A Very Paranormal Holiday

by J. T. Bock

  “I am no such thing.”

  “Kerbasi.” She grabbed his chin and forced his gaze in her direction. “I’m trying to help you. This isn’t a game. If you want Melena and Emily to accept you then do something nice for them. Be the one who reaches out first. Getting Christmas gifts for them would go a long way.”

  For a brief moment, he considered it. What would it be like if they didn’t look at him with disdain? Could they possibly accept him after all the things he’d said and done to push them away? He couldn’t imagine it. Not now. Perhaps not ever.

  “No. They’d laugh at me if I got them gifts. I’m sure of it.” He stood and looked down at her. “But I appreciate that you spoke with me about this.”

  Kerbasi started to walk away.

  “Wait.” Kariann leaped up and took his arm. “If you change your mind, there’s still a week left until Christmas. We could even order something online if you want. I’ll help so Melena won’t know.”

  She knew he didn’t have credit cards or official identification for that matter. He didn’t need it when in most cases he could compel his way through anything. Online shopping was a different matter. The only money he had was cash and it didn’t work for that.

  “I doubt I’ll change my mind, but if I do I’ll let you know.”

  Kariann smiled. “Good. I’ll be waiting.”

  Chapter 6

  Kerbasi had never put much thought into the regular noises he heard around Melena’s house. The laughter, shouting, banging of pots and pans, or the crack of a can of coke being opened. There were so many of them and they’d become familiar to him. Something he’d thought was in all human homes.

  Apparently not all.

  None of the aforementioned sounds filled Edan’s home. After a brief conversation with his mother they were left in a house where the loudest noise he could hear was the steady ticking of a clock on the kitchen wall, off to the left of the living room. If he listened very closely, he could also make out Edan’s faint breathing down the hall. It barely competed with the hum of the electrical appliances.

  The complete stillness unnerved him.

  Kerbasi found Edan sitting up in bed, pillows packed behind him, staring out his window at the backyard. Someone had finally opened the curtains. The sun shinned brightly outside, falling on a blanket of snow surrounded by a high wooden fence. The snow was smooth with no signs of disturbance—far different from what one would find around Melena’s house.

  “When I lived here before going to Anchorage, my mom helped me build a snowman,” Edan said, keeping his gaze focused on the window. “It was fun.”

  If Kerbasi recalled correctly, the boy hadn’t been in Fairbanks for the winter since he was six years old. Had there been any opportunity to play in the snow while in Anchorage? Considering Edan’s condition, it was doubtful.

  “Did you name the snowman?” Kerbasi asked. Emily had made one last month and named hers Sparkle because she’d covered it in glitter after making it. He’d found the whole thing absurd at the time, but Edan probably might have appreciated her work.

  “Yeah, I called him George. That was my Dad’s name.”

  Kerbasi took a few steps closer. “That’s a fine name.”

  He had no idea what else to say. The boy still hadn’t looked at him and kept his gaze riveted to the unbroken snow. What did he see in it that the guardian could not?

  “Mom says I might see him again soon. Maybe we’ll make snowmen in heaven together. Do you think we could do that?” Edan turned his head and peered up at Kerbasi.

  “Perhaps.” Kerbasi hadn’t spent much time up there, but he couldn’t imagine the angels denying this child anything.

  “Would you make one for me now? So I can watch?” His expression lit up with hope.

  Kerbasi felt his eyes get wet and blinked. “I would be honored.”

  It didn’t matter that he had no experience with creating snowmen. He’d figure it out.

  Edan smiled. “Thanks.”

  “I’ll be right out there, but if you need anything just speak normally. I’ll be able to hear you.”

  “You have super-hearing, too?” The boy looked impressed.

  “I do,” Kerbasi confirmed.

  “Okay. I’ll tell you if you’re doing anything wrong.”

  Well, that was a comfort.

  He nodded and left the room. Melena met him in the hallway and guided him to the kitchen where there was a side door leading into the backyard. She would have overheard their conversation and known what they were up to.

  “Start with a small snowball and just keep rolling. It’ll get bigger,” she instructed.

  He remembered that much from watching Emily make hers. He’d mocked her the entire time, but now he was glad she’d done it so that he’d seen how it was done.

  “How will I know when the ball is big enough?” he asked.

  “When it feels right. The first one has to be the largest and the two that go on top of that each need to be smaller.”

  “The same as Emily’s,” he said.

  “Yes.” There was an odd expression on her face.

  He was so used to seeing nothing but annoyance and hostility from her he didn’t know how to interpret the way she looked upon him now. She almost seemed pleased with him. Kerbasi didn’t know if he should be glad about that or not.

  Melena opened the door. “Good luck.”

  Kerbasi stepped out into the cold and watched his breath fog the air. The weather wasn’t too bad today. The afternoon sun had brought the temperature up to almost twenty degrees. A good day for building a snowman if he must do it.

  He moved along the house toward the back, marring the snow with his steps. Edan’s mother might wonder at the larger prints. He’d have to use magic to alter them before he left. The boy had kept his promise to Melena—the one he’d made during her first phone call to him—and kept Kerbasi a secret. He had no idea how she’d explained things to him.

  Once he reached the area within view of Edan’s window he looked around for a place to start. If he was going to be rolling the ball it would be best to start at the edge of the lawn. He selected a spot that would keep him within sight of the boy and kneeled, gathering a sizable ball of snow in his hands. Once it was large enough he set it down and began to roll.

  After a couple of false starts, it went smoothly. Crouching low he kept it going until he’d almost reached the opposite fence. He turned it and rolled the ball until it was approximately ten feet from Edan’s window. It had gotten larger than he’d originally planned, standing more than two feet high, but it was perfectly shaped.

  Kerbasi admired it for a moment, waved at the boy, and went to make the next ball. He started it farther back in the yard, but made a point of stopping before it became as cumbersome as the first. Then he attempted to lift it. The ball crumbled under his grasp.

  Laughter erupted from Edan’s room.

  The guardian wanted to be annoyed, but if his mistake amused the boy then perhaps it was not such a bad thing. It simply meant he’d have to try again and be more careful.

  Packing up some of the crumbled snow, he began another ball. It was a little misshapen, but he didn’t let that discourage him. He kept rolling until it was the right size and ended close to its destination. Not wanting to risk this one breaking when he moved it, he used his powers to lift it into the air.

  “Hey! No magic!” Edan yelled from the window. “You have to do it the hard way.”

  Kerbasi sighed. “He should have known the boy wouldn’t let him cheat.”

  He lowered the ball back to the ground. Now how to lift it without breaking it this time. He kneeled down and took extra care with positioning his hands and arms. Rising ever so slowly, he stood and shuffled his feet toward the larger ball.

  Lowering it inch by inch he set the second ball on top of the first. By some miracle it managed to stay on. He was almost afraid to move for fear it would come crashing down, but after a minute of waiting it remained in plac
e.

  He let out a deep breath of relief and went to make the head of the snowman. It would be much smaller and more manageable. He packed some snow into a ball, rolled it for a short distance, and picked it up as gently as possible. It wasn’t much bigger than his own head.

  Setting it on top of the body, he stepped back and studied his creation. It wasn’t quite even and perhaps swayed a little, but he’d done it all by himself. With no magic. His brethren in Purgatory would have found this activity very amusing.

  “Stay right there,” Edan commanded.

  Kerbasi heard him give further instructions to Melena, who must have also been watching from the bedroom. It appeared his work was not done yet. She came out a few minutes later with a bucket of water.

  “You have to pour this over the snowman. It’ll help hold his shape for longer.” She handed him the bucket.

  He frowned. “But I might destroy it.”

  “Then you better be careful.”

  He understood the concept of what she wanted him to do, but it was still with some reluctance that he carried the bucket toward the snowman. Kerbasi wasn’t sure what he’d do if it topped because of the water. So little went right for him these days. He was more likely to do harm than good.

  Scrunching his face in concentration, he lifted the bucket high and allowed the water to pour in little more than a trickle over the snowman. He inched his way around it slowly to ensure he covered the entire body. It wasn’t long before the surface took on a somewhat glassy appearance. He had to admit it was a good idea. This would do well to make it stronger and able to withstand wind and new-fallen snow.

  Kerbasi handed the bucket back to Melena. “Anything else?”

  “He needs a face and a scarf!” Edan piped up from the window.

  “Wait here,” Melena said, holding up a finger. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

  She hurried around the corner toward the side door. Kerbasi heard noises coming from inside the house as she gathered whatever materials she and Edan deemed necessary. He shifted from foot to foot, wondering what they’d give him to use.

  Emily had made a face on hers with nail polish—which he’d thought an odd choice—and put a black wig on it that she’d used the previous Halloween. She’d chosen to be a witch. The girl had thought it funny since she was both immune to magic and unable to perform it herself.

  Melena finally returned holding a red scarf and an assortment of buttons. “Here you go.”

  Kerbasi lifted his brows. “I understand the scarf, but what shall I do with the buttons?”

  “Use the two big ones for the eyes and the smaller ones to shape the mouth.”

  “You could help, you know.” This seemed more her area of expertise.

  “Nope.” She shook her head. “Edan wants you to do it all. He insisted.”

  “Very well.”

  He took the scarf first and wrapped it between the second and third balls, leaving the excess hanging down the front of the body. Melena gave him the two big buttons next. He examined the head for a moment, then pressed his thumbs into it at the level where the eyes should go. Once he’d created proper sockets, he fitted the buttons into them.

  The mouth would be even trickier. Kerbasi dug his index finger into the head and created an outline shaped in the form of a smile. Melena gave him five buttons when he put his hand out toward her. He pressed them into the head, spacing them evenly apart.

  Kerbasi cocked his head. “I suppose he looks realistic enough. What do you think?”

  She grabbed his arm and pulled him farther back in the yard so they could look at it more fully. “It looks wonderful.”

  “I would not go that far.”

  His snowman was leaning to the right and now that Kerbasi could see it from a distance he realized the smile wasn’t as even as he’d hoped. In fact it looked rather lopsided, as if the creature was grimacing.

  “Sometimes it’s the imperfections that make things truly beautiful.”

  Edan gave them a wave. He was smiling and looking happy.

  Kerbasi leaned closer to the sensor. “It doesn’t seem fair that he has so little time left.”

  “No, it doesn’t.” She gazed off at an unknown point in the distance. “But I’ve come to believe that some of us finish our purpose on earth a little earlier than others.”

  “How much could he have possibly accomplished in his eight years?”

  She looked up at him, her blue eyes boring into his. “You tell me.”

  He opened his mouth and then shut it. Kerbasi didn’t know what to say to that.

  “Come on. Let’s go inside. You need to say your goodbyes before his aunt gets here.”

  His throat tightened as they made their way back into the kitchen and then through the rest of the house to Edan’s room. He’d almost forgotten that this was his last visit. Edan’s mother had her schedule arranged so that she wouldn’t need them to come anymore. Not with his death getting closer. She’d want every last moment with her son and he could hardly blame her for that.

  Melena stopped at the doorway and let him enter alone. Edan was still gazing out the window and smiling at the snowman, but when he turned toward Kerbasi his smile fell.

  “You’re not coming back, are you?” he asked.

  In all of his forty-five hundred years he’d never been faced with a more difficult task. Even a week ago he wouldn’t have believed saying farewell to a child could have been this painful. His breath hitched and he could have sworn something now blocked his throat. He swallowed hard and forced the words to come.

  “Yes. You must bring comfort to your mother now.” It was true. If he could become this attached after a few visits then how must she feel? She would lose her son soon.

  “Will you give me a hug?” Edan’s eyes were tearing up.

  So were Kerbasi’s.

  “Of course.” He agreed to it as if he gave hugs all the time, rather than never at all.

  Bending down he wrapped his arms around the boy’s frail body. He was afraid he might hurt him, but he took the utmost care to squeeze gently enough that it might give Edan comfort without causing any pain. The boy gripped him tightly, burying his head in Kerbasi’s chest.

  “I’m going to miss you.”

  “As I will you.”

  After a minute passed Edan’s arms slackened their hold. Kerbasi pulled back to look him in the eyes. “Do not be afraid of what comes next. All your pain will be gone and you’ll find yourself in a beautiful place. Perhaps we will even meet again.”

  Edan nodded. “Thanks…for the snowman. I like it.”

  “You’re very welcome.”

  He patted the boy’s shoulder gently and stepped out of the room. Melena gave him a wan smile and took her turn saying goodbye. He flashed to the Jeep, unable to stay any longer.

  Chapter 7

  It was Christmas eve. The first one for Kerbasi on earth.

  He’d been waiting days for a chance to go into the living room unseen. Finally, everyone was in the kitchen working to get dinner ready and the guests wouldn’t arrive for at least ten more minutes. This would be his only opportunity.

  The Christmas tree waited for him in the corner. He didn’t look at it quite the same as he did when they’d brought it in. Perhaps building the snowman for Edan had helped him look at things differently. No. He must not think about that. Kerbasi had pondered over the boy enough in recent days and couldn’t afford to let his emotions get to him now.

  He knelt down next to the tree. There were wrapped packages piled underneath containing who knew what. The two small ones he held seemed meager, but it hadn’t been easy for him to decide on these gifts. There were personal. A piece of himself.

  A part of him was scared to take a chance like this. He still wasn’t sure he’d made the right decision, but he couldn’t change his mind now. Someone was coming. He pushed his two packages toward the back and rushed away from the tree.

  “Hey, Kerbasi,” Emily said, coming into the room.
“Want to help me set the table?”

  He rather not, but the curiosity in her eyes told him she’d start asking questions if he didn’t do something to distract her.

  “Very well. It is Christmas, after all.”

  Her jaw dropped, but she quickly closed it. “Okay. I’d thought I’d have to fight you over it.”

  “Not tonight,” he said, brushing past her into the formal dining room. “You simply need to tell me what to do.”

  Emily took out a wooden box from the cupboard positioned under the window. She carried it over to the table, which already had a fresh white cloth on it.

  “Mel got these for special occasions,” she explained at Kerbasi’s inquiring look. “They’re fancy silverware.”

  Normally, he would have made a sarcastic remark about how ridiculous that sounded. For this one night, though, he would be a model of politeness. He’d talked to Kariann the night after he’d last seen Edan and she’d helped him come up with a plan for how to win over some of the others. It would be impossible for him to be courteous all the time—it just wasn’t in his nature—but she’d agreed that even one night as a grand gesture might make a difference.

  Following Emily’s instructions he laid out each piece of silverware in the appropriate order. They also set plates, drinking glasses, and pitchers of water on the table. Soon thereafter Melena was calling them to start bringing out the platters of food.

  The sensor wasn’t doing most of the cooking, to his relief. Cori had overcome her previous holiday reticence to handle the bulk of the work along with Emily helping prepare some of the dishes. The house had never smelled more tantalizing than it did now. He was particularly excited about the large turkey they’d pulled out of the oven an hour before.

  The doorbell rang.

  Emily hurried to get it, having sensed who had arrived already. Hunter and his father stepped inside. She took them over to the living room to chat while they waited for dinner to be ready. Lucas flashed into the room next. The guardian had to work very hard not to sneer at the nephilim.

  “Where’s Melena?”