the night life around her gave off an ominous feeling. In the distance, she could hear a train rumbling along the tracks. Having a flat tire only made her more desperate to seek help especially on a night like this with no phone reception and no one around for miles.

As she continued down the road, she could see the church peeking out just below the hill. She began thinking about her family and did not understand why they did not attend church. She thought it must be because religion or something. As far as she could remember, her family never talked about God and she had never asked why. She hunkered down in her coat embracing the cold wind, as she neared the church. She saw a light shinning from within and by the time she made it to the steps she felt frozen. Her hands and feet were numb as she reached out for the door knob and twisted it open.

She was shocked that someone would leave a church unlocked as she made her way inside. It was a lot warmer inside than on the outside and she paused for the moment to feel the warmth around her. The pews were in orderly rows along each side of the walkway and the stained glass window above the podium was elaborately put together by an artist who knew their colors well. She made her way down the aisle but a sudden noise to her right stopped her. She turned to look for the source of the noise and saw an old man sitting in the pew. He seemed to be deep in thought about something and he was praying out loud.

Belle sat down in the pew on the opposite side of the man. She did not want to disturb him as he prayed. She laid her head back against the pew. She wanted to sleep off the tiredness from the long drive and she closed her eyes and began to drift off into the sweet sleep she so desperately needed.

When she awaken up her neck was stiffed and sore from sleeping against the pews, everything was quiet around her. She vaguely remembered the old man in the next pew praying out loud, but he seemed to be gone now, everything was dark and quiet. Now that she was awake and alert she wanted to explore the place and see where the old man disappeared to.

By the pulpit, there was a door next to it, above the door hung a sign that said “No Admittance” that was the first place she thought to look for the old man. She walks toward the stage to be only stopped by some strange occurrences that seemed to be shinning so brightly through the stained glass above the stage, she thought it was the moon, but the moon does not flicker like a diamond, she then thought it was the polar lights, but that does not occur in Tennessee, maybe it was the North Star shining it way for her, either way it was a beautiful sight that mesmerized her for few minutes.

Before she made it to the door, it opens and a young man steps out. She was startled by his presence, he seemed to be looking at her, but not seeing her. He was dressed in another era, a time before her time at least she thought so, he reminded her of the nutcracker the way his uniformed looked on him, even the wooden sword.

She softly whispers…excuse me sir. I am trying to find the old man that was sitting in the pew a few hours ago. I have a flat tire and I am trying to get to my grandfathers cabin. Can you help me or do you know someone that can assist me. She said to the young man

“Oh, Miss…” I did not see you standing there. What old man are you talking about? I am the only person here at the moment. The young man said.

The old man that was sitting in the pews when I arrived. That was before I feel asleep, he was praying out loud. By the way I am Katy and you are?

I am Thomas Frost, he reaches out to shake her hand.

Nice to meet you, Thomas… Belle said.

I can change your tire for you, before I have to go home and change out of these clothes, we were practicing for the nutcracker play that we are doing on Christmas Eve here at the church if you would like to attend it starts at 7pm. Thomas said.

Sure I would love to come Thomas, Katy said.

They walk out of the church into the cold, the ground was covered in frost. Icicles started to form on the gutters of the old church, she stops for a minute to gaze at the particles of ice hanging from the shears beauty of something god created. When she was younger, she often wonder, how god could create something so magnificent, but yet how did god design something so ordinary, and who was god.

Inside Thomas car the heater blows out a steady stream of warm air, warming her hands against the ventilation, her hands begins to unfreeze from the night air. The ride was not far, and she just wanted to relax, and remember the long rides she would take with her grandfather when she was a little girl. How they would go sleighing in the horse carriage that he had in his barn, every Christmas Eve he would take her out riding around on the Viking Mountains, through the forest they would go, drinking hot coca, and he would point out the stars and the constellation to her.

But Thomas had other plans that prevented her from entirely relaxing.

Belle, do you see that star in the sky, the one that is brighter than the other ones.

Yes Thomas I do!

Every year at Christmas Eve, before my dad passed away he would gather the family around the Christmas tree to tell us the story about The Christmas Star. Have you heard the story before? Thomas asked.

No Thomas, I have not heard the story before, perhaps you can tell me.

The story was about three wise men from the east that was inspired by the star to travel to Jerusalem to find the one that was born to the king of the Jews. But instead they meet King Herod of Judea, who secretly wants to kill the new born. So they leave once again, and the star leads them to baby Jesus that was born in a manager, they worship him and give him gifts. Instead of returning to Herod like they were supposed to they were warned not to return to the king, so they took a different way home. Every year my father loved telling this story to the grandkids.

Katy looks over at Thomas an sees a man so different than any other man she seen before. To her he seemed so strong, so full of love, but yet something was missing in his life that she could not put her finger on.

On this night the stars looked like diamonds twinkling in the skies, as they passed by the fields that she seen earlier. She could see her car in the distance peeking out over the hill