by Shara Azod
“What do you think of all this, Chrissana?”
“I think it’s absolutely magical and beautiful,” she said. “My dreams have never been so kind to me as to show me something like this. I just come across photos of places like these on the Internet and in picture books.”
“It makes me happy to hear you say that.”
“Who wouldn’t love this place?”
“Oh, there are some who could never see or appreciate its beauty.”
“I find that hard to believe.”
“You see, Chrissana, this world’s healing methods shows you exactly what you need. For you see my home as a big, beautiful house with fine dining and clothing. Another may see it as a small cottage where they’d be expected to perform chores such as chopping wood and gathering water. There may be no thought forms to cater to them, and they would be forced to work to get what they need. Some would appreciate the simplicity, and others would be appalled by it.”
“I believe I understand. It’s about deserving.”
“Yes and no. Sometimes it’s not about receiving any type of reward or punishment. Life demands balance, and you get what you need to maintain that or to bring your life back to it.”
“So you don’t really live in that house?”
“Oh, that is my house. You are seeing my real place. It’s just that others may not see that and often do not. I have attempted to reach out to some, and they have been quite angry about what they were expected to do in order to heal their souls. They think they have been put in some type of hell.”
“So, who are you, really?” Chrissana asked.
Audric gave her one of those lingering looks which caused her to quickly look away. “I can be a stranger on the street in your world; everything from one who can offer a compliment to one who issues a warning. I can bring souls in limbo here and offer them healing through the spa, like you saw in the town square yesterday. Sometimes, I attend souls personally, like I am doing in your case. But there are times when I am forced to not be so kind, and some would see me as a demon.”
They were now deep in the woods, and Chrissana saw something white laying on the path up ahead. As they came closer, she saw the body of a white fox.
“Oh no,” she moaned, clutching the fur muff to her chest.
“Jack,” Audric sighed. He walked over to the corpse and lifted him delicately. Another white fox ventured from behind a tree, looking on quietly. “Ah, Dinnya. Come here, my sweet.” The other fox scampered over and sniffed at the corpse. The little thing’s head ducked down, and its ears fell back.
“What happened to him?” Chrissana asked.
“He’s evolved.”
“You mean he just died?”
Audric ran his hand over the fur of the dead fox. “When it’s time, the body will release its spirit.”
“So the animals here are real?”
“No, they’re spirits to you, which means they vibrate at a higher rate than you and your animals do. So, here, they will not become ill before evolving, they will simply let go and that’s it.”
“What do they evolve into?”
“Well, they either vibrate to a higher dimension, or some of them will choose to try being human if they’re ready, or they may go back to being another type of animal.”
Audric picked up the fox. One of his thought forms appeared, this one dressed in brown. “Take him back to the house,” he told it. The thought form produced a cloth bag and held it as he slipped the carcass inside. He then turned to the little fox that had walked up to him. “Dinnya, it’s hard, I know, but your time will come soon enough.
“They were the best of friends,” he said to Chrissana, “but then Dinnya has little desire to be a human just yet, do you?”
The fox wagged her tail and scampered up onto Audric’s shoulder, draping herself around it. After a few moments, Dinnya hopped from Audric’s shoulder into Chrissana’s arms, snuggling onto the fur muff.
“She likes you,” he said.
Chrissana held her for a moment until the fox hopped down.
“She will be joining us for a time, to help ease the void of her loss,” Audric told her.
Chrissana looked up at the sky, seeing a band of dark clouds roll in. “It’s getting dark.”
Audric looked up also. “So it is.”
Up ahead, Chrissana saw Audric’s carriage waiting.
“How did they know to meet us?”
“They always meet me here after my walk. I usually have to run to town, but in this case, we need to get back to the house.”
Large snowflakes sprinkled down from the sky just as they were getting into the carriage. Dinnya jumped in and curled herself up next to Chrissana. She reached out and ran her hands over the soft fur of the little fox, looking out at the snow.
“One thing I really love about snow is the quiet,” she said. “How peaceful everything appears, covered in white. Like the whole world has come to a standstill.”
“That’s a lovely way of putting it.”
Chrissana glanced at Audric then looked back out at the snow. “My mother used to play this Christmas album during the holidays. It was from the 1960s and, at times, the choral voices sounded like elevator music, but in it, I could feel the ideal of Christmas—joy, togetherness, and goodwill.”
“You have such an eloquent way of saying things.”
Chrissana shrugged. “I remember people complaining sometimes that I sounded too proper. Some of the kids at school would tease me for being stuck up. I feel like, here, I’m able to really be who I am without someone criticizing me for it.”
“Foolish minds often chastise what they cannot and/or refuse to understand.”
She looked over at Audric. His lids had half lowered over his eyes, and he had a slight smile on his face. He was listening to her and taking in her every word. The gesture reminded her of the way her mother looked when she would listen to her speak on various subjects. After a brief uncontrollable chuckle, she continued.
“I remember some of my mother’s friends visiting once, and the music was playing. One of them asked if we could turn it off, and I asked if we could leave it on because it kept the magic going. She got angry with me for calling Christmas magical. It was supposed to be Jesus’s birthday and not all the foo-foo stuff people had made it into with gifts, snowmen, and Santas.”
Her body felt weighted all of a sudden, causing her head to fall forward.
“Do you see what happens when you allow the rules of others to overtake your own? The weight you feel in your body is a telltale sign that it is time to set what doesn’t serve you free,” Audric said.
Chrissana thought on his words when they arrived back at the house. Upon entering, she saw numerous boxes spilling over with Christmas decorations in the front room. There were pine garlands, boxes of glass ornaments of every color, tinsel, and other boxes with velvets and sparkly fabrics.
“Come, Chrissana,” Audric said. “I have something to show you.”
She was led to the foyer and in the middle of the room was a live pine tree that stretched to the second floor.
A team of thought forms appeared dressed in red and green, lining up before her. Audric walked down the line, looking them up and down as though he were inspecting them.
“I’ve created them for you, Chrissana,” he said, coming over to her. “They will attend to you in any way you wish. They can reach high places, lift heavy things, and so on and so forth. But keep in mind, when you command them, be very specific with your orders.”
Audric’s wardrobe thought form appeared and walked behind her to take her cape and muff. She noticed that Audric was still wearing his coat.
“Where are you going?”
“I must go and make an appearance at the spa,” he replied. “Besides, I don’t wish to interfere with your vision. Go as extreme as you wish. All the decorations you need are in those boxes.”
Chrissana watched him head out the front doors, and they closed behind him. She wal
ked out to the front room and looked at all the boxes then at the thought forms awaiting her instructions. Dinnya scampered over to the box of pine garlands where she hoisted herself up on her hind legs. She made a sound between a squeal and a wheeze while wagging her tail.
“Wait there, Dinnya. I need some inspiration,” she told the fox. She trotted over to the library door and went inside. Thinking of Christmas decorations, a large coffee table book slid out of the bookshelf to the right of her. She grabbed the book, opening it to see colorful displays of decorated rooms.
“This will do,” she said aloud. She looked up at the ceiling. “Thank you.” Remembering Audric’s words about the room, she thought it best to acknowledge it with words. Perhaps soon she could return and spend some time finding some books she liked.
Chrissana ran back to the front room, dropping the book onto the couch. After paging through half of it, she nodded her head and closed it. She joined Dinnya, who once again propped herself up against the box of garlands.
“I guess that’s as good a start as any,” Chrissana said to her. Picking up the end of a garland, she began to pull it out. Immediately, two of the thought forms showed up to assist. The piece was huge.
Chrissana backed up, and her gaze fell on the fireplace. “Let’s put this there.”
The thought forms just stood there, their veiled faces looking in her direction.
“Go to the fireplace.”
The thought forms dropped the garland and began to walk toward the fireplace.
“No. Stop. Pick up the garland.”
The figures then looked down where they were standing and turned in circles as they bent and swooped, their arms picking up nothing but air.
“You guys can’t be that stupid,” Chrissana said flatly.
Dinnya collapsed onto her back and made more squeezy noises, her tail wagging furiously.
“Are you laughing at me?”
The fox righted herself and sat upright, looking up toward the ceiling.
“Look, I’m not Audric, nor do I have any experience with these things.” She walked over to the thought forms. Go pick up the garland and hang it over the fireplace.
The thought forms walked over to the box of pine garlands, pulled out a fresh one, and took it over to the fireplace. They attempted to hang it, but it fell to the floor. They then walked back over to her.
Chrissana grabbed the sides of her head, scrunching her hair between her fingers. “Oh...my...God.”
****
Later that afternoon, Audric returned to find overturned boxes, pine garlands pooled on the floor in front of the fireplace, and ornaments spread out on the couches and chairs.
Three of the thought forms had tangled themselves in fabric and were quivering, as they were bound tightly together. There were pine garlands hanging precariously over the stairs, but the bulk of it had fallen into a pile in the middle of the floor. He was forced to step over it to get to the foyer.
“Chrissana?”
Dinnya ran up to him, wagging her tail.
“You’re not Chrissana.”
“I’m here,” came a weak reply.
When he reached the foyer, he found the Christmas tree had been uprooted from its base and would have fallen completely over if not for the second floor railing holding it up. There were also two thought forms still holding the base of the tree. Two others had fallen on top of one another and were simply lying unmoving on the floor. The remaining ones were hanging ornaments on any and everything they could hook them on.
Chrissana crawled out from underneath the tree. Her hair had been snagged and was tangled with bits of tinsel hanging from it. One of the thought forms crawled out from behind her and hung a silver bulb on the bottom half of Audric’s mantle.
“What did you do?” he asked.
Chrissana planted her hands on her hips and huffed. “What did I do? Look what they did. I tried to tell them what to do, but they don’t understand anything I say.” She turned to the thought form next to her. “Just go,” she snapped impatiently.
The thing walked away and straight into the wall, where it then bumped continuously into it.
Audric’s mouth contorted in a variety of positions to keep from bursting out laughing. When he could no longer contain himself, he collapsed against the wall in hysterics. It took him a good minute before he could calm himself enough to speak.
He walked forward, clamped his hand onto Chrissana’s shoulder, and exhaled a big sigh. “I think I know the problem.” Releasing her, he clapped his hands. At once, all of the thought forms ceased their movements.
“You said this was supposed to be healing, and all I’ve done is make a big mess of things.” Chrissana moaned.
“Hey, don’t fret about it.” Audric’s arm shot out and pulled her into a light embrace. His free hand unhooked the ornament from his mantle and held it. “I haven’t had a laugh like that in a very long time. Now, do you want a little help?”
Chrissana’s eyes narrowed at him and she stiffened.
“Oh come now, darling, you do have to admit that this is quite funny,” he said.
She inhaled sharply, moving away from him. However, Audric’s impish grin proved too much for her, and she lost her nerve. A slew of uncontrollable chuckles hiccupped from her. “You’re too much.”
“I know.” He folded his arms. “I’m sorry if I didn’t make myself clear on how to handle these guys. You cannot give them vague orders like go or put that there and so on. You have to be very specific in your commands and see it in your mind as you’re telling them what to do. They will fuse with your thoughts and follow your directions more precisely. Understand?”
Chrissana twisted her mouth to the side. “I guess so. I was so nervous that my thoughts were all over the place, so I guess I just confused them.”
“Yes, so I gathered. Let’s see.” Audric walked over to the thought form next to the wall. The figure turned to face him. He then walked over to the thought forms on top of one another. “Stand,” he ordered.
The thought form pushed himself into a standing position, followed by the other.
One by one, Audric went to each of the thought forms and ordered them to line up before him. He merely pointed or snapped his fingers in the direction of whichever of the things he wanted to engage and gave them specific tasks. Two of them, he set to lifting the tree back onto its base. Two others, he had right the boxes and repack the ornaments that had been laying on the couches and chairs. The remaining ones, he had gather up all the ornaments that had been hung in the wrong places.
“Now, with this pile of garland,” he turned to Chrissana, picking up the pine hanging over the staircase. “What were you trying to do with this?”
“I wanted to drape the banister,” she replied. She walked over to the book she’d borrowed from the library and showed Audric the photo.
“I think that would be beautiful,” he said. “What do you think we’ll need to attach it so it will stay?”
“Well, I don’t think you’d want nails in your banister, and I don’t think you have any duct tape. Ribbons?”
“Excellent.” Audric snapped his fingers in the direction of two thought forms. They walked over and grabbed hold of the first part of the garland while he ordered a third one to take the red satin ribbon Chrissana pulled from a box. The two thought forms held the pine branches of the garland in place while the one cut ribbon and tied it to the banister. He ordered another three to take a garland and ribbon to start performing the same task on the opposite banister.
“I feel so stupid,” Chrissana said. “I’ve never decorated a house this size. With my mother, we had thumbtacks over our fireplace and everywhere else I hung lights and such.”
“All you need do with my people here is think out every step and give them specific and direct commands. Now, you try. Empty your mind of everything but the fireplace; see the task complete in your mind.”
Chrissana ordered two thought forms to take a bundle of pine branche
s and set them on top of the mantel over the fireplace. She found several white, pillar candles inside clear glass and set them between the branches. “How’s that?”
Audric nodded. “Anything else?”
She then ordered another thought form to take some red and gold ornaments from large to small and set them throughout the decoration. Dinnya thought to help by bringing her some pine cones, which she placed around the candles.
With a simple waive of Audric’s hand, the candles all sparked flame. “I say it looks absolutely stunning,” he remarked.
Soon, all of the thought forms were busy with tasks, from decorating the tree in the foyer, to completing the garland of pine branches draping around the banister. Meanwhile, Chrissana placed pieces, such as candles or figurines of elves, nutcrackers, and little Santas, on tables and all of the windowsills.
It was rather late when everything was finished, and soon, the entire place smelled of pine and cinnamon, warmed by all of the lit candles. Smaller candles had been set throughout the branches of the Christmas tree, their tiny flames twinkling brightly.
“Don’t you worry about the candles catching something on fire?”
Audric looked down at her. “No. The flames have been ordered not to do anything but burn the candles. Once finished, they are to snuff themselves out.”
“If only they behaved that way on Earth,” Chrissana said.
“Yes, but let’s just keep our thoughts and attention here in this place.”
Chrissana retrieved the decorating book from the couch and returned it to the library. She rejoined Audric and Dinnya as they began to stroll through the rooms, surveying their finished work. Even the upper level hallway, library and dining room had been decorated with garlands and smaller Christmas trees.
They remained in the dining area where thought forms draped a red satin tablecloth over the long table and in the center, large pine branches were placed inside a gigantic crystal vase. Another thought form hung gold ornaments from them then added strings of gold beads. The chandeliers above the table weren’t left out as beading and ornaments were also hung from them.