Sanctuary

by Alene Adele Roy

  “I fear that the missing merchandise is gone from Spice Dock, forever,” Cousin Emery Davis declared, as if he knew something. But he didn’t. Men quickly pondered it, aloud.

  “All we need is a little faith,” countered Pastor Albert, and his words would soon be repeated. At once, John Davis III pulled the clergyman away from the others to discuss a serious matter with him. “When Rachael and I arrived at the Ice House this morning, before the others, we noticed that it appeared as if someone had been sleeping in the hay on flour sacks.”

  “Oh, really? That’s very interesting. Let’s tell Sheriff Joe about that, at once,” and they did.

  The annual North Field Sleigh Races were scheduled for the next day, hosted by John’s Davis grandparents. His parents and grandparents provided sleighs, annually, for the adventures. Yet, before Phoebe could venture out, she needed a mitten, since one of hers was lost, either at Fernahven or Bower Farm.

  “You don’t need frostbite today, and neither does Hope or her kittens. It’s a good thing we brought her in last evening, isn’t it?” Viola asked, petting the feline and her kittens in their nearby, cozy box bed.

  “We’ll make you a pair!” announced Rachael, as Phoebe sat dejectedly in an overstuffed chair.

  “We certainly will, as soon as Rachael procures some nice warm fabric,” agreed Viola.

  “We all simply must participate,” Rachael insisted. So, red mittens for Phoebe were cut and stitched in no time, while the men hitched horses to sleighs at the barn. Shortly thereafter, laughter rang through Black Woods and returned to them by way of Echo Meadow and Daisy Hollow. It was the winter solstice celebration, and snow had appropriately blessed them again the previous evening, for this occasion.

  At once, John Davis Senior lowered his right hand and those at the starting line were off, as if chasing the red fox. An exciting race was held, with onlookers holding their breath or calling out happy encouragement. Surprisingly, all three sleighs were selected as winners: Antonio and Robin’s red sleigh, Amber and Emery’s blue one, and Rachael and John’s golden one. They would need more races so everyone could be involved before declaring a winner. Therefore, while the horses rested awhile and had a treat, racers took shelter on the closed-in porch for their treats: sliced cheese, vegetables, fruits, nuts, Christmas cookies, cocoa, and warmth.

  On the next round, Rachael and John came in last and were disqualified. It didn’t matter. She quickly hurried to visit with John’s mother and grandmothers inside Black Woods Castle, relaying wedding details and how they would each receive flowers to wear for the upcoming blissful event. “Please tell Father John and the grandfathers that they shall each be receiving a flower for their lapel or buttonhole,” she explained, happily divulging this information to them. “We wish to honor you on our special day, and you may stand with us in the receiving line at the reception afterwards, if you so wish, or not.”

  They thanked and hugged her, just as Robert and Robin’s sleigh won. On the next round, Antonio and Viola became the winners, and Rachael was so happy that her family was included in this jovial time.

  Cheers now made her aware it was time to resume her hostess duties. Since the temperature was quite cold, well below freezing, John suggested that the participants return to his barn to warm up further and for a look at Butterscotch and Chocolate, who had not been selected to pull a sleigh today. After feeding the horses a carrot and grain, the group was once again exhilarated when someone called, “It’s snowman time!”

  “That was Robert, of course,” Phoebe declared, from just outside the rabbit pen where she, Rachael, and the other women had gathered with Lily. “He does this to us every year, doesn’t he Rachael, dragging us out into the worst of winter weather to build a comical creature with some type of hat?”

  “Yes, he does.” Both of Phoebe’s sisters agreed at the same time.

  As the ladies went to join the men on some hay bales, Robert added a new twist, while John playfully threw loose hay at him and Monty. “It shall be the women against the men this year ~ teams! I shall provide a prize in the form of a shiny coin,” Robert informed them, tempting the group with a treasure.

  “But who shall decide the winner?” Viola asked, smoothing her skirt, yet puzzled at the prospect.

  “We all shall. We will write our chosen winning snowman on paper and someone will call out the votes afterward. No one will be embarrassed that way when they lose,” he stated, laughing. “Let’s go!”

  “Wait! How shall you decide who gets the one coin if five or six women create a winner?” asked Phoebe, posing a new problem to her brother. “Is that fair?”

  Rachael added, “Is that incentive enough?”

  “How do all of us women share just one coin, buy one cookie?” Viola questioned.

  “Well, it does seem as if all of my sisters are giving me a quiz today, doesn’t it? Truthfully, I had not thought about it all that much.” He scratched his head. “I guess I haven’t worked out all of the details yet. I wasn’t planning on all of you women going together to create a masterpiece. I only wanted us to have some fun.”

  “I’ll put up two coins for the winners,” Antonio offered, displaying them in his right hand.

  “I’ll give the remainder of the coins,” John’s father added.

  “Better hurry! Snowflakes are swirling!” declared Cloie, causing the group to spring into action and race, laughing, through the door to a winter wonderland outside. Hurriedly, they all began rolling snowballs, laughing, and helping little Lily to have a fun time of it, as well.

  “Rolling snow is fun, I keep telling myself,” Viola complained, pitching one toward the sky. Rachael then sent one in John’s direction and a short snowball fight ensued, before someone said it was getting too cold for “such as this,” and that they needed to get back to their original purpose.

  “Girls, just think, when we get our winning coins, we can do something fun with them,” Amber laughed. “Here, we’ll stack our ball on top of yours for that much needed middle section of the body.”

  “We’ve got her head over here,” Aggie laughed, as she and Phoebe finished packing snow into a hard ball, then lifted and carried it to the rest of the snowwoman. While laughing, they nearly dropped it.

  “It’s a girl snowman, ladies. I’m going in for one of my hats,” Rachael called to the laughing group, while heading toward the house with Lily. “I’m taking her in to Miss Callie. It’s too cold outside for you, isn’t it, darling?” she then asked the little girl. John playfully threw snowballs at the pair, missing them by a wide margin, but making them laugh.

  Minutes later, his father, who had offered some coins for the reward, was allowed to vote, too, which would break any tie that might occur. Yet, after a few moments, when the snowman and snowwoman were finished and had their hats in place, he pondered and feigned indecision in his judging. Next, he and Cloie put their heads together and whispered to each other. Instantly, they came up with a solution. “You’re all winners! Here is a coin for each of you and one for baby Lily’s piggy bank. We enjoy you all so very much,” John II announced. Hattie and John Senior agreed and gave coins, too, as did the Lightfoots.

  “You don’t have to do that,” Aggie Hoover emphatically declared, laughing.

  “We want to be included, dear,” was Hattie’s answer, as she gave coins from her pocket, too. No one could dispute them.

  Later, after an early dinner, John had a surprise for the group when they gathered around the cozy fireplace after Pastor Albert and Emma came back to visit after their own dinner at home. John entertained all with a Christmas song on his glass harmonica. The group was positively mesmerized once again by the intriguingly beautiful and unique sound and sight of the musical instrument. “I’ve been practicing on my bowl organ. Can you tell? That’s what it’s called, I’m told,” he explained, just before thanking those again who had so graciously given it to him to
boost his morale.

  “We can tell,” Cousin Emery complimented, proudly acknowledging John’s progress on the instrument, while watching his cousin’s proficiency with the remarkable creation. “Now, I want one.”

  But at the moment, John had the wedding on his mind. “Cousin Emery, will you walk our Grandmother Hattie down the aisle, and Buddy will you escort my other Grandmother, Andrea Lightfoot, to her seat? Grandfathers, you shall walk just behind them. Albert, could you usher your lovely wife down the aisle, since she is to be a bridesmaid, too? Now, what have I forgotten, Rachael?”

  “The rings,” Rachael answered quietly.

  “Oh, yes,” Cousin Emery commented, as if the subject had just re-entered his mind once again, too.

  “Who should bear the rings to the alter for us?” John asked, puzzled.

  The room went silent for only a moment, for his bride-to-be had an idea about that, too. “I’d love to ask Crane and Mariah Emerson if they would do so,” Rachael responded.

  The couple looked at each other momentarily, just before Crane spoke. “We’d love to, Miss Hathaway.”

  “Oh, Rachael, what a wonderful idea,” commented Aggie. “Emma and I can fashion a pillow for your rings, if you like. We have leftover fabric and laces.”

  “Thank you, Emma and Aggie. I traded for baskets with Chief Morning Star at the exchange to carry some little gifts. So, I was wondering if perhaps I could ask Lily and Minnie to give out the flower pouches after the vows are said, for John and I collected columbine seed at Craggy Eggy Moor this summer. We’ll give gift bags of flower seeds for your gardens at the reception, just as Crane and Mariah did,” explained Rachael. She leaned toward the pair. “Thank you for letting us use your idea.”

  “How special that will be,” Aggie responded. “I can’t wait to plant them in my garden.”

  “That sounds just perfect,” Emma agreed. “I’ll help the girls distribute them and show them what to do.” Next, she rose, signaled to Aggie, and went to John’s desk where a beautifully wrapped gift sat. They happily presented to Amber a matching cloak just like Rachael’s, for after the wedding.

  “Oh, how lovely,” Amber gushed, hugging the two. “Thank you very much. I’m getting excited now. Someday our special day will come.” She glanced toward Emery, who was beaming. Then she squeezed Phoebe’s hand, since she was sitting beside her.

  “Are we sharing our honeymoon destination, too?” Cousin Emery asked John, with a laugh.

  “Dare I tell? Of course, we are,” was John’s reply. “Let’s not say where, though, or our brides might get angry with us if we divulge that bit of information.” At that point, he leaned over to whisper his idea to his kin. A smile of approval was at once seen upon his cousin’s face, while he nodded in approval and went to ask his bride if she would favor it.

  Amber and Rachael just looked at each other and sighed, feigning disgusted looks, while laughing.

  Another idea just happened to surface at the fireside gathering that very evening, when Rachael surprisingly commented, “I wish we had time for a horse show before the end of the year, John. Remember when we talked about it that day at the moor?”

  “Yes, and why can’t we?” the doctor immediately responded, obviously liking her idea, instantly making her day, as they fell to discussing it. “That way, your family could meet our friends and neighbors, at the same time. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, as long as it’s festive and fun,” he declared.

  “Oh, I love the idea,” Andrea Lightfoot agreed. “We’ll help.” She took her husband’s hand. “Let’s do some decorating with garlands, bows, and cones,” she suggested. “I’ll bring food, too.”

  “Wonderful!” Her grandson agreed, while all of the other folks in attendance offered their help.

  Next, Crane added to the excitement. “We could also have a play area for the children, complete with rabbits to pet,” was his suggestion.

  “I’ll help with that,” Mariah offered.

  Crane’s mother, Miss Callie, liked the idea, too. Joining the conversation, she added, “Mercy, what a wonderful plan. I’ll make my casserole to serve, if you like.”

  “We’d be delighted to have you do so,” the doctor replied. “This plan is coming together so well, that it must be intended to be, as long as it doesn’t scare the horses and tire everyone out.”

  “Let’s call it “The Winter Solstice Horse Show,” Rachael announced. “The horses won’t really have to perform that much. Perhaps you can just walk them around to show them off to visitors.”

  “I’ll help with that, John, and clean the stalls, too.” Cousin Emery proposed.

  John nodded his approval of the offer. “We could give the children rides, if they wish.”

  “Time was, when we hardly ever got together this often,” Uncle Emery explained. “I love it and I’ll bring some of my Christmas cookies.”

  Next, Monty and Charles conferred for a moment. Then, Monty asked, “May we bring our apple cider to serve? We have an abundance of it this year.” Amber and Phoebe both offered decorated cookies to the plan of action, and Viola wanted to be included. After so many suggestions, it was time to sing and play instruments.

  Finally, the guests went to bed at Magnolia Gardens, Black Woods Castle, or journeyed home, all with thoughts of the upcoming holiday gathering, including Monty and Phoebe, or so everyone thought. Actually, though, they had gone to spend the evening at much closer locations, so they could arrive back at John’s for the holiday cookie baking session scheduled for the next day. Monty stayed with Emery. Phoebe stayed with Amber, in only one of the surprising holiday turn of events. Yet, they told no one else.

  Happily, John and Rachael discussed their honeymoon plans that evening. Their destination would remain unannounced, except to their traveling companions, Amber and Emery. Rachael’s groom was filled with excitement, as he explained a new, exciting development. “You won’t believe this, but when I made our reservations, I was also notified of an archaeological meeting scheduled at our hotel during the time of our stay. I’m amazed, and more than eager to attend it, possibly bringing my dream to reality of learning more about artifacts, and of gleaning new ideas about opening a museum.”

  Rachael’s eyes grew wide with excitement at learning of it. “I’d love to attend that meeting, too.”

  “Really, would you, darling? I would love for you to attend. We could leave any time you’re bored or tired, my love,” he assured her. “So, our plans are set in stone, so to speak, even taking on a new and exciting dimension and direction, with the unexpected meeting invitation offered to us from the hotel. Our destination at the inn is for certain now.”

  “Yes, it’s ‘set in stone,’ just like a fossil,’” she whispered, laughing happily.

  Bright sunshine ruled the next morning, causing the snow crystals to glisten like a field of diamond dust sprinkled on the lawns, gardens, and everything else. Despite this glitter glaze and to everyone’s surprise and delight, Monty and Phoebe knocked at the door early, right at breakfast time.

  “Come in. Here’s your orange juice.” John welcomed them warmly, after Crane led them into the festively decorated room. Grabbing two glasses of the beverage from the sideboard, he then placed them at places at his large table, greatly impressing his bride-to-be with his excellent entertaining skills.

  At once, Rachael announced, “Now I know exactly why you have chosen such a large table to feature as a centerpiece in your dining room ~ to accommodate the family and guests you so love to entertain. You’re a great host.”

  He smiled warmly at her for the compliment, while remembering the plans they’d made last evening. “You’re welcome any time, you two,” he announced. “You’re family.”

  “But, how did you get here so early and why?” Rachael asked in awe. “I am thrilled you’re here!”

  Phoebe spoke, ignoring part of the ques
tion. “We are here for cookie baking time, of course!”

  “Oh, thank you, dear one. It will be just like old times at home,” Rachael remarked, as she rose from her chair to go hug her sister. “We’re all here now.” However, pausing for a moment, she thought about those missing family members and straightened her posture. “No, we’re not all here. Grandmother Rachael and Great Aunt Millie aren’t here, are they? I miss them and Wren and Swan.”

  Still, a very merry time ensued during their first cookie baking experience at Magnolia Gardens. Miss Callie, Crane, and Mariah were away early, for a little Christmas and wedding shopping, sightseeing at various holiday displays, to eat, and to listen to the lovely sounds of carolling in the village, and wouldn’t be back for hours. So, piles of decorated sugar and oatmeal cookies, divinity, apple walnut bars, cinnamon drops, and brownies quickly piled high and lay cooling on clean towels when the bakers were finished. Glancing at their handiwork, the women and their mother were pleased with the end results. Quickly, they cleaned up Miss Callie’s Kitchen so they could enjoy a sample of their handiwork.

  “On Christmas Eve, there’ll be plenty of cookies to bestow with the oranges, as gifts. Thank you, everyone, for your help and for coming for the holidays.” An appreciative and tired Rachael leaned on her hand, elbow on the table.

  “Well, we’d be remiss if we missed cookie baking time with you, now wouldn’t we?” explained Phoebe.

  “Yes, we would be, but there are no thumbprint cookies, here,” complained Viola. “I shall have to find my Cookie Palace so I can feature some, it seems.”